Infrastructure demand is expected to increase in 2023. With that comes a growing demand for raw materials.
This demand begins at mines and quarries throughout the world.
Making sure equipment is running efficiently is a top priority, but it’s also important to evaluate your screen media to ensure you are using the best tools for the job.
Here are four things to keep in mind when selecting screen media for your operations.
Operational requirements
Consider the types of materials going through the vibrating screen. Factors such as material size, weight and abrasiveness all come into play during the selection process.
Materials with top sizes as large as 10 in. require more durable screen media to handle heavy impact. Abrasive materials such as granite typically require screen media with higher wearability. For softer materials such as limestone, a higher open area plays a larger factor.
Phases of screening
Next, look at your screen deck. There are three phases material goes through in the screening process, from layered to basic to sharp. Equipping the screen deck with a single type of media overlooks the fact that each of these phases has very different needs.
By recognizing and analyzing each phase, you can customize your vibrating screen’s deck with various types of screen media for the best combination of wear life and open area.
Screening costs
Using the wrong screen media can lead to increased maintenance costs and downtime. Start by looking in the boneyard at the discarded screen media.
Problem areas such as broken wires, wear areas and pegging or blinding are often a sign of carryover or contamination. This can result in material in the screened material pile, as well as the added cost of rescreening.
Screen media selection
Engineered screen media used alone or blended with other options such as woven wire cloth or self-cleaning screens can provide the ultimate combination of wear life and open area.
Polyurethane screen media offers extended wear life. The polyurethane is poured open cast, offering up to two times the wear life of injection-molded screen media. It is often ideal for handling impact at the feed end during the layered phase of screening.
Hybrid screens are an option that combine woven wire with polyurethane to provide a higher open area than polyurethane while extending wear life four to seven times beyond woven wire, which is often a good solution on that difficult-to-access second deck.
When screening large top sizes, look for rubber screen media. Rubber screen media is ideal for handling top sizes larger than 12 in. or for an application requiring an opening larger than 4 in.
Final thoughts
To find the best tools for the job, screen media selection is a factor that should not be overlooked. Some items operations should keep top of mind when doing so are operational requirements, phases of screening and screening costs.
Additionally, operators should consider working with an OEM to thoroughly evaluate their operation and ensure they are equipped with the right screen media for their given application.
Steve Fair is a Tyler Engineered Media manager at Haver & Boecker Niagara.