Hammer Mill Machine: The Definitive Buying Guide for Importers
Do you want to crush, pulverize or grind materials before capsule filling, tablet compression or granulation?
If yes, then hammer mill is a must-have machine.
Why?
It will help you process material or ingredients into ideal texture and size.
And in this guide, you will learn about the working principle, parts, design and specification, among other important things about the hammer mill machine.
Basically, I am going to guide you how to choose a suitable mill machine.
Let’s do this!
What is Hammer Mill Machine?
If you’re a seasoned processor of different types of substances from ingredients, then you outrightly know it.
But if you’re hearing it for the first time then probably its question that could be lingering in your mind right now.
That notwithstanding, let me explain to you what it means so that at the very least you can have an idea.
A hammer mill machine refers to a crusher that can grind, crush and pulverize various types of ingredients or materials.
Crushing ginger
Ordinarily, hammer mills consist of a sequence of at least four hammers.
These hammers are hinged on a central shaft with a firm metal case that encloses it.
So far, it is known as the best and broadly used crushing device which utilizes the impact principle to break and grind materials.
What this primarily implies is that impact is the predominating action in a hammer mill machine.
However, the scope of this impact is what could vary from one device to the other.
Hammer mills
This machine is thus useful in a wide range of applications which require some form of processing.
As you’ll come to realize, you must grind, pulverize or crush some ingredients as a way of enhancing the efficiency of processing.
So, what is efficiency in this case?
It’s the ability to create the product from the ingredients, packaging and in some cases, add nutritive value.
This type of machine is applicable in a wide range of industries. Some of the common areas include”
- Pharmaceutical
- Food processing
- Animal tankage
- Gypsum
- Feed and other manufacturing industries
As long as there is a need for pulverizing, crushing, grinding and mixing different materials especially in bulk, then this machine can come in handy.
So that’s necessarily the basic description of a hammer mill as well as what it entails.
I’m pretty confident that at least you can now have a picture of what it looks like.
If not yet, then don’t worry.
We still have a lot to discuss here regarding this machine to give you that perfect picture of this equipment.
And for that reason, let us now look at some of the fundamentals of this machine as we continue;
Hammer Mill Machine Basics
The truth is that a hammer mill machine is relatively a basic device.
What I mean here is that it does not necessarily incorporate a wide range of complex components or require complicated mechanism.
What does that imply?
Hammer mill is easy to operate. It is vitally user-friendly given that it comes with essential components.
Nonetheless, you should also be aware that hammer mill machines come in a wide range depending on the particular application.
Still, the operating mechanism of all such devices seems somewhat similar, and if there is any variation, then it’s ideally insignificant.
What brings this to the fore is the fact that most components of these equipment are seemingly similar.
Nevertheless, several advancements have been incorporated in this machine over the past years.
Of course, the interest, in this case, is to ensure that this type of machine provides optimum efficiency during operation.
So, technically, let’s first look at some of the uses of this machine specifically in the pharmaceutical industry before we proceed;
· Uses of Hammer Mills in Pharmaceutical Industry
Like I mentioned in the earlier sections of this guide, the application of hammer mill machine is in quite apparent in different industries.
But interestingly, irrespective of the application, the ability of the machine to crush ingredients is what determines its principle of operation.
In the pharmaceutical industry, it is also not different.
In fact, this machine plays a fundamental role in the various material processing in a pharmaceutical application.
a) Processing Wet or Dry Granulation’s
You see, different pharmaceutical products contain ingredients from various substances.
And you must mix all these ingredients appropriately before compressing and drying them to attain final product.
During mixing, some ingredients would require dry granulation whereas others would need wet granulation.
Different powders
So depending on the particular type of granulation, this machine makes it possible for you to process it to the required standard.
b) Reducing the Size of the Ingredient
Ideally, there is a need for size reduction of particular materials that are common in pharmaceutical production.
The essence in most cases is to enable the ingredients to fit well with the packaging equipment.
Also, reducing the size of material helps to enhance efficiency in the subsequent processing of the medicinal products.
Coffee before & after crushing
Basically, you have to ensure that the material fits into the standard packaging component by reducing it to the reasonable size.
And it is where hammer mills become handy since they help to resize solids, slurries, fibrous material, and dry materials among others.
Therefore, it is a significant unit in micronization.
c) To produce Intermediate Powder Grades
In the pharmaceutical industry, ingredients of different grades are used for various performing specific applications.
And in this case, the hammer mill becomes vital in producing such intermediate powder grades.
This merely refers to the type of powders that neither have large nor small nominal diameters.
Figure 5 Powder
What makes this equipment more essential is that it can produce intermediate powder from all types of material with the exception of sticky substances.
Incidentally, this is beneficial not only in the pharmaceutical industry but also for others such as food processing and cosmetics.
d) Enhances Dissolution or Formulation
What happens is that if you want to achieve better mixing of ingredients especially in the pharmaceutical industry, a large surface area is essential.
