To find the best tools for the job, screen media selection is a factor that should not be overlooked.
By Steve Fair

With increasing infrastructure developments on the horizon comes a growing demand for raw materials, making sure equipment is running efficiently is a top priority. However, it is also important to evaluate your screen media to ensure you are using the best tools for the job. Following are four things to keep in mind.

#1: 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 inches require more durable screen media to handle heavy impact. Abrasive material typically requires screen media with higher wearability whereas higher open area plays a larger factor for softer material.

#2: Phases of Screening
Next, look at your screen deck. There are three phases of material that go through 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.

 

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.

#3: 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, pegging or blinding, are often a sign of carryover or contamination, resulting in unwanted material in the screened material pile as well as the added cost of rescreening.

#4: 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 offer 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.

 

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.

Hybrid screens are an option that combines 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 inches, or for an application requiring an opening larger than four inches.
To find the best tools for the job, screen media selection is a factor that should not be overlooked. Some of the top items for operations to keep top of mind when doing so are operational requirements, phases of screening, and screening costs. Additionally, operations should consider working with an OEM to thoroughly evaluate their operation and ensure they are equipped with the right screen media for their application. | WA

Steve Fair is the Tyler Engineered Media Manager at Haver & Boecker Niagara, a leading provider in screening, pelletizing and mineral processing plants and systems. The company’s mission is to deliver the best of these technologies to customers in the mining, minerals, aggregates, cement, building products, fertilizer, and salt and recycling industries. With deep roots and years of experience in these industries, Haver & Boecker Niagara uses its innovative and shared technologies to effectively meet the needs of customers around the world. Steve has more than 26 years of industry experience and works with customers to identify screening challenges, improve their screening applications, and increase screening efficiency. He can be reached at [email protected] or visit www.haverniagara.com.

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