Yttria stabilized zirconia beads

FAQ Outline for Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you looking to find the benefits of using yttria stabilized zirconia beads in your grinding/ milling/ dispersion process?

If yes, then this guide will help you.

Inovatec manufactures some of the best quality yttria stabilized zirconia beads in various sizes.

These zirconia beads can be used in various applications.

Inovatec offers a complete solution to mass grinding needs, not the YSZ media balls alone.

We also manufacture different types of milling and grinding machines.

1. What Are Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

Yttria stabilized zirconia beads are known to contain the maximum percentage of zirconia.

It consists of 95 percent zirconia (ZrO2) and 5 percent yttria (Y2O3).

The higher percentage of zirconia in these beads makes it the toughest amongst all the different types of zirconia beads offered by Inovatec machinery.

The high hardness makes it extremely resistant to wear and tear.

So, they will have more life when compared to other zirconia bead variants.

Yttria stabilized zirconia beads are also known by other names like yttria-stabilized zirconium oxide, yttrium stabilized, YSZ, yttrium stabilized zirconium, 95 zirconium, pure zirconia beads .and oxide yttrium stabilized.

2. What Are The Advantages of Using Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

The advantages of using yttria stabilized zirconia beads are many.

Knowing these advantages will help you use these beads in the right way for the right mass grinding process.

The benefits are given below.

2.1 High Grinding Efficiency

High grinding efficiency is one of the main factors of selecting these beads for grinding.

The high hardness and high chemical stability are two main factors that help the beads to maintain the shape and form.

Thus, the efficiency of the process that use these beads for grinding will be more.

The energy consumption of the milling process gets reduced because of this higher efficiency.

2.2 Cost Effective Solution

In any business, you will be looking to reduce the production and operational cost.

Only then you will get more profit.

The price of the yttria stabilized zirconia balls may be high.

But the fact that you can use it many times for the grinding process, makes it a cost effective option in the long run.

2.3 Time Saver

The 95 percent zirconia beads make it more tough than the other zirconia beads.

So, it will help to increase the rate of grinding.

Thus, the amount of time required for grinding or milling will be less.

You can save good amount of time using the yttria stabilized zirconia balls.

2.4 Good For Wet Grinding

The tough and the non-contaminating nature makes the YSZ beads a perfect choice for wet grinding.

These media balls will not contaminate the slurry during the grinding process.

It also provides good grinding action during the wet grinding process.

2.5 High Media Life

The high quality zirconium powder used for the production of the beads ensure that the media life is high.

The low impurity content ensure that the media balls are resistant to wear and tear or contamination.

2.6 High Quality

The ultra fine zirconium powder ensure that the density of the media balls are quite high.

Thus, the quality of the media will be higher.

2.7 Durability

The YSZ media balls are highly durable.

2.8 Reliability

Reliable media will ensure that you get consistent results every time.

The YSZ balls are very tough and wear resistant.

So, it applies the same amount of pressure to the materials in contact that guarantee consistent results.

So, these YSZ media balls are reliable.

2.9 High Purity

The yttria stabilized zirconia balls are highly pure when compared to the other zirconia media.

This high purity also ensure that it does not contaminate the material or the mixture.

Thus, the bi-products of the process will not get contaminated due to the media.

2.10 Easy to Clean

The sparkling shiny surface of the YSZ media balls ensures that the dirt and the dust do not get stuck to the media balls.

It is easy to clean this media with water.

2.11 Environment-Friendly Media

You must also ensure that the bi-products of the grinding process does not pollute the environment.

In other words, the waste products should not be toxic to the environment.

The yttria-stabilized zirconia beads are environment friendly and will not cause any pollution.

3. What Are The Different Applications Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

The various applications of yttria-stabilized zirconia beads are given below.

3.1 Ceramic Materials

It is possible to achieve a better grinding efficiency if you use YSZ beads for grinding ceramic materials.

3.2 Paints & Inks

Yttria stabilized zirconia beads can be used for the dispersion of paints and inks.

3.3 Food Stuffs

This pure form of zirconia balls is one of the best grinding media for the dispersion of foodstuffs.

3.4 Pharmaceutical Applications

Many pharma companies make use of the yttria stabilized zirconia balls for grinding and dispersion processes.

3.5 Magnetic Elements

The non-magnetic magnetic nature of these beads along with. Its high hardness makes it a suitable choice for grinding magnetic elements.

