Can zirconia beads be reused?

Zirconia beads can be used in ball mills, sand mills, star ball mills, tissue grinders, and centrifugal polishers, with functions including grinding, dispersing, and mirror polishing. Zirconia beads have high strength and wear resistance. Over time, they will gradually wear down and become smaller. In sand mills, agitator mills, or drum ball mills, after initially adding new beads, it is necessary to record the quantity added and the time required for the material to be ground to the desired fineness to accumulate data. When the grinding efficiency decreases later, it will be necessary to replenish or replace the beads. At this point, the previous data records can help determine how often the zirconia beads need to be replenished. Wear of zirconia beads leads to a reduction in their volume and mass, which significantly affects product quality. The selection of bead size depends on the gap between the stator and rotor separation rings. When the bead diameter approaches the gap to a certain extent, replacement is necessary. For example, in a disc sand mill, if 1.8mm beads are used and the separation ring gap is 0.5mm, all beads should be replaced when the smallest beads are smaller than 1.2mm. If bead fragments are found at the discharge port, all beads should also be replaced. When the bead diameter is still within the allowable range, they can continue to be used or new beads can be added directly. The hardness of the material to be ground depends on the linear speed of the ball milling equipment and your operating conditions. For beads with low normal wear, it is recommended to check them every three months: disassemble the equipment, take out the beads, sieve them, weigh them to see the loss, and then replenish with new beads. Zirconia beads should first be cleaned and pre-ground. Pre-grinding is done with a solvent the same as the material, and after pre-grinding, they can be put into the equipment. In tissue grinders, only a small number of zirconia beads are used at a time, and the rotation speed is high. To ensure that the material is not contaminated, the beads are generally replaced after a single use.