It mainly helps to reduce the size of the particles to the recommended level.
So this machine provides a relatively large surface area that makes it possible for you to attain optimum mixture of materials.
Figure 6 Mixing powder in high shear mixer
The small particle size is essential because it guarantees a uniform distribution of ingredients in the ultimate formulation.
It thus means that this machine makes it possible for attaining and maintaining homogeneity in particle distribution, thus producing a standard quality mixture.
e) Reducing Active Ingredients Substrates
Decreasing the vigor of some ingredients’ substrates at times is vital because it gives the product the significant efficacy.
Incidentally, this is one of the fundamental procedures mostly in pharmaceutical production.
Different types of powders
When you grind or pulverize such substrates, they become essential and more useful to the users.
So it enables the end product to be usefulfor the user in a recommendable manner.
f) To hasten Production Process and Recycling
You see, this equipment can resize, mill as well as mix various types of ingredients.
What you also need to know is that it can recycle the waste products, which apparently is an essential part of any manufacturing process.
Milling material – Photo courtesy: APPROPEDIA
Of course, this helps significantly in reducing the overall production cost of pharmaceutical products or any other one for that matter.
What’s more?
Hammer mill machine tends to hasten the manufacturing process.
You find it easy to manufacture a large volume of medicines within the shortest time possible.
Importantly, these are some of the notable uses of hammer mill machine that you’ll find in the pharmaceutical sector.
Now, let’s get to another vitally significant aspect of this machine and discuss some of its vital parts and components briefly.
Parts and Components of Hammer Mill
Of course before operating this type of machine you ought to know some of its essential parts.
It follows that an ordinary hammer mill machines consist of five major components.
However, this number would also vary depending on the design complexity of the device.
What you must also know regarding these necessary parts is that each of them plays a central role in the overall material processing.
Parts and Components of Hammer Mill
For that reason, let’s find out the specific roles and importance of each of these parts and components of hammer mill equipment.
· Feed Hopper
This refers to the part that delivers ingredients to the machine for processing.
Some people may refer to it as feeding chute or feeding tray.
The materials are poured on this component then driven to the crushing chamber through the rotary valve.
It is an important component of this machine because it helps to determine the amount of material that you will process at a time.
Additionally, the size and design of feed hopper also vary depending on the construction of a particular machine.
In most cases, this parts is often adjustable to enable you tofind the right angle for presenting the materials to the machine.
· Pneumatic Rotary Valve
This is another significant part of any hammer mill machine.
It primarily presents an airlock between systems with varying air pressures.
So what happens is that this valve makes it possible for ingredients to pass between the zones with varying air pressures.
The essence of this valve is to provide feeding and metering functionality of an ordinary feeding chute.
Primarily though, the role of this component is to maintain pressure and offer a maximum air seal between different product transmission conversion.
It thus follows that the optimum airlock that this component provides prevents loss of air pressure in high pressure and temperature conditions.
· Crushing Chamber
This is the central area where the actual processing takes place.
It is where the hammers are located which rotate a high speed to crush, grind and pulverize the ingredients.
As the name suggests, the crushing chamber provides the vacuum for grinding and pulverizing different types of ingredients.
The size of this component like any other part is dependent on the design of the particular machine and other related elements.
The hammers in the crushing chamber are driven using electric power through an electric motor to enable them rotates and crush the materials.
· Control Box
This is arguably the most fundamental component of any hammer mill machine.
It consists of the various switches that facilitate the efficiency of operating the machine.
This box also allows you to determine various functionalities of the machine.
So that you get the right or necessary condition when processing the ingredients.
Control panel
It is also the control box that contains a wide range of parameters that enables you to synchronize the machine in a wide range of perspectives.
In some hammer mill units, especially for pharmaceutical applications, they come with a display panel.
This one is more efficient because it allows you to take control and monitor of all the processes fully.
Importantly is to know that control boxes also vary in milling machines depending on the design complexity of each.
These are the critical components of this machine.
Of course, there are many other parts, and we cannot necessarily discuss all of them here.
Otherwise, as you continue using the machine, you’ll get to know more and more of such parts.
Construction and Design of Hammer Mill Equipment
You see, the key components and parts we’ve mentioned above here make up the general design of hammer mill machine.
So basically, this equipment is a steel drum that contains a horizontal or vertical rotating drum or shaft with hammers mounted on it.
SaintyCo Hammer Mill
What happens is that the hammers swing on the end of the cross spontaneously or fixed to the central rotor.
Ordinarily, this rotor rotates at an extremely high speed which is also determinant by the specific settings which you prefer.
You can use the hammer mill machine for primary, secondary and tertiary crushing.
What do I mean here?
You can use small hammer mills at the household level using the standard current.
Hammer Mill Working Principle
This is also another principle that would be of interest to know especially if you’re using this machine for the first time.
The truth is that the operational principle of this machine works on impact.
