Should we choose cast refiner discs or stainless steel refiner discs?
2025-11-27
I. Price Analysis
| Characteristics | Cast Refiner Disc | Stainless Steel Welded Refiner Disc |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Purchase Cost | Lower.The casting process is mature and the mass production cost is relatively controllable, so the purchase price of a single pair of cast refiner discs is usually lower than that of welded refiner discs of the same specification. | Higher.The overlay welding process is complex, requiring the use of expensive alloy welding materials (such as tungsten carbide), and has high requirements for technology and equipment, resulting in higher manufacturing costs and selling prices. |
| Service Life | Medium. When grinding specialty paper pulp, the wear rate is relatively fast, especially when processing high-filler and high-impurity pulp. | Extremely long. Thanks to the extremely high hardness and wear resistance of its working layer (overlay welding layer), its service life is usually 2–4 times that of cast refiner discs, or even longer. |
| Total Cost | It may require more frequent replacement, leading to increased downtime, labor replacement costs and procurement frequency, and the total cost may be higher in the long run. | High initial investment but low total cost. Thanks to its long service life, it significantly reduces the number of replacements, downtime, and the quantity of spare parts in stock, resulting in better economic benefits throughout the entire life cycle. |
Price Conclusion：
- In the short term: If the budget is limited, cast refiner discs feature lower initial investment.
- In the long term: Thanks to their extremely long service life, the lifecycle cost of stainless steel welded refiner discs is usually much lower than that of cast refiner discs, with a higher return on investment (ROI).
II. Pulping Advantages Analysis
Cast Refiner Disc
1.Advantages：
- Mature technology and diverse options: A large number of mature tooth profile designs are available on the market, which can be matched according to different specialty paper pulps.
- Excellent initial pulping quality: When new or after repair, the tooth profile is sharp, enabling good fiber cutting and fibrillation effects.
2.Disadvantages：
- Poor wear resistance: With relatively low hardness, the tooth part wears quickly when grinding pulps containing mineral fillers (such as calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide) or with high impurity content.
- Poor tooth profile stability: The tooth profile will gradually change with wear, leading to unstable pulping quality. Indicators such as beating degree and wet weight fluctuate greatly in the early and late stages, affecting the uniformity of paper quality.
- Energy consumption change: The worn tooth profile has reduced efficiency, which may lead to a gradual increase in unit pulping energy consumption.
- Low toughness: It is relatively brittle and faces the risk of tooth breakage and chipping when encountering metal foreign objects.
Stainless Steel Welded Refiner Disc
1.Advantages：
- Extremely high wear resistance: The overlay welding layer (especially the tungsten carbide type) has extremely high hardness, excellent resistance to filler and fiber wear, and can maintain sharp tooth edges for a long time.
- Extremely stable pulping quality: Since the tooth profile hardly changes, it can provide a highly consistent beating curve and fiber treatment effect throughout the entire service life, which is crucial for specialty paper with strict quality requirements.
- Stable energy consumption: The efficient tooth profile is maintained for a long time, ensuring stable pulping efficiency and helping to control long-term energy consumption.
- Strong impact resistance: The substrate is usually made of steel with good toughness, and the surface cemented carbide layer can effectively resist foreign object impact, reduce the risk of tooth breakage, and has high reliability.
- Strong repairability: After wear, it can be repaired by overlay welding multiple times to restore it to a new state, further extending the total service life.
2. Disadvantages：
- High initial investment: As mentioned earlier, the purchase cost is its main obstacle.
- Fixed tooth profile design: Once manufactured, the tooth profile is difficult to change. It is necessary to accurately determine the most suitable tooth profile when selecting.
III. Summary and Selection Recommendations
| Scenario | Recommended Type | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty paper with extremely high requirements for the uniformity of finished paper quality (e.g., electrical insulation paper, high-end filter paper, dust-free paper, banknote paper) | Stainless steel welded refiner discs are the first choice | Its unparalleled stability is the greatest advantage, which can ensure the consistency of pulp quality in each batch and meet the strict standards of specialty paper. |
| Pulp raw materials containing a large amount of fillers or impurities (e.g., decorative base paper, parchment paper, etc.) | Stainless steel welded refiner discs are highly recommended | Its extremely high wear resistance can resist abrasion, maintain long-term stable production, and achieve significant comprehensive cost-effectiveness. |
| Frequent product type changes requiring beating process adjustments | Cast refiner discs can be considered | Low initial cost, quick tooth profile replacement for diverse products, and high flexibility. |
| Small & medium-sized projects or preproduction with a tight budget | Cast refiner discs can be selected | Reduce Upfront Capital Pressure: Entry-Level or Transitional Solution |
| Pursuing long-term production efficiency and the lowest total cost. | Undoubtedly choose stainless steel welded refiner discs | High initial investment notwithstanding, long service life, high stability and low downtime deliver long-term benefits that far surpass the initial price difference. |
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