Don’t Sacrifice Your Screening Efficiency

Considerations for selecting high-vibration wire screen media over polyurethane.

By Serge Raymond, MAJOR product specialist

With the bipartisan infrastructure bill in place and projects on the rise, aggregate materials are in demand more than ever. Maximizing efficiency to capitalize on this opportunity requires the right equipment — screen media included. While often overlooked, screen media selection is critical to an operation’s performance. 

There are many things to consider when selecting screen media for your application. See what makes our FLEX-MAT® high-vibration wire screen media stand out compared to traditional polyurethane media options. 

Screening Performance

Synthetic modular media, such as polyurethane, is often known for its long wear life and ability to reduce noise levels, but it isn’t without its challenges. This type of media typically has less open area than wire screens, leading to decreased throughput. This reduces the capacity of bottom decks because the material takes longer to make its way down. Also, operations using synthetics must keep a close eye on the panel openings. Openings tend to wear by rounding out, making it necessary to regularly check that the panels are still the correct size and not letting out-of-spec material through.

Both synthetic screen media and traditional woven wire are very rigid and rely on the vibrating screen to do most of the heavy lifting. The static movement of the screens limits vibration to 800 or 900 cycles per minute. In most cases, this does not hinder the screen media from achieving adequate production and throughput, but it is not fully using screening equipment, either. And often it results in common issues, such as blinding and pegging. 

Our signature FLEX-MAT high-vibration screen media offers a wear-life compromise between synthetic and woven wire and often provides the most performance benefits. The advanced screen media features high-strength wire bonded by polyurethane or rubber strips to hold individual wires. The wires vibrate independently of one another — within opening size specifications — to amplify the screening process and increase throughput by as much as 40%. Plus, the vibrations virtually eliminate common screening issues, such as pegging, blinding and clogging, improving product quality and reducing potential downtime. 

To further elevate screening our FLEX-MAT Modular PLUS offers all the benefits of FLEX-MAT — high open area, efficient stratification, no blinding or pegging — combined with a new and improved wear life comparable to polyurethane screen media. FLEX-MAT Modular PLUS is specially designed to withstand harsh screening conditions with the most abrasive materials, such as granite and basalt. 

Long-Lasting Quality

However, not all high-vibration screen media is the same. Unlike our FLEX-MAT screen media, most manufacturers don’t customize the media specifically to each application to ensure optimum performance and wear resistance. When properly fitted to an application, high-vibration screen media can amplify the work of the vibrating screen with vibrations of 6,000 to 10,000 cycles per minute — up to 13 times greater than traditional, rigid media options. Often, the screen media can be modified with thicker or double wires and additional polyurethane to further boost durability.

There are inexpensive options for every style of screen media, but operations should hesitate before choosing them. The lower price often comes with reduced performance and wear life. This is a result of poor quality with the material, weaving, trimming and hooking process for wire screens or, similarly, poor manufacturing and material selection with other styles of screen media. The up-front cost will be lower, but lost production and frequent screen replacements will quickly add up.

Consult a Manufacturer 

Selecting the best screen media involves taking a look at the big picture. While not required, an operation can expedite the decision process with experience-backed recommendations from a screen media OEM or dealer. By opting for high-vibration screen media like FLEX-MAT, operations can have a maximum throughput and no carryover, while producing a high-quality product. It’s that simple. 

Contact your local MAJOR dealer to learn how FLEX-MAT high-vibration wire screen media can transform your operation’s screening efficiency.