1. Project Background
Material Characteristics: Vietnam possesses high-whiteness, high-purity heavy calcium carbonate (GCC) mineral resources. With the rapid growth of the paper, plastic, and masterbatch industries in Southeast Asia, the client needed to process raw ore into high-value active ultrafine calcium carbonate powder.
Project Challenges:
- High Precision: The finished product required a stable particle size of d97 = 10μm.
- High Throughput: A single-line capacity of 5t/h was required.
- Complex Processing: Beyond ultrafine grinding, the process required simultaneous surface modification to enhance the powder’s dispersibility in polymers.
2. Customized Process: The Epic Powder Integrated Solution
To meet these requirements, Epic Powder designed an efficient integrated production line featuring “Ball Mill + Classification + Modification.”
Phase I: Calcium Carbonate Ultrafine Grinding (Ball Mill System)
- Core Equipment: Ultrafine Ball Mill.
- Function: Utilizing high-alumina ceramic liners and precision grinding media to perform long-term grinding of the calcium carbonate ore. Compared to jet mills, the ball mill offers a significant energy efficiency advantage for large-scale production at 5t/h, producing particles with a more spherical morphology.
Phase II: Precision Classification (ITC Series Classifier)
- Core Equipment: ITC Series Horizontal Multi-stage Air Classifier.
- Function: Operating in a closed-loop system with the ball mill, the ITC classifier precisely intercepts coarse particles and returns them for re-grinding. This ensures the finished product reaches d97 = 10μm. Its high-precision cut point is the key to ensuring uniform particle size without oversized residues.
Phase III: Surface Modification (Pin Mill Modifier)
- Core Equipment: Pin Mill Modification System.
- Function: The classified 10μm powder enters the modification system. Under the high-speed impact of the pin mill, the coating agent (such as stearic acid) is instantaneously atomized and uniformly coated onto the surface of the particles.
- Result: An activation rate of over 98%, significantly improving the wettability and compatibility of the calcium carbonate during plastic processing.
3. Project Highlights & Operational Data
| Item | Technical Parameters |
| Processed Material | Vietnamese Natural Ground Calcium Carbonate (GCC) |
| System Capacity | 5 Tons Per Hour (5t/h) |
| Finished Fineness (d97) | 10μm |
| Activation Rate | ≥ 98% |
| System Configuration | Ball Mill + ITC Classifier + Pin Mill Modifier |
4. Customer Value
- Turnkey Solution: Achieved an integrated process from raw ore to modified finished product, greatly simplifying factory operations.
- Low Energy, High Output: The optimized calcium carbonate ball mill grinding and classification system improved energy efficiency by approximately 20% compared to standalone equipment at the same fineness.
- Premium Quality: The finished powder has gained a high price premium in the local Vietnamese plastic masterbatch market due to its “low oil absorption and high dispersibility.”