Recently, I saw a post on a forum from a user who said, "Our company is trial-producing a new type of active pharmaceutical ingredient. The dried material is as hard as a pebble. We've tried a handheld grinder with very poor results, and even tried a vibrating grinder and a universal grinder, but it still doesn't work." The user then asked if there were any good grinding equipment recommendations.
In response, a relevant person said, "It's so hard, let's first look for the cause in the preceding crystallization process. Will such hardness affect solvent residue?"
Some believe that fluidized bed mills are very effective at pulverizing harder materials. They suggest using a crusher to break down the material first, followed by further pulverization with a vertical screenless mill.
Others suggested that if particle size requirements are not high, a hammer mill could be considered, as it is cheaper than an air jet mill; also, it's advisable to sieve the material before drying to check if it will be as hard after drying.
So, what are the differences between the crushing equipment mentioned above?
Hand-held crusher
Handheld grinders are easy to carry. However, due to their small output, they are suitable for individuals, families, or small shops.
Vibrating Crusher
The vibrating pulverizer is characterized by its precise structure, small size, light weight, high efficiency, dust-free operation, cleanliness, ease of operation, and attractive appearance. It is also energy-saving and safe, capable of quickly producing both coarse and fine powders, enabling pharmaceutical production to meet GMP requirements. It is suitable for small-batch pulverization of traditional Chinese medicine and valuable medicinal materials. However, it is not easily portable.
Universal shredder
The universal pulverizer is suitable for industries such as pharmaceuticals, and can process hard and difficult-to-pulverize materials, including traditional Chinese medicine. It can also be used as a supporting equipment for the pre-processing of micro pulverizers and ultra-micro pulverizers. It has the advantages of low operating noise, high efficiency, reliable performance and product quality, safe operation, and low drug hygiene and loss.
Fluidized bed impact jet mill
Airflow mills have a wide range of applications and produce high-fineness products. Typical materials they can pulverize include ultra-hard diamonds, silicon carbide, and metal powders. Because the mill can replace ordinary air with inert gases such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, making it an inert gas protection device, it is also suitable for pulverizing and classifying flammable, explosive, and easily oxidized materials. However, this equipment is relatively expensive.
Currently, air jet mills on the market are mainly divided into several types: flat air jet mills, fluidized bed jet mills, circulating tube air jet mills, jet mills, and target air jet mills. Among them, the fluidized bed jet mill is the most widely used.
Hammer mill
It is understood that hammer mills are an essential piece of equipment in the early stages of production in industries such as pharmaceuticals and food. They are widely applicable, can adjust the fineness of the powder, and offer advantages such as high production efficiency, low energy consumption, safe operation, and convenient maintenance, making them popular across various industries.
Hammer crushers primarily rely on impact to break materials. Their working principle is as follows: when material enters the hammer crusher, it is crushed by the impact of the high-speed rotating hammers. The crushed material gains kinetic energy from the hammers and propels itself at high speed towards the internal baffles and screen bars. Simultaneously, the material collides with each other, undergoing multiple crushing processes.
Material smaller than the gaps between the screen bars will be discharged through the gaps; larger pieces will be subjected to further impact from the hammers on the screen bars, being crushed through grinding and compression. The material is then squeezed out of the gaps by the hammer crusher hammers, thus obtaining a product of the desired particle size. Hammer crushers are relatively inexpensive on the market.
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