The Difference Between Ball Mill and Rod Mill

Rod mill and ball mill belong to mineral processing equipment, through the movement of grinding media to achieve a variety of gravel material crushing operations. Because of their similar appearance structure, perhaps the knowledgeable person is relatively easy to judge, but for novices, to distinguish them, is still difficult. For this reason, Red Star manufacturers take this opportunity to briefly introduce three ways to help users distinguish between rod mill and ball mill.

1. Judge from the shape 
 
Although the shapes of the two are very similar, some differences can still be observed if we carefully distinguish them. For example, the rod mill uses overflow and open-ended ore discharge, rather than grid plate ore discharge. In addition, the ratio of cylinder length to the diameter of rod mill is generally 1.5 – 2.0, while that of ball mill is different. The ratio of cylinder length to the diameter of each bin is relatively small, generally not more than 1. 
 
2. Judge from Internal structure 
 
Rod mills usually use steel rods with a diameter of50-100mm as grinding medium, and ball mills mostly use steel balls. Furthermore, the diameter of the hollow shaft neck at the discharge end of the rod mill is larger than that of the same size ball mill. 

 3. Judge from the scope of use 
 
In the two-stage grinding process, the rod mill is generally used as the first-stage grinding equipment. The reason is simple. The internal grinding medium of the rod mill is the steel rod. Since the cracks between the steel rods are relatively regular in the process of movement, a large “ screening force ” can be formed, so that the material with large particles can obtain a stronger destructive effect, resulting in a better grinding effect of the material. Therefore, compared with the ball mill, the rod mill is more suitable. However, when dealing with softer or less hard ores, it is unnecessary to choose the rod mill. At this time, the ball mill can be used instead of the rod mill, which is not only simple in configuration but also low in cost. 
 
The above three aspects explain the difference between ball mill and rod mill from the shape, structure, and use. When the difference between the two is certainly not only these three aspects, for example, you are interested in in-depth understanding, and we are welcome to consult us online at any time.