The main components of the rod mill are rotated slowly by transmission machinery, with grinding media being steel rods. Material is fed from the feed end of the cylinder, and inside, it is ground by the falling impact of steel balls and ore itself. As the rods rotate along the cylinder wall, coarse particles are trapped between the rods, similar to a rod-bar screen, allowing fine particles to pass through the gaps between the rods. This helps break down coarse particles and concentrate them where they will be struck by the grinding media. The constant feeding pressure moves the material from the feed end to the discharge end. The discharge hollow shaft diameter is usually larger than that of ball mills of the same specification. Rod mills are commonly used in gravity or magnetic separation plants for tungsten, tin, and other rare metal ores to prevent the harmful effects of over-grinding. In some cases, it can replace short-head cone crushers for fine crushing.