Screening media (screen panels and screen mesh)

01

Set aperture size and open area

US patent 8,113,357 (Screening module) explains that in screening ores with modular panels there is a trade-off between panel flexibility, screening accuracy and open area. A reasonably flexible panel helps inhibit blinding or pegging of the apertures, but if it is too flexible oversize particles may pass, with adverse consequences downstream and possible penalties. Open area, the percentage of the panel surface made up of apertures, should be as high as possible for throughput, but too high an open area can make the panel too flexible. [1]

Editorial calculation: square 10 mm apertures separated by 5 mm bars give an open area of 10² / 15² ≈ 44%; thinner bars raise open area but, as the patent notes, can make the panel too flexible. Ask the supplier for the open area and aperture tolerance of each panel offered. [1]

Editorial note: give the supplier the cut size, feed size and grading, wet or dry screening, and the deck position (top, middle, bottom), so the supplier can recommend aperture shape, panel thickness and material.

Give the supplier the screen make and model, deck dimensions and fixing system (pin, clip, rail, tension), cut size and aperture shape (square, slotted), open area target, feed size and tonnage, wet or dry duty, material abrasiveness and moisture, impact zones, temperature, and expected panel life.

02

Choose material, hardness and anti-blinding design

Arex lists polyurethane screening media at Shore A hardness 65, 70, 75 and 80, with tensile strength of 10, 11.5, 13.5 and 16 MPa, elongation at break of 410–390%, shear strength of 33–55 N/mm, DIN abrasion loss of 98, 50, 39 and 35 mm³ and rebound of 80–67%, for wet and dry screening, and says polyurethane resists abrasion while being flexible enough to avoid build-up. Its fine polyurethane screen mesh has openings as fine as 0.075 mm and self-relieving apertures to reduce pegging and blinding, in panels such as 700 × 1,045 mm for mining, coal washing and quarries. [2] [3]

The patent describes polyurethane modules moulded in one piece, clipped to retention rails on the screen deck, with projections whose sides taper inwardly so that the openings in the support structure beneath are larger than the screening apertures, helping inhibit blinding and letting material pass freely. [1]

Editorial note: in Arex's table, harder grades show lower DIN abrasion loss (35 mm³ at Shore A 80 against 98 mm³ at 65) but lower rebound; ask the supplier which grade it recommends for your feed and impact zone. [2]

03

Ask how the panel is reinforced and how its apertures are protected

Two US patents filed by Indian screening-media maker Tega Industries describe design choices a buyer can ask a panel supplier about. US 9,308,555 B2 (priority 2011) says modular panels with internal reinforcement lose screening efficiency because of low open area; it moves the steel reinforcement to an external frame under the panel edge, reduces the edges, the gaps between apertures and the wide central bar, and so raises the number of apertures and the open area while lowering panel thickness and the weight of polyurethane needed. Both patents give panel sizes of 305 × 305 mm for modular panels and 610 × 300 mm for larger ones, mounted by snap-on button or pin-and-sleeve fixings, made by hot vulcanising or casting rubber or polyurethane. [4] [5]

US 8,925,732 B2 (priority 2009) addresses wear of the aperture walls, which it says changes aperture shape and so the cut size; it lines the apertures with a more abrasion-resistant material than the rest of the surface, metal with a vertical slit for flexibility, or ceramic, so that rubber or polyurethane takes the impact while the walls hold their shape. [5]

Editorial calculation: with 10 mm square apertures, narrowing the bars from 5 mm to 4 mm raises open area from 10² ÷ 15² ≈ 44% to 10² ÷ 14² ≈ 51%, and a 305 mm panel width holds about 20 apertures across at a 15 mm pitch before edge margins are deducted; this is the gain the external-reinforcement patent is after, and the flexibility limit noted in US 8,113,357 is what bounds it. [4] [1]

04

Polyurethane, rubber and fine-mesh panels on the supplier card

The one supplier card shown, Arex, lists polyurethane and rubber screening media and fine polyurethane screen mesh alongside rubber liners.

Ask Arex, or any other panel maker you approach, for aperture range and tolerance, open area, material grade data, fixing systems for your screen, and reference installations.

05

Apertures, support structure, tapered openings, fixing, material and panel size

Tapered and self-relieving openings appear twice here because US 8,113,357 and Arex both tie them to blinding and pegging; the other rows say which order detail each feature fixes.

06

Deck area, aperture, open area, hardness and feed size for a panel quote

Arex publishes the aperture floor (0.075 mm), a 700 × 1,045 mm panel, tensile strength and Shore A hardness; wire diameter, thickness, temperature, weight and maximum feed size have no published value in the sources here and come from your screen and the supplier.

07

Send the screen, cut and duty data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Screen: [make; model; deck size]
Fixing: [pin; clip; rail; tension]
Cut: [aperture; shape; open area]
Feed: [size; t/h; wet or dry]
Material: [abrasiveness; moisture; impact]
Media: [PU; rubber; wire; hardness]
Life: [expected hours]

See manufacturer records Send an enquiry through CNFX