3.6 Jewelry Parts

Jewelry parts that demand for low material removal during grinding and polishing processes can make use of this media.

3.7 Lithium Battery

Lithium battery manufacturers also make use of this pure zirconia media for the milling and dispersion processes.

4. How Does Inovatec Guarantee The Quality Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

All the raw materials that are required to manufacture YSZ balls are procured from our certified list of vendors.

All batches of raw materials undergo thorough inspection and testing to ensure that it meets our predefined production standards.

Only those materials that pass the quality tests will be used in the production.

All the production activity will happen under the supervision and guidance of qualified engineers.

All the batches of yttria-stabilized zirconia beads produced are subjected to quality tests to ensure that they meet the standards.

These are the methods by which Inovatec machinery guarantee high-quality YSZ media for the customers.

5. How To Increase The Life Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

There are various ways by which you increase the life of the yttria zirconia beads.

These factors are given below.

5.1 Thermal Stress Reduction

The grinding of materials with YSZ bead will result in the production of heat inside the mill chamber.

This heat can impact the life of the media balls.

So, you must apply proper techniques to reduce the heat generated inside the chamber.

Water or other solvents can be used to lower the temperature.

5.2 Selecting a Bigger Media Size

Smaller media balls are more prone to breakage and deformation when compared to the bigger ones.

So, if your grinding or milling process can be efficiently executed with bigger media balls, then go with the larger media balls.

5.3 Media Handling & Storage

You must wash and clean the media after each use.

Make sure that the media is clean and dry before storage.

You must maintain the right temperature and humidity in the media storage area.

5.4 Buy Good Quality YSZ Media

Don’t go for cheap quality YSZ media balls.

The life of such cheap media will be less when compared to the good quality ones.

So, always invest in the best yttria-stabilized zirconia balls.

5.5 Right Media to Material Ratio

There will be a recommended media balls to the material ratio for different processes.

So, you must ensure that you follow the recommended ratio.

If you try to lower the media amount thinking that you can save some cost, you may end up spending more.

The media life will come down drastically if you reduce the media ratio.

6. Do Inovatec Offer Free Samples of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads For Testing Purpose?

Yes, Inovatec supports the customer with free samples on request.

If you have tight tolerance constrain, then you can inform us.

We will manufacture the beads with your tolerance specification and send the samples to you for inspection and testing.

7. Is Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads Really A Cost Effective Media Solution For Grinding & Milling?

The fact that the yttria-stabilized zirconium beads are not inexpensive will make anyone think that, is it really worth investing in this media?

The answer to this question will be, “Yes, it is cost-effective due to various factors”.

The high toughness, reliability, durability and efficiency really make these beads a great choice of media for grinding purpose.

The fact that they cause less contamination makes it an eco-friendly choice too.

The high lifespan of these media balls ensure that you can recover the high cost in the long run, along with profits.

8.What Are The Different Sizes Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads Offered By Inovatec?

When it comes to size range, Inovatec machinery offers a wide range.

You can get the smallest size of 0.3mm to the largest size of 60mm.

You need to ensure that the selected size can help to achieve the desired result in a cost effective manner.

9.What Are The Different Grinding Machines Offered By Inovatec To Use With Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

You can use the following mills from Inovatec or grinding with yttria stabilized zirconia beads depending on your application type.

The choice of mill will also depend on other factors like cost, amount of material and the type of material.

9.1. Horizontal Mills

Horizontal mill is one of the popular mill chambers from Inovatec machinery.

It can be used for dispersing paints or inks.

9.2. Vertical Sand Mill

Vertical sand mill is used for dispersing pesticide or inks.

The Yttria stabilized zirconia balls can be used as the media for this dispersion process.

9.3. Stirred Mill

Metallic elements like copper, gold and silver can be grinded in the stirred mill.

10. How To Select The Right Size Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads?

The size of the media plays a critical role in getting the right results for your parts.

So, media size selection is important.

Inovatec machinery offers yttria-stabilized zirconia beads in a wide range of sizes, as small as 0.3mm to as large as 60mm.

This wide range of size will suit the needs of most of the customers.

The big size media will have more life than the small size ones.

But the smalls size beads can reach more surface area of the parts.

Thus, the small YSZ beads will help to lower the overall processing time.

