Ball mill for the manufacture of goods formed by the suspension of solid particles in a fatty carrier

Claim 1

A ball mill for the manufacture of a product formed from one of a paste and a liquid suspension of solid particles in a fat vehicle, said ball mill comprising: a vat (24) supporting unattached and freely movable crushing means (31) therein for crushing the suspended solid particles, said ball mill being appropriately sized to contain a suitable quantity of a mixture formed from one of a paste and a liquid suspension of solid particles in a fat vehicle and being provided with a mixture inlet (29) and a mixture outlet (7); a rotating shaft (34) extending inside said vat and supporting agitating elements (36) positioned to activate said crushing means during rotation of said rotating shaft (34); drive means for driving said rotating shaft; and means (38-48) for introducing fluid into said vat (24); wherein said means for introducing fluid comprises an air blowing device (45-47), for introducing pressurized air, communicating with an inlet conduit (38) located within said rotating shaft, at least one distribution orifice (40) formed in at least one of the agitating elements (36), and a distribution conduit (39) interconnecting said at least one distribution orifice with said inlet conduit (38); during use, said agitating elements (36) and said at least one distribution orifice are immersed in the mixture so as to distribute the fluid into areas where said crushing means (31) are set in motion by said agitating elements upon rotation of said rotating shaft; said means for introducing fluid further comprises at least one reservoir (48) containing a liquid to be dispensed into the mixture and dispenser means (49) interconnecting said reservoir with said inlet conduit (38) for dispensing the liquid; and said air blowing device (45-47) further comprises means (47) for sterilizing the air.