What type of screen media is best for my Vibratory Screen?

In a typical application where multiple products are being made, the top deck(s) of the screen makes the coarse cut, the middle deck(s) makes a middle cut and the bottom deck(s) makes the fine cut.

 

In a typical application where multiple products are being made, the top deck(s) of the screen makes the coarse cut, the middle deck(s) makes a middle cut and the bottom deck(s) makes the fine cut.

 

Each screen deck is covered with screen media containing openings for the particles to pass through. Screen media comes in many different forms, and the type of screen media plays an important role in screening efficiency. 

Screen media is all about the open area, or the number of openings in the screen. The more openings in the screen, the more opportunities the particles will have to pass through, and the more efficient the screen will be.

 

However, more openings in the screen can decrease the wear life of the media. The correct screen media for an application will balance both wear life and efficiency.

 

Common types of screen media for aggregate applications include:

 

● Woven wire

● Polyurethane

● Rubber

● Hybrid

 

Woven wire cloth is the most consistent, versatile performing media product. It averages 50-70% open surface area in most configurations and provides the most flexibility for operations that need to make frequent media changeouts due to varying product specifications. Overall screening efficiency is good with this type of media.

 

Polyurethane is better suited for wet/wash screens and dry applications with highly abrasive materials. It provides 30-40% less open area than wire cloth; however, polyurethane offers extended wear life over wire media.

Rubber media is used for heavier, coarser materials that can damage standard wire screens. It is most often used for dry applications or abrasive materials. Rubber media has less openings than wire cloth, and therefore less throughput; however, they last much longer than wire screens.

 

Hybrid media combines wire screens with reinforced rubber or urethane strips to fit screen supports. It is highly popular in dry screening applications with high moisture materials and a high proportion of fines. This type of media works to eliminate blinding and pegging, which ends the need to stop production to clean the screen. It provides more open area than polyurethane and lasts longer than woven