STCrushers Is A Professional Minging Equipment Manufacturer since 2004, Providing High Quality Crushers, Sand Making Machines, Drying Equipment and more.
STCrushers Is A Professional Minging Equipment Manufacturer since 2004, Providing High Quality Crushers, Sand Making Machines, Drying Equipment and more.
In the mountains of Bolivia, small-scale miners spent years struggling to extract tin from low-grade ore. Their old stone mills could only grind ore to coarse particles, leaving most of the tin trapped and unrecoverable. Then they started using artisanal ball mills—small, affordable grinding machines that reduce ore to fine powder, doubling their metal recovery. These mills are revolutionizing small mining, making it possible for cooperatives to profit from ores that were once considered worthless.
Artisanal ball mills are designed for miners working with limited resources: they’re compact (1-2m in diameter), run on small diesel engines or even hand cranks, and use readily available materials like steel balls or river stones as grinding media. A cooperative in Bolivia’s Potosí region bought a 1.5m mill for $5,000, using it to grind 10 tons of ore daily. The mill reduces ore to 75μm particles (about the size of flour), freeing tin that coarse grinding missed. Their monthly tin production jumped from 50kg to 120kg, tripling member incomes.
What makes these mills accessible is their simplicity. They have no complex electronics—just a rotating drum driven by a belt pulley system. Local mechanics can repair them using parts from old tractors, avoiding costly factory service. “When our mill broke, the mechanic fixed it with a used gear from a truck,” says miner Juan Choque. “We were back to work in a day.”
For miners without electricity, manual models work too. In Ghana’s Ashanti region, gold miners use hand-cranked ball mills (operated by 2-3 people) to grind ore for cyanide leaching. Though slower than powered models (processing 1 ton/day vs. 10), they cost just $500 and let miners work in remote areas. “We used to lose 60% of the gold because we couldn’t grind fine enough,” says miner Kofi Agyekum. “Now we catch almost all of it.”
These mills also improve safety. Unlike traditional stamp mills that produce dangerous dust, modern artisanal ball mills include simple dust covers, reducing respiratory illnesses. A health study in Peru found a 35% drop in lung complaints among miners using enclosed ball mills compared to open stone mills.
As large mining companies move to bigger deposits, artisanal ball mills are letting small cooperatives thrive. They put efficient grinding technology within reach, turning low-grade ore into sustainable livelihoods for thousands of families.
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