If you are using the YSZ media for the first time in your grinding or milling process, then you may find it difficult to choose the right size.

In that case, you can always contact us with your grinding requirements.

We will help you to select the right size beads that can deliver good and consistent results for you.

11. How To Improve The Efficiency Of A Process That Use Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Balls As Grinding Media?

There are various factors that affect the efficiency of a grinding/ milling/ dispersion process using the YSZ beads.

If you take care of these factors then you can run an efficient process in a cost effective manner.

The factors are listed below.

11.1 Machine Load

You will be filling the mill with the parts and the grinding balls.

It is recommended to run the machine at 80 to 90 percent of its total load capacity for best results.

You must also operate the machine at a minimum load of 60 per cent and above.

So, when you select the milling machine, you must have a clear-cut idea of your part quantity for grinding.

It will help you to select the machine of the right capacity.

11.2 Media Replacement

When you are running a long process, then there is a chance that some of the media balls may get broken or deformed.

So, you must halt the process at regular intervals and check if there are any deformed media.

If any, then you must replace the broken media with the same size YSZ beads in the same quantity.

11.3 Media Quality

Media quality is another major factor that affects process efficiency.

If you go for cheap YSZ media then the quality of the media will be poor.

So, the media balls will break down fast because of the poor quality.

It will also affect your end result.

Inovatec machinery offers high-quality yttria-stabilized zirconia balls.

So, always make sure that you invest in the best quality YSZ media balls for great results.

11.4 Media Size

The size of the beads is another factor that decides the efficiency of the process.

If you use a small size media then it will be in contact with more area of the material, so more area will be grinded in less amount of time.

Thus, the grinding efficiency will be more with a small media size.

But, the life of the small media will be less than that of the bigger one.

So, a trade-off needs to be made.

11.5 Visual Inspection

You must visually inspect the media before loading it into the chamber.

It is to ensure that there are no deformed media balls in the mixture.

You must do the same inspection once the grinding process is complete.

11.6 Reduce Heat Generated During Grinding Process

The Grinding process is known to produce heat, especially when it is run dry.

This heat can bring down the efficiency of the process.

So, we need to remove this heat that gets generated during the process.

So, appropriate Cooling techniques need to be adopted.

Adding cooling solvents to the mixture is one of the best options.

Sometimes, it is not possible to add the solvent.

In such cases, you need to employ other methods to keep the chamber cool during the process.

12. How To Use The Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Beads Inside The Mill Chamber?

You can get the best results out of yttria stabilized zirconia beads if you use it in the right way.

Before loading the chamber with the media balls, you need to do a proper inspection of the media.

A good visual inspection will help to identify any damaged media.

If there are broken media, replace it immediately.

Make sure that the chamber is clean before filling it with media and materials.

Also, ensure that there are no blocks in the outlet section.

You can pre-grind the media for half an hour with solvent and resin.

Load the chamber with the YSZ beads and the materials in the recommended ratio.

Make sure that the load is filled to the recommended operating capacity of the chamber.

Set appropriate rotational speed for the chamber.

Make sure that the viscosity of the slurry matches with the rotation speed of the mill.

The pre grinding time can be varied w.r.t the viscosity of the slurry.

If the viscosity is high, then increase the pre-grinding time.

For low viscosity, reduce the pre grinding time.

The viscosity is directly proportional to speed of rotation.

So, if the viscosity is low, then go for slow rotation speed.

Higher rotation speeds can be set for thick slurry.

In the case of dry grinding, you don’t have to run the machine at high speeds.

The YSZ beads will have sufficient energy at low speeds to facilitate the grinding process.

The beads need to be cleaned after the end of the process.

Water on any solvent can be used for cleaning purpose.

The resin may be needed if you use the beads for grinding ink or paint.

If the grinding process is long, then inspect the size and shape of the beads at regular intervals.

If you are using smaller beads, then there is a chance that it may get damaged during a long milling process.

So, inspect and remove the damaged beads, if any.

The time taken to complete will vary for different processes.

Conclusion

Now, you know the advantages of using yttria stabilized zirconia balls in grinding and milling process.

Inovatec machinery offers complete solution for your mass processing needs.

We provide the grinding media as well as the machine for milling and grinding.

We also support our customers to find the right solution for their needs.

So, get in touch with us to find the best solution to process your parts in a cost effective manner.