Capital Equipment News May 2024

SCREEN MEDIA MANUFACTURING

New materials FLSmidth has developed a new proprietary material called FLS86, which can last two to three times longer than the polyurethane material currently available for the manufacture of polyurethane panels. The company’s global research and development efforts have focused on creating materials that can improve the service life of screen panels and reduce wastage. Using the new material will require the panels to be disposed of less frequently, thus supporting sustainability. According to Walker, the reject rate for new panels is low, resulting in a low scrap rate at the facility. Screen media production Two main ingredients are used in current screen media production at the Delmas facility: a prepolymer and a curative. The materials supplier tests each component, each with its own batch certificate. A panel is cast using these two components under controlled conditions at the material supplier. The test panel is then sent to the in-house laboratory, where it is subjected to a complete set of mechanical tests to confirm that its properties conform to specification. To ensure that no problems arise during the production process, a sample is cast at the start of each shift. This sample is subjected to the same curing process and returned to the lab for another mechanical test. This ensures that the material is free of any problems. Once the panels have been cured and tested for hardness, they are subjected to visual quality assurance to ensure they meet the required standards. Vibrating screens “We manufacture a wide range of vibrating screens for various types of screening applications. Our small and medium-duty screens are usually single decks equipped with a drive beam and two vibrator motors, making them ideal for medium-duty applications,” explains Walker. In addition to these, the facility also produces heavy-duty vibrating screens, such as the FLSmidth BRU Vibrating Screens. “These screens are designed to be 30 to 40% heavier than our competitor screens, with a typical design lifespan of up to 10 years. They are made for heavy-duty applications and can handle a variety of minerals, with a significant installed base for platinum processing,” adds Walker. The Delmas facility also caters to coal screening with legacy equipment and significant installed bases for phosphate,

At the site, there’s a CNC vertical machining centre, which allows the facility to produce its own aluminium mould inserts to produce polyurethane screen media.

One of the Polyurethane panels after it was cast in an aluminium mould.

are expertly manufactured – which adds to clients not having to keep large stockpiles. “We look at maximising the open areas on our panels, and we do many trials globally for different materials, where look at aperture configuration to optimise screening efficiency,” says Walker.

At the site, there’s a CNC vertical machining centre, which allows the facility to produce its own aluminium mould inserts to produce polyurethane screen media. “If we need a mould that we don’t have, we can manufacture new moulds to meet specific requirements,” adds Walker.

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