Precautions for the Use of Zirconia Beads

Zirconia ceramic is a new and technologically advanced high-performance ceramic material. It not only features high strength, high hardness, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali corrosion resistance, and excellent chemical stability, but also exhibits outstanding scratch and wear resistance, flawless appearance, and good thermal conductivity. In addition, zirconia ceramic is easy to process, can achieve an excellent surface finish, and is very suitable for mass production.

The following points should be noted when using zirconia grinding beads:

1. Selection of suitable zirconia beadsThe selection of zirconia beads is a crucial step. Since zirconia beads differ in hardness, surface smoothness, particle size distribution, wear resistance, and chemical inertness (no reaction with the ground materials), the most suitable beads should be chosen according to the type of material to be ground, target particle size, and desired grinding fineness.
2. Pre-grinding treatmentWhen using new zirconia beads for the first time, they should be pre-ground in slurry with a certain viscosity for about 30 minutes. If the slurry concentration is low, the rotation speed should be reduced, and the pre-grinding time should not exceed 15 minutes.
3. Cleaning and maintenanceWhen grinding paint, it is recommended to clean the zirconia beads with resin. If solvent cleaning is required, the rotation speed must be reduced, and the cleaning time should not exceed 10 minutes. For more effective cleaning, an intermittent cleaning method is suggested: run for a period, stop, then restart.

    4.Replenishment of zirconia beadsAfter a period of grinding, the zirconia beads will wear due to mutual collision. Therefore, new beads need to be added after a certain period of use. Before replenishing, broken beads should be screened out with a sieve, and new beads of the same weight as the screened-out ones should be added.

5. Other occasions for bead replenishmentIf the grinding time needs to be extended while the required fineness remains unchanged, or if the fineness after grinding cannot meet the expected effect, a certain amount of zirconia beads should also be replenished.

As a widely used non-metallic grinding medium, zirconia beads have numerous practical applications. At present, they are especially widely used in grinding and dispersion fields. For grinding, they are mainly used in sand mills; for dispersion, they are mainly applied in high-speed stirred mills.