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Mineral Technologies has a recognised history charting innovation and the delivery of leading recovery solutions to the minerals and mining industry, worldwide.   Continuing this tradition, the company now introduces the new Contero 500 Grinding Mill, specifically designed to address key industry issues, namely:

• Lowest specific energies in fine and ultra fine grinding
• Moves to ultrafine and nano production
• Flexibility of operation
• Media and liner free production (no contamination)

Artificially induced centrifugal milling is globally recognised as an economical solution to these needs.   Mineral Technologies has developed the Contero 500 Grinding Mill in response to these challenges.

Grinding Mill Operation

Traditional grinding methods have had to use grinding media, in conjunction with high potential energy (ball mills) or high pressure shear forces (stirred mills), or even more expensive methods such as jet mills, to achieve fine size reduction.   Associated media retention and mill liner requirements have also added to the operational and maintenance cost, and in some operations, have led to concerns about contamination.

Mineral Technologies has addressed the overall cost and difficulty of operations with the new Contero 500 Grinding Mill, while also focusing on the developing needs of industry.   Key elements of the Contero 500 Grinding Mill include:  

• High centrifugal operation (450 - 1,200G)
• No media (or associated retention grates)
• No liners
• Wet or dry operation
• Ease of operation and control
• Ease of maintenance

Material enters the mill vertically through a central shaft where it presents to a rotating drum.   The drum distributes the material to an outer vertical cavity (grinding zone) where it falls in contact with a counter-rotating shell.

As material falls through this cavity, it encounters two comminution processes;

• Shear from competing particles under high centrifugal acceleration imposed by the counter rotating drums
• Impact from embedded studs in the walls of the drum over the length of the grinding zone

Very fine material builds up on the walls of the chamber, forming a barrier to wear.

At the bottom of the grinding cavity a variable diameter choke ring is installed to regulate the retention (and hence size reduction) of the material inside the grinding zone.   This can also be controlled by regulating the airflow (dry operation) or water flow (wet operation) through the mill.

The ground material is discharged to downstream air classification equipment (dry) or hydrocyclones (wet) for product recovery, and oversize return.

Testing Facilities

Mineral Technologies has a scale model pilot plant available for in-depth testwork on bulk materials, to confirm anticipated mill performance.

As well as a Contero 180 Grinding Mill, the plant also includes latest generation high speed classifying technology.  The UCX 200 classifier, has the ability to recover product at down to 2µm (D 97).

Alongside the grinding test facilities, Mineral Technologies also has an extensive laboratory / pilot plant test facilities with a wide range of test equipment for it's core business.   This includes separation equipment such as spirals, jigs, cyclones, magnets, electrostatics and shaking tables.

Mineral Technologies is interested in investigating process opportunities with industrial mineral and resource companies, to look at innovative and economical solutions.

If you would like to see how we might benefit your operation with our Contero ultra fine mineral grinding mills, please contact us on mineraltechnologies@downeredimining.com.