IsaMill™ - Ultra Fine Grinding
The IsaMill™ has real-world success in 143 metalliferous installations across 23 countries. It’s the world’s only horizontal fine-grinding mill, so it avoids short-circuits, is highly efficient and gives the highest availability.
IsaMill™ has 100% accurate scale-up and is proven consistently. It’s easier to maintain, has no height safety issues and slides open in minutes. It produces a steep particle size distribution without needing internal screens or closed circuit cyclones. The horizontal plug-flow design prevents short circuiting and provides for a reliable and easy to operate technology, and it delivers better results downstream to flotation and leaching performance.
IsaMill Working Principle and Maintenance
Compared to ball and vertical mills (less than 40 kW/m3) IsaMill; It is a horizontal, high-speed mixing mill that works by applying very high power per volume (up to 300 kW/m3). This high power applied per volume enables IsaMill to achieve high throughput in reducing large parts to fine sizes using small media. The result is large-scale and efficient grinding for both coarse and fine grains. IsaMill mixes media with rotating, rubber-coated and grinding discs mounted on a supported shaft. This supported shaft, coupled to the engine and transmission, allows the grinding chamber to be removed easily and quickly and to intervene in the mill components for maintenance. With the LRS (Liquid Resistance Starter) system, IsaMill's engine can start even under load. Maintenance is easy since the feeding and outlet flanges and the frame of IsaMill are rubber coated. The engine and transmission system have their own lubrication and cooling system. This shaft is sealed with a watertight packing gland. A separate water line provides flush water to keep media and pulp out of the sealed area.
IsaMill discs achieve peripheral speeds of 19-22 m/s depending on the application. The mill operates with 70-80% full of small grinding media (1.5-6 mm). Discs mix this media to grind the feed pulp. The patented product separator retains the media within the IsaMill by first centrifuging it and then pumping it backwards to the feed end of the mill. The feed grains have to pass between successive discs.
For maintenance, the pulp is discharged from the IsaMill and the media is transferred through the discharge valve to the media hopper located under the mill. Then, the hydraulic vise, which provides easy access to the wearing parts, pushes the IsaMill™ frame backwards on the rails.