Metso says it saw record sales of stirred mills in 2025 as mining customers opted for energy-efficient grinding solutions.
In minerals processing, there is growing demand for optimised technology combinations and multi-stage grinding to boost energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, as well as to improve productivity with optimised operating costs. In milling, these can be achieved by using Metso’s Vertimill® and HIGmill™ stirred mills and high-pressure grinding (HPGR) technology, Metso says. Overall throughput and recovery can be further enhanced by combining the stirred mills with Concorde Cell™ flotation technology.
In 2025, Metso sold over 20 Vertimill grinding mills with a combined installed power of 67 MW. With these stirred mills delivering up to 35% energy savings compared with conventional ball mills, the total power saved amounts to approximately 36,550 kW, the OEM claims. This impressive reduction is equivalent to avoiding 135,000 t/y of CO2 emissions, based on 8,500 operating hours per year.
Alan Boylston, Vice President, Stirred Mills at Metso, said: “The growing preference for stirred milling technology extends not only to established markets but also to new regions where this technology has previously not been considered. Additionally, many existing concentrator plants are choosing to enhance their operations with add-ons to incorporate these solutions. Stirred mills are now increasingly being deployed in secondary and tertiary grinding applications, handling a wide range of ores including copper, gold, and iron ore.
“Our comminution solutions portfolio is focused on future-oriented, energy-efficient technologies to meet our mining customers’ diverse requirements and support them with value-adding services.”
Metso has a leading stirred milling technologies portfolio, consisting of Vertimill, HIGmill, Stirred Media Detritor mills and Vertical Power Mills. These mills are based on gravity-induced and fluidised technologies, allowing for an optimum equipment solution for all comminution circuits in secondary, tertiary, fine, ultrafine, regrind and lime slaking applications, Metso says. Stirred mills are part of the Metso Plus offering – a qualified group of selected Metso products, services, or digital solutions that provide significant environmental performance improvements. Metso also provide digital solutions as well as extensive support through a global network of service and repair centres.
