As ultrafine metal powder has gradually become a core raw material in the diamond tool industry, Sagwell, a company deeply engaged in iron powder R&D and production, has found through extensive experience that while such powder has gained recognition from professional manufacturers for its outstanding performance, it is constrained by the challenge of mixing uniformity, which directly affects the stability of diamond tool quality. Many practitioners tend to confuse granulation process with simple mixing, but in fact, there are fundamental differences between the two in terms of technical routes and application objectives.
Granulation Process: A Key Precursor to Compression Molding
As a critical pre-process for metal powder compression molding, the granulation process plays a decisive role in molding quality. From a technical perspective, the smaller the particle size of the metal powder, the higher its surface activity and specific surface area, leading to increased gas adsorption and reduced bulk density. When compacting fine powder, it tends to trap a large amount of air, and the smaller the powder particle size, the slower the sedimentation rate.
Omitting the granulation step will result in a series of issues during powder molding, including poor fluidity, uneven pressure distribution, increased mold friction coefficient, and insufficient green compact strength. Sagwell's core product line is ultrafine iron powder, and the control of granulation process is particularly crucial during its application.
Three Mainstream Granulation Processes: Technical Characteristics and Application Analysis
Based on years of in-depth industry experience, Sagwell has systematically summarized three mainstream granulation processes, with their technical features and application scenarios detailed as follows:
The first is the rotary granulation system, whose core equipment is an inclined rotating disc, typically set at an inclination angle of 30°~60°. During operation, powder raw materials and binders are continuously fed into the rotating disc, and granulation is achieved through the agglomeration of materials within the disc, with particles formed by rolling and stacking. The particle size control rule of this process is clear: generally speaking, increasing the disc rotation speed or inclination angle will reduce the granulated particle size; conversely, a deeper disc will result in larger granulated particle size.
The second is the agitator granulation system. Its standard process flow is as follows: first, raw materials and binders are mixed evenly, then water or a specific solvent is added for thorough stirring. After the first drying process, screening is conducted — the screen specification directly determines the approximate range of particle size — followed by a second drying step. This phased processing mode effectively ensures that the particle uniformity meets requirements.
The third is the spray granulation system, which is most notable for its high integration level. It can integrate scattered processes in traditional granulation, such as mixing, stirring, granulation, drying, and crushing, into a single piece of equipment. Based on differences in atomization core components, spray granulation equipment is mainly divided into two types: spray nozzle type and centrifugal turntable type.
Sagwell has always focused on the innovative R&D and process optimization of ultrafine iron powder granulation technology. Through parameter adjustment and process improvement, it can effectively mitigate powder segregation and diamond particle agglomeration during the mixing stage. After granulation, the uniformity of material composition distribution is significantly improved.
In the first phase of granulation technology R&D, Sagwell has successfully launched two granulated iron powder products: ZB (3000 mesh) and ZF (5000 mesh). Currently, these products have achieved mature application in multiple key industries, primarily diamond tools, and have won wide recognition from customers.
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