This is to mean that the material is more or less stationary hence hit by an object that moves at high speed.
Mostly, the mechanism behind the working principle of this machine is grinding or pulverization of the ingredients.
So it starts with putting the material into the hopper.
While at this you need to make sure that you select ingredients that have ideal properties and are in right size.
In this case, you need to place all these materials in the feeding tray which in turn allow them to crushing chamber.
This movement can be by gravity or metered depending on the particular design of the equipment.
Once the material gets to the crushing chamber, the impact from the ultra-speed rotating hammers or chopping knives hit them continuously.
In this instance, powdering of the material to desirable size occurs due to the speedy rotation of hammers.
What follows is that particles with a diameter that conforms to the size of the screen are what shall pass through.
If not, the hammer will continuously hit the particles until they attain the necessary size.
Furthermore, during rotation of the hammers, the particles also collide which helps in size reduction process.
Then after the crushing chamber, the material moves to the output of the milling chamber.
This component has perforated metal screens which at times are known as bar gates.
The bar gates allow the material to pass through it depending on the size that you require.
At the same time though, also retain the relatively coarse material.
By the time the material passes through the bar gates, it technically implies that it is a finished product.
So you can choose to pack it using pertinent machines such as capsule filling equipment or whichever you deem suitable for the product.
Alternatively, you can continue processing the material further depending on the particular specifications and requirements.
Working of a hammer mill – Photo courtesy: Fish feed extruder
This being a mechanical process you must ensure that you wear protective gears all the time as a way of enhancing safety measures.
You should also not at any point try to open the crushing chamber whenever the machine is operating.
Chances are high flying objects or hammers might hit and cause serious injury.
What’s more is that high speed might also cause damage to the equipment if the material contains foreign abrasive materials like metals.
Technical Specifications of Hammer Mill Equipment
Listen.
Before you buy any particular hammer mill machine, you must ensure that it meets specific technical provisions.
It is what will allow you to attain efficient and best service that leads to high quality final product.
But then, I understand that knowing such technical specifications especially as a beginner at times would be difficult.
In that case, let me brief you about them here so that you may be able to know and ultimately make an informed buying decision.
Basically, there are a wide range of factors that you need to consider, and some of them include the following;
· Type of output
Hammer mill output is unquestionably an essential aspect that you have to look into when buying this machine.
Determining the output of the particular hammer mill equipment since it allows you to know the volume of material to expect.
It is also vital since it places you in an ideal situation of knowing how to measure the ingredients.
Typically, different types of this machine have varied kinds of outputs.
So it necessarily implies that you’ll need to figure out one that you’re confident meets your specific requirements.
Of essence is to know that three key aspects determine the particle size of a hammer mill, that is; Size of screen, shaft speed, and Alignment of the hammer.
· Production Capacity
This is another fundamental element that you should evaluate keenly when buying this type of machine.
Production capacity in simple terms refers to the optimum volume of the material that the machine can be able to process within a specific timeline.
This is merely to mean that in some cases, you can find relatively small machines which are ideally suitable for small-scale production.
You can as well get those suitable for middle scale production and also the comparatively large ones for industrial production.
Production capacity, in this case, is vitally imperative because it makes it easy for you to determine the volume you’d wish to process.
But on the same note, you have to know that there are a few but vital factors that also affect the production capacity of this machine.
They include, properties of the material to crush, feed size, and type of hammer among others.
And, what’s even important when reviewing various hammer mills in the industry?
Look at the products manual and datasheet:
Sample of hammer mill datasheet
SaintyCo Hammer Mill Machines
SaintyCo is one of the leading manufacturers of high quality and efficient hammer mill machines.
If you’re shopping for one, then I recommend you to acquire it from this company.
Some of the ideal types of hammer mill machines especially for pharmaceutical products from SaintyCo include the following;
· CFJ Series Hammer Mill
This is a cGMP compliant ultra-speed equipment.
It features a modular design, electric motor, self-and protection overload.
CFJ Series hammer mill
It comes with accurately placed hammers hence producing fine granules at silent operation.
You’ll experience zero pollution for materials at a speed of up to 6000RPM
· GJ Series Hammer Mill
It is yet another one of the unique series of hammer mill equipment from SaintyCo.
It adopts advanced technology for pulverizing and crushing a wide range of materials.
GJ Series Hammer Mill
You can use it in food processing or pharmaceutical industries given that all the 4 models from this series come in customizable options.
Moreover, it is cGMP compliant, andyou’re guaranteed of homogenous milling with relatively less heat build-up.
Conclusion
With all I have mentioned in this guide, you should be able to buy and understand how the hammer mill machine works.
Therefore, before you import a hammer mill, you should know the working principle, design, parts and technical specifications.
More important, please review the product datasheet.
Now, I want to hear from you:
Do you need a new hammer mill equipment?
Or, what are the problems you’re facing with your hammer mill machine?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.