Capital Equipment News October 2021

in various applications; this is a cheaper option but, in most cases, less durable. For ultra-fines, we use mainly either wedge wire or specially manufactured polyurethane mats,” explains Cneut. Key trends Commenting on some new trends in the screen media industry, Marais says various styles and custom screen media pattern designs are improving screen media open area and efficiencies. These also prevent pegging and blinding. “Various material options allow the customer to fine-tune a screen’s performance in a cost-effective way and refine the output from the plant in order to meet production grades and end product requirements,” he says. The biggest trends, says Cneut, include improvements in material composition as well as the life of PU panels, thus bringing OPEX down for the end-user. Other factors that come with improvements to materials are the ability to change aperture shape, thereby increasing the open area per square metre. “This allows for the use of smaller screens for similar duties, reducing CAPEX. This is a factor the entire industry is looking to improve as it offers the end user both reduced CAPEX and OPEX expenditure,” reasons Cneut. According to Jingoo, ongoing research and development plays an important role at Multotec. The company is actively involved with the following screen media developments: increased dewatering capacity utilising improved drainage compared to conventional screen panels; considerable improvement in the wear life of wedge wire products using a hard chrome surface; new fixing methods that allow for improved safety and a reduction in installation time; an alternative product to woven wire on ROM screens; and ongoing development of screen media that will allow online, real-time monitoring of wear and other parameters. Flagship products Commenting on some of the flagship products the company has brought to market, Cneut says FLSmidth’s XIF panel dramatically improves the dewatering throughput with its unique aperture design and open area. “This panel is truly a leap forward in screen media technology,” he says. “FLSmidth is also busy with some major R&D projects to improve the life of polyurethane parts – this is not necessarily limited to screening media, so watch the space.” According to Marais, woven wire mesh will always be a good product of choice because of its open area that allows customers to select a more CAPEX-friendly screen that performs economically and efficiently. In fine screening, non-abrasive applications where more open area is required, adds Marais, “the piano wire options perform well and we have seen this media doing an exceptional job. Many customers have also been converting some of their screens to poly panels in order to increase life of the screen media panel, but the decline of open area has impacted on produced tonnages.” Jingoo says Multotec has developed a test rig for screen media product development and optimising screen media selection according to customers’ requirements. “Clients can view the actual performance of the screening media products with the material from their mining operations. In addition to this, the customer can benefit from screening media field trials by proving product efficiency in a controlled environment before products are incorporated into their applications,” concludes Jingoo. b

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