Development of Porcelain Pot Mill for Processing Ceramics Raw Materials

Abstract

A ceramic milling machine is a machine for grinding rocks and minerals consisting of a horizontal cylinder made from, or lined with an abrasion resistant material with mechanical force to make it revolve. with porcelain balls or pebbles meant to grind ceramic raw materials while revolving on a roller.  It is used in diverse fields, industries, field of engineering and for grinding mineral, cement, clinkers, among other things cetera. It is used instead of a pestle and mortar for mixing and grinding ceramic materials (clay, oxides and glazes) in dry or damp state. The importance of a milling machine as a critical equipment needed in the ceramic studio for the production of glazes for local raw materials has already been established. The aim of this project is to develop porcelain pots alongside with a mini milling machine locally sourced materials, with a view to enhancing the materials processing capability in the ceramics studio. Data collection that was used for the study was sourced from both primary and secondary sources. The Feldspar was sourced from Ikere Ekiti, Kaolin, Ball clay was sourced from Ikere Ekiti and Quartz was sourced from Igbekoda. Experimental research design was adopted for the study. The experiments carried out were analysed. The research outcome shows that 30% of Ball clay, 30% of Kaolin, 20% of Feldspar and 20% of flint are good for a porcelain body. Hence this study was carried out to discover the feasibility of using a locally available, easily assessable materials in developing a ceramics ball milling machine.