Zirconiumsand
Zirconium silicate, commonly known as zircon sand, is a natural functional mineral filler with high hardness and high refractive index. With a Mohs hardness of 7.5 and extremely stable chemical properties, it delivers excellent high-temperature resistance, acid & alkali corrosion resistance and insulation performance. Its core application lies in high-end ceramic glazes (architectural ceramics, sanitary ceramics, daily-use ceramics), and it is also widely used in refractory materials, precision casting, electronic ceramics and other sectors.
In ceramic glaze systems, zirconium silicate serves as an irreplaceable opacifying and whitening agent. It can significantly improve the whiteness, hiding power, gloss and wear resistance of the glaze surface, which directly determines the appearance quality and market value of ceramic products. Its core quality indicators include ultrafine particle size, narrow particle size distribution and low iron content. For high-end ceramic glazes, the product is required to reach a stable median diameter (d50) of 1.5 microns with strictly controlled coarse particle content; otherwise, fatal defects such as pinholes, spots and uneven opacification will appear on the glaze surface.
Process
Zirconium silicate is one of the most difficult minerals to grind in the industrial field.
Hosokawa Solution
In response to the characteristics of zirconium silicate — high hardness, difficult grindability and strict requirements on particle size accuracy — we provide a closed-loop grinding and classification system composed of S.O. (Super Orion) standard ball mill + ATP multi-wheel classifier. Customized for the ultrafine processing of high-hardness minerals, it can stably meet the ultrafine requirement of d50 = 1.5 μm while greatly reducing production costs.
Core Advantages of the Solution
Efficient grinding of high-hardness materials with stable ultrafine particle size compliance：
The S.O. ball mill adopts an optimized cylinder structure and grinding media gradation, and is exclusively designed for the high hardness of zirconium silicate. It can continuously and stably produce ultrafine zirconium silicate powder with d50 = 1.5 μm, satisfying the particle size requirements of high-end ceramic glazes.
Remarkable energy & consumption reduction, lowering comprehensive production costs：The whole system adopts a closed-loop grinding and classification process, which only circulates and regrinds unqualified coarse particles to completely avoid ineffective over-grinding, greatly reducing unit product energy consumption compared with traditional processes. It is also equipped with high-wear-resistant alloy liners and grinding media, which significantly reduce wear and iron contamination, extend equipment service life and cut operation and maintenance costs.
Precise classification control, narrow particle size distribution ensuring product quality：Matched with the multi-impeller parallel classification technology of the ATP multi-wheel classifier, it achieves precise cutting of micron-sized particles and strictly removes over-standard coarse particles. The product has a narrow and uniform particle size distribution.
Compact system structure with small floor space：The entire system adopts a modular integrated design. Compared with traditional decentralized processes, it is more compact with reduced footprint. It can be flexibly adapted to existing production line retrofitting and new workshop layout, greatly reducing plant construction costs.
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