The unique grinding action of the Hicom mill is produced by a patented high speed "nutating motion" of the grinding chamber about a vertical axis (in the manner of a conical pandulum), causing the charge to tumble rapidly in a mechanically-induced acceleration field.

This acceleration is many times greater than gravity, making possible a very high power input per unit mill volume, and fast breakage rates.

The machine has a very small footprint, when compared with ball mills of equivalent production, has minimal foundation requirements, and has very low noise emissions.

The mill can be operated over a range of speeds to achieve acceleration rates of up to 50G. Precise operating conditions are material and product dependent and Hicom's engineers can recommend the most suitable arrangement for specific applications.

The mill is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) which sequences start-up and shut-down procedures and monitors fault conditions.

Mill status is monitored by the operator via a programmed menu display located on the control cubicle, or alternatively via a SCADA terminal. As a result of the Hicom mill's ability to directly target ultra-fine production, size and cost of downstream equipment will be much smaller than many alternative current methods of production.

This therefore provides opportunities for boutique production, applications at sites with limited space or where real estate costs are at a premium.