Specialist Fine Grinding Technology Has Key Role In New Chinese Ceramics Manufacturing Venture

V-tong is a joint venture between the Hong Kong based waste materials recycling specialist Vecor and a leading Chinese manufacturer of ceramic tiles.

The first stage in the JV project will see the new facility being used for the processing of locally sourced fly ash, a waste product from coal fired power stations, into high grade raw materials for use in the production of ceramic tiles.

V-tong also has plans for a new manufacturing facility that will process locally sourced raw materials and minerals to produce tiles in a special dry preparation and pressing process developed by Vecor and an Italian specialist engineering firm.

This specialist manufacturing technology and fly ash application has been proven by Vecor in production tests conducted in Italy. Vecor’s technology has demonstrated significant savings in water, raw material and energy use compared to traditional tile manufacturing processes.

The manufacturing processes proposed by V-tong have also been reviewed by third party consultants, including technical assessments and environmental lifecycle analysis. Compared with tile production utilising traditional clay, Vecor’s proprietary techniques achieve significant savings in manufacturing costs, by reducing the initial capital costs required.

However, the preparation of the ceramic mix is a key requirement in the new process, with close control and reduction of raw material particle size and their distribution being essential to achieve a uniform composition for subsequent pressing and firing.

In particular, the raw materials must have a sufficiently fine particle size to enable the ceramic mass to vitrify rapidly during firing and the powders must have a suitable particle size distribution and grain morphology to allow for effective compaction during the pressing operation.

To meet these requirements, the patented IIT m series dry milling system has now been selected for this application.

Compact and powerful‚ the centrifugal grinding mechanism of the IIT m-series mill is extremely efficient with the vertical material flow path and special roller assembly ensuring that the force produced is translated into maximum particle grinding power.

For the new venture in China, special twinmill fine grinding configurations are being supplied, each utilising two grinding modules operating in parallel from a common feed, for complete flexibility of material throughput and increased production outputs.

The new systems will also incorporate IIT c-series classifiers which have been specifically designed for the accurate and close control of particle size distribution of fine materials. These robust, high throughput air-stream units are capable of maximising separation efficiency without compromising system energy requirements.

This is the first ceramics sector application of its type for the IIT m series mill, which is especially suited for the fine grinding of natural raw materials and other industrial products including glass, metal oxides‚ bauxite‚ limestone products‚ silicon carbide and furnace slags.

Alex Koszo, founder and managing director of Vecor, said: “We have investigated dry body preparation solutions around the world and have found the best dry milling solution to be the IIT system from the UK.”

As part of the supply arrangements to V-tong, the company will also become the exclusive distributor of IIT’s patented milling equipment for the ceramic tile industry in China. More details at www.iituk.com and www.vecor.com.