Nov 21, 2023

Three ways to improve screening media performance by reviewing your installation

Claes Larsson

Product Manager, Screening Consumables

Maintenance and simple measures are often overlooked as factors that affect the performance of the screening media. Many producers are focused on eliminating pegging or blinding – forgetting that it might be possible to improve media performance by simply reviewing the installation. There are three key areas that need to be considered: tension level, feed chute distribution and condition of the screen cloth supporting profiles. Let’s look at each of these factors to see how they can impact performance.

1. Tension levels

The wrong level of tension can lead to severe damage to your screen. The cloth, for example, can be torn if the panel is not properly tensioned. During screening, the rubber panel will move against the supports in the screen deck causing wear. This can be resolved by rebuilding the screen frame to the original height of the supports, reinstalling the capping rubber on top of the support, and setting the tension so that there is no vibration between the supports and underneath the rubber cloth. An improperly tensioned cloth can lead to premature failure either by cracks in the wire or damages to the synthetic materials.

2. Feed chute distribution and location of the feed area

Another maintenance task that is typically overlooked relates to feed and the uneven feed distribution and/or wrong location of the feed area. Feeding in the wrong location shortens the lifetime of the installation since the screen panel will not last as long as the feed box.

In the image below it is evident that the material has been fed more towards the left hand side of the screen (seen from the top of the screen). The feed bed is thinner towards the right hand side of the screen. An even material flow is to be preferred to ensure your equipment and component’s lifespan.

3. Condition of the supporting profiles

During maintenance and change-out of screen media it is also important to review the condition of the supporting profiles. It is important to check the profiles carefully for wear and other damages and change them if necessary. Keeping profiles and other supporting steel structures in good condition results in longer lifetimes and increased operation hours of the whole screening media installation.

The image below shows a screen body before repair – some parts have been completely worn down, and others are missing. It is important to check the condition of existing or missing supports. Without making the proper repairs and ensuring the supporting profiles are in good condition, it is not possible to install screen media properly.