For grinding sugar powder, universal crusher or Air Classifier Mill? how to choose?
Whether to use a general-purpose crusher or an air classifier mill for crushing sugar depends primarily on your requirements for particle size precision, uniformity, production efficiency, and compatibility with material characteristics. Here's an analysis to guide your choice:
| Equipment Type | Core Principle | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| universal crusher | Relies on mechanical forces (e.g., hammering, shearing, grinding) to directly break materials, with no dedicated classification device. | Simple structure and low cost; the crushed particle size range is wide (may contain coarse particles and overly fine powder), with poor uniformity. |
| Air classifier mill | Combines crushing and classification: After materials are crushed by mechanical force, high-speed airflow classifies particles by size—fine powder is collected, while coarse powder is returned for re-crushing. | Controllable particle size (adjustable via classifier wheel speed); uniform product particle size and high purity; more complex structure and higher cost. |
Sugar (e.g., white granulated sugar, rock sugar) is a brittle material with low hardness but is hygroscopic and prone to melting when heated. Crushed sugar often has specific particle size requirements (e.g., ordinary powdered sugar, ultra-fine powdered sugar). Based on these characteristics:
Advantages: Low equipment purchase and maintenance costs, easy operation, suitable for small-scale or low-precision production (e.g., home workshops, small food factories).
Limitations:
Uneven particle size after crushing, possibly mixed with a small amount of uncrushed coarse particles or overly crushed agglomerates (due to sugar's hygroscopicity, fine powder may stick together);
Mechanical friction during crushing may generate heat, causing local sugar particles to melt and affecting product quality.
Suitable scenarios: High requirements for sugar particle size precision (e.g., above 120 mesh, for high-end candies, pharmaceutical excipients, fine baking, etc.), needing uniform ultra-fine powdered sugar (e.g., 200-500 mesh).
Advantages:
Controllable and uniform particle size: By adjusting the classifier wheel speed, the finished particle size can be precisely controlled (e.g., ensuring over 95% of particles meet the target fineness), meeting strict requirements for sugar purity and particle size in high-end food or pharmaceuticals;
Limitations: Higher equipment cost and energy consumption, suitable for medium to large-scale production with high-precision requirements.
Prioritize a universal crusher if you have a small production scale, loose requirements for sugar particle size (e.g., ordinary powdered sugar below 120 mesh), and a limited budget. It is an economical and practical option.
Prioritize an air classifier mill if you need high-precision, uniform ultra-fine powdered sugar (e.g., above 120 mesh) or use it in high-end food and pharmaceutical fields (with strict requirements for purity and particle size stability). Despite the higher initial investment, it ensures product quality and consistency.
In addition, regardless of the equipment chosen, attention should be paid to moisture-proof treatment for sugar (e.g., controlling temperature and humidity in the crushing environment) to avoid affecting crushing efficiency and finished product quality.
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