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The basic principle used in colloidal mills is known as rotor-stator which is placed in a cylindrical container. The rotor and stator are placed close enough to create a narrow passage where the components are reduced in size. This is why the process is called shearing, because it breaks up your literary material into smaller particles.
The solids are first fed into a compartment known as a hopper which guides the product into the gap between the rotor and stator. The rotor and stator surfaces are covered by two metal toothed covers that cut and shear the solid.
The rotor rotates at speeds between 3,000 and 20,000 RPM. This, in turn, deforms the liquid or solid structure as it rubs between these two rough-edged surfaces. The resulting product is then passed through the discharge area. The drain pipe then removes the final product from the colloidal mill. If the final product is not sheared to the desired shape, it can be recirculated into the machine for further shearing.
Working of Colloidal mill
The split product passes through an inlet known as a hopper at the top of the mill. It then moves into the narrow gap between the rotor and stator. The rough edges cut the material into the smallest particles depending on the rotational speed. This mill uses a hydraulic system to shear the material into the final product. It mainly works on materials that will be suspended in liquid or emulsion.
As you add heavier fluid, the suspension floats in the narrow gap and the shearing process continues. As the process continues, the two viscous components continue to mix. There are models where both the stator and rotor rotate together and there are other models where only the rotor rotates and the stator remains stationary.
This process is used in the pharmaceutical field for various purposes such as dispersion of solid particles in an emulsion, emulsification, milling, homogenization and improving emulsion stability.
