Whirlwind mill – grinding technology finely tuned to your bulk material

High end finenesses

At Grenzebach, we understand how complex the behavior of different bulk materials can be during grinding. Therefore, the focus of our whirlwind mill is the targeted further development of our mill concept to suit your task.

With more than 40 years of project experience and know-how from continuous trials, we are able to meet your challenges flexibly. Thanks to different sizes and technical adjustment options, we can meet your requirements for throughput capacity and particle size distribution in the best possible way – even with minimal available space.

A strong partner right from the start

From planning to commissioning, we offer you professional support. Whether it’s the construction of an entire grinding plant or the integration of a whirlwind mill into your existing production, you get the solution you need. We are available to answer all your questions and happy to support you on the basis of our many years of experience.

Advantages of the whirlwind mill

GEARED TO YOUR SUCCESS

Adjustable end finenesses

The grinding gap of the whirlwind mill can be easily adjusted and the speed can be changed without complications. You can quickly and flexibly adjust your grinding results. If the quality of the raw material fluctuates, you can react quickly.

Space-saving in your operating environment

With its small dimensions, the whirlwind mill can easily be integrated into your existing infrastructure. Special foundations are not required, due to the whirlwind mill’s low-vibration operation.

Low maintenance

The whirlwind mill has a simple, robust design. Thanks to its screenless design, users also benefit from low cleaning requirements.

Maximum service life

With its integrated right-left running, the eddy current mill allows you to make optimal use of the service life of your grinding tools and wear protection segments.

The whirlwind mill – an all-rounder

Wide range of bulk materials

The whirlwind mill can be used to grind soft to medium-hard bulk materials for a wide range of applications. It can grind a variety of rocks, minerals and materials, up to a Mohs hardness of 5. It can even defibrate paper. Some examples will give you an idea.

If you don’t see your bulk material in this list, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Beyond the bulk materials mentioned, the whirlwind mill is the ideal technological solution for a wide range of materials.

Grinding of Limestone

Limestone:

Formed by geological processes, limestone can be found in various forms in nature. In the fine grinding of limestone in the stone and soil industry, the whirlwind mill ensures precise grinding processes and end products of uniform fineness. Thus, there is no need for a separate classifying plant.

High finesses for grinding gypsum

Gypsum

Natural gypsum is often extracted by mining. However, gypsum is also a by-product of flue gas desulfurization in industry. For the gypsum industry, the whirlwind mill ensures exact fineness – crucial for targeted further processing.

Grinding pigments

Pigments

Several general conditions and parameters must be taken into account in the ultra-fine grinding of pigments: they must be absolutely grit-free, with extremely fine final grain sizes. In addition, fast, thorough cleaning options are needed for product changes – a requirement that the whirlwind mill meets.

Aroma-friendly cold grinding of salt

Salts of various origins:

With the whirlwind mill, salts can be processed using special applications in a particularly aroma-friendly manner. Grenzebach’s whirlwind mills have frequently proven themselves in cold grinding.

Defibration of paper to cellulose insulation material

Cellulose insulation material:

Building with recycled materials: paper or cardboard can be defibrated into cellulose insulation material with the whirlwind mill. The defibration of organic materials creates the ideal starting point for the production of cellulose insulation.

Cryogenic grinding and mill-drying with the whirlwind mill

Special application

The Grenzebach whirlwind mill is also ideally suited for special applications such as the grinding of temperature-sensitive materials. When cold grinding – also called cryogenic grinding – is necessary, the whirlwind mill provides particularly aroma-friendly process conditions. For example, the aroma and flavor of spices are optimally preserved during grinding. Sensitive products can be ground fine without negatively affecting their properties.  

The individual adjustment of the whirlwind mill to the special application also allows the products to be mill-dried. Thus, the material can be ground and dried in one work step. 

How the whirlwind mill works

The interplay of different grinding principles in the whirlwind mill ensures high final finenesses with maximum throughput. This means that you benefit from excellent upper particle size limits with a narrow particle size distribution. Appropriate pre-crushing and main crushing between the rotor and stator ensure that the way your material is ground is gentle on the product. This makes it possible, for example, to optimize the opacity of precipitated calcium carbonate. The additional secondary air connection and further adjustment options for the rotor speed and the grinding gap allow our customers to precisely control the final fineness. See the details of whirlwind mill operation in our video here. 

 

Process parameters of the whirlwind mill at a glance:

  • Throughput capacity ranging from 50 to 20,000 kg/h
  • Product temperatures up to 200 °C
  • Grinding of products up to Mohs hardness 5
  • Particle size feed up to 30 mm
Raw material analyses and test with individual bulk material

Material analyses and grinding tests in the Grenzebach Technical Center

The bulk material you need to process and the desired final finenesses are the basis for our technical development. We leave nothing to chance: Bulk materials have very different natural properties – the focus is on the optimum grinding process for your materials. In a holistic approach, our Grenzebach team therefore researches your bulk materials in our own building materials laboratory in Bad Hersfeld. Following additional practical tests in our technical center, we design your whirlwind mill according to your requirements.

Further process solutions

Vibration tube mill: Grinding medium-hard and hard products

Grenzebach’s vibrating tube mills are the solution for grinding medium-hard to hard, abrasive products. For example, they can grind slags, ashes or fireclay and operate according to the vibromill principle. In this process, Grenzebach’s vibration tube mill achieves consistently high throughput rates with low energy consumption.

Jet Airstream Sifter: Separating fine, medium and coarse material

With the Grenzebach Jet Airstream Sifter, powders from all areas of solids processing technology can be separated into three fractions – fine, medium and coarse material – in just one step. The Jet Airstream Sifter is suitable for sifting bulk materials and for separating fines without spattering.

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Your contact person: Patrick Barthel

Do you have questions about the whirlwind mill? Would you like to discuss a specific material? Contact us – we will be happy to advise you!

Patrick Barthel Grenzebach