Quartz, chemical formula: SiO₂, is one of the most abundant minerals in nature. It has a Mohs hardness of 7, and a density of 2.65 g/cm³. Due to its high hardness, specialized equipment is required for quartz grinding. Both ball mill and jet mills are critical for quartz powder processing, but their different working principles lead to significant differences in performance. Below is ball mill vs. jet mill for quartz grinding: advantages comparison.
The core advantages of ball mill their advantages
① Strong adaptability
It can grind low hardness materials as well as high hardness materials, such as quartz, feldspar, calcite, etc.
② Wide range of particle sizes
It can process quartz sand ranging from 20 mesh (850μm) to 800 mesh (18μm), suitable for building materials, glass, ceramics, etc.
③ Large production capacity and low energy consumption
The single-unit production capacity of large-sized ball mill can reach 5-50t/h, and the energy consumption is 30-50% lower than that of jet mill, so it is suitable for large-scale production.
④ Low investment
Compared with jet mill, ball mill is with lower price, and faster return on investment.
The core advantages of jet mill
①Ultra-fine grinding capacity (800-10000 mesh)
It can stably produce ultra-fine quartz powder with D97: 1-20μ (800-1000 mesh), and narrower particle size distribution, to meet high-end applications (such as photovoltaics, semiconductors, and coatings).
② High purity (no metal pollution)
The jet mill relies on air flow collision to grind materials, avoiding Fe contamination (Fe₂O₃＜5ppm) introduced by steel balls.
③ Suitable for high value-added products
For example: electronic grade silicon powder (99.99% SiO₂) and photovoltaic quartz sand.
Selection suggestions
| Grinding fineness | Recommended equipment | Reasons |
| Coarse grinding（20-100 mesh） | Ball mill | High production capacity, low costs |
| Medium to fine grinding（100-800 mesh） | Ball mill+ classifier | Low energy consumption, suitable for continuous production |
| Small-batch ultra-fine grinding（800-2500 mesh） | Jet mill | Fine particle size, high purity |
| Photovoltaic grade (D97＜5μm) | Jet mill | Precise particle size control |
Qingdao Epic Powder Machinery Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer specializing in the production of powder processing equipment. We have many years of production experience and technical accumulation.
Our products include: powder grinding equipment, classifying equipment, modification equipment and related auxiliary equipment. Ball mill and jet mill are two of our grinding machines. They both have undergone many years of market testing, with stable qualities, and are well received by customers. In addition, our ball mill + classifier production line is widely used in the grinding and grading of non-metallic minerals, with high efficiency, low energy consumption, and good feedback from consumers.
If you are purchasing ball mill, jet mill, or other powder processing equipment, please feel free to contact Epic Powder, and we would provide you a one-stop solution covering equipment selection, solution design, installation and commissioning, and after-sales service.
Connect us —let our professional equipment empowers your powder processing to be more efficient and intelligent!
