In the fields of mineral processing and ceramic manufacturing, wet pan mills and ball mills are the two most common types of grinding equipment. Compared with traditional ball mills, wet pan mills have significant technical advantages in many aspects.

1. Energy efficiency advantage

The wet pan mill adopts a vertical structure design, and the material flows naturally under the action of gravity, which reduces the ineffective energy consumption by about 30%-40% compared with the ball mill. The measured data shows that when processing iron ore of the same hardness, the unit energy consumption of the wet pan mill is only 0.65 times that of the ball mill. Its energy-saving characteristics are mainly due to: ① The energy loss of the steel ball lifting link is eliminated; ② The optimized grinding chamber structure reduces mechanical friction loss.

2. Particle size control accuracy

By adjusting the grinding disc gap (adjustable 0.01-2mm), the wet pan mill can accurately control the particle size distribution of the output. Comparative tests show that when preparing ultrafine powders with D90≤5μm, the standard deviation of the particle size of the wet pan mill product is 42% lower than that of the ball mill. This is due to: ① The uniform action of the double disc shear force field; ② The built-in grading device realizes instant separation.

3. Adaptability to special materials

For high viscosity (>5000cP) or easily oxidizable materials, wet pan milling has unique advantages: ① The fully enclosed design effectively isolates the air; ② The circulating cooling system maintains an operating temperature below 40°C. For example, in the processing of lithium mica, the oxidation rate of wet pan milling products is 60% lower than that of ball mills.

4. Comparison of maintenance costs

The replacement cycle of wet pan mill wearing parts (grinding discs) is 8000 hours, which is 3 times longer than that of ball mill liners. Its modular design shortens the replacement time of core components to 4 hours, and reduces the comprehensive operation and maintenance cost of equipment by 55%.

At present, with the growth of demand for nanomaterial preparation, the market share of wet pan milling in new energy, electronic ceramics and other fields has increased to 38% (2024 data). However, when processing materials with Mohs hardness >8, ball mills are still irreplaceable. In the future, the coordinated development of the two will promote the continuous innovation of grinding technology.