• The problem to be solved:
  Development of a new milling technology by the application of new type rotating mills to ensure a product quality better ever before in a cost-effective way, with less emission to the environment.

• Definition:
  The invention is a new construction of rotating mill, so called IPAX-mill, by application of which high milling energy and efficiency are used to thin and chop the particles of the material to be milled by a cold rolling and shearing effect

• Presentation:
  The high efficient milling feature of IPAX mills are due to those new construction elements (e.g. milling works, drain valve etc.) which can optimally be adjusted to the different milling technologies making possible:
  • The optimization particle size ranges and the surface chemistry processes of the milling products,
  • Minimization of the cycle time and energy consumption, and environmental contamination,
  • Efficient milling of powders having changing consistency to a great extant
    

  With these characters the invention can equally be applied in various milling technologies, the universal applicability is well demonstrated in the new metal pigments manufacturing technology.
  The general problem of the traditional pigment paste technology is that during the milling process the size and form of the particles as well as the consistencies of the pulps are changing significantly.
  Therefore metal based pigments are traditionally produced by thinning and chopping with cold forging the metallic grains in standard ball mills at low milling energy and efficiency. That process needs a lot of electrical energy, the particles size range is too wide, and the ball mills are noisy, their emission to the environment is too much. The presently known rotating mills having a higher efficiency are not suitable to mill pulps changing in a wide consistency range due to their special construction, for example to provide pigment pastes.
  The present invention offer a solution for the first time for manufacturing metal pigment products by increased milling energy and efficiency in IPAX mills, thinning and chopping the metallic grains by cold rolling effect.
  The special deformation effect and the high milling energy result in more constant particle sizes and more perfect surface chemical processes, respectively in the metal pigments produced. The efficient milling results in significant electrical energy saving and the injurious impurity emission to the environment is minimal.
  Operation of IPAX-mills is safely; the maintenance can quickly be accomplished.
  By this new technology any kind of cold ductile metals such as: Al, Cu, Sn, Zn, bronze, noble metals, etc. can be processed in metal powder or flake or waste metal granules (cut foil, cable crushing, chips, rasps etc.) forms. In IPAX-mills water-, white spirit-, paraffin oil-, gaseous oil-, xylene-, glycol- (etc.) based pigment pastes, and metal pigments with 100 % dry content can be manufactured.

• Application:
  Metal pigment and pigment paste productions for manufacturing metal base paints, gas concrete, and plant protection materials.
  Production of organic and inorganic powders, suspensions, and masses having even particular size for paint, pharmaceutical, and food industry.
  Powder basic material production for powder metallurgy (producing sinter metals, magnetic materials, mechanical alloying (MA), metal matrix composites (MMC) etc.) products.

• Advantages:
  Application of IPAX mills compared to the traditional ball mills means:

three times higher production capacity,
significant electrical energy saving (60-70%),
more even particle size products,
more perfect surface chemical processes,
with enhanced raw material utilization (20-25%),
reduced injurious impurity emission to the environment (80%)
noise reduction (20-25 dB),
modern safety technique, thereforebetter product quality (7-10%),
higher stability of product quality (50-70%),
reduced technological pollution to the environment,
up to date health safety, and less human expenditure.

The invested capital can be gained back in 2-3 years due to the technical and economical advantages of the invention.

• Stage of development:
  The new production technology was accomplished in pilot plant and industrial scales, too.
  Reference plant: Pigment paste factory of Kőbánya Light Metal Work Ltd., in Kecskemét, Hungary.

• Documentation available: Yes
  

• Name(s): László IPACS.

• Self introduction:
  He is physicist by profession, he has been working as a scientific fellow for 12 years in The Planning, Development and Research Institute of the Hungarian Aluminium Industry. Since 1996 he is doing development and he is the owner of the ALUPLAN Development and Trading Company. Research-development activity of the inventor:
  • Hi-Tech powder metallurgical materials, equipment, procedures (MA, MMC),
  • Rapidly cooled metal flake and metal pigment producing machinery and techniques,
  • Development of product quality evaluation methods and instruments.

  The inventor has 5 Hungarian patents and more than 10 know-hows.

• Form: Patent (HU 208 842), utility model, patent application (HU P 98 00274)
• Priority: April 15, 1992; February 10, 1998
• Countries where it is force: Hungary

• Name: László Ipacs
• E-mail: aluplan@mail iif.hu
• Fax: +361- 341 2128
• Address: H-1074 Budapest, Vörösmarty u.9, Hungary