Introduction to Screening Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide
If you’ve been working in the industry for a while, you’re familiar with the equipment you use. However, recently, you may have realized that the industry demand has shifted, and you now need to produce much finer and more precise particle specifications for advanced industries. Understanding each machine’s role in the machine handling industry is crucial for successful operations. Screening equipment plays a significant part in breaking raw materials into sellable products. If you’re new to screening equipment, this might be the perfect time to consider incorporating it into your operations. This article will provide you with a complete guide to screening equipment, including how it works, its role in the powder manufacturing process, and how Elcan Industries can assist you.
What is Industrial Screening Equipment?
Screening machine equipment is the machinery used to separate one material from another during the screening process. It’s the second part of the material handling process, where raw material from a crusher or quarry is refined into finer grades to produce an end product usable in different industries and applications. Screening equipment can work independently, but paired with a crusher creates a full-circuit system that makes the material handling process seamless. A full-circuit system is the most effective way to mine and separate materials to create something sellable in the marketplace.
How Does Screening Equipment Work?
Screening equipment machines can either be run on a flat surface which is more for round vibratory sifters or inclined, which is generally used with rectangular units. These rectangular machines or round, like the Hi-Sifter sieving technology, are powered by two or more motors that create high energy vibrations which cause particles to separate, and ports where oversize and undersize material discharge from into collection vessels or back into a manufacturing process, kind of like a continuous “loop”. With the Elcan Industries screening technologies, the particle separation process may only take one run to produce the desired product cuts, whereas, with other technologies such as ultrasonics, it may take multiple passes or different points in the machine to achieve the desired outcome. In most cases like with the example above, an ultrasonic would not even be able to screen particles down to sizes below 44um. With the Hi-E rectangular screeners and our proprietary advanced sieving technologies the Hi-Sifter can typically make particle size cuts down to as fine as 10um in a single pass!
How is Screening Equipment Used?
Industrial screening machines are commonly used across multiple industries, including mining, aggregate processing, mineral processing, recycling, farming & agriculture. Recently as of 2022-2023, battery manufacturing, aerospace and other high value, high performance industries have been the leading industries for use of our high energy sieving technologies. Each industry has a unique use for screening equipment, and each application calls for a different type of screening machine which is why the Elcan screening technologies have proven effective because of their versatility and ability to screen down to as fine as 10um on an industrial scale with over 98% yield. Other screening machine technologies struggle to screen below 74 micron where as Elcan Industries is sieving materials down to 10um and 5um in some cases as a slurry.
How Many Different Types of Screens are There?
There are two types of screens: wet screens, which use spray nozzles, water, and screen vibration in the sorting process, and dry screens for powders which only use vibrations. The beauty of Elcan Industries’ sieving technologies is that they can be used in a wet or dry setting. Another positive is that the machine user can replace the screen mesh themselves on the floor, and this process should take no more than 15-20 minutes. Other screening machine equipment requires that the users send out their broken screen mesh/frames to be redone by an outside company and sent back to them. This can be a very costly repair upwards of $7,000+ and keep a plant down for weeks depending now how quickly the machine shop can turnaround their repaired mesh back to them. Regular maintenance and a screen mesh replacement schedule are crucial step to ensure that the screening machines perform at their optimal performance levels and efficiency.
How Often Do Screens Need to Be Replaced?
The frequency in which the screen mesh need to be replaced depends on the industry and the type of materials that are being processed on the machines. For instance, if you are screening abrasive materials daily, you will need to replace the screens more often than in an industry where such abrasive materials are not processed with the same frequency. Elcan Industries can help you set up a timeline for screen mesh replacement depending on which materials you are processing on your screening machines, so you never have to worry about screen replacements again! Although Elcan does not require that the user of our equipment purchase the screen cloth from us, we highly recommend only buying the highest quality screen cloth for use with our advanced technologies. This is a critical step in having precise control over your particle separations and we’ve noticed that when companies opt for lower grade cloth, they do not get the same performance. Then when they revert back to a higher quality screen cloth, the performance increase is significant. Again, do not go for cheap wire cloth this will adversely affect your yields, rates and performances!
What Can Elcan Industries Do for You?
When it comes to choosing the right type of screening equipment that is right for your operation, you want to work with experts who can ensure that you make the right decision.
At Elcan Industries, our dedicated team understands your needs and will recommend what will work best for your project. With over 30 years experience in advanced particle separations, we have earned ourselves the the nickname “the screening EXPERTS”. We go above and beyond by considering your specific requirements and designing a tailored solution for you.
We are experts in providing screening equipment solutions for a variety of production goals, with a focus on serving the battery materials, Aerospace, and other high-value, high-performance processing industries. Our systems are designed specifically for industries such as:
- Electric Vehicle Battery Materials
- Anode and Cathode Materials
- Ceramics
- Clays
- Metal Powders (All)
- Pigments
- Super Absorbents (SAP)
- & more…
Whether you need a standalone screening machine, setting up and designing a full scale manufacturing facility, Elcan Industries will consult with you to find the right screening equipment for your project. We strive to optimize plant flow and design systems for maximum efficiency. Feel free to reach out to us to test some of your material and experience the Elcan difference in performance.
Call today to schedule your trial!
📞1-800-AT-ELCAN (1-800-283-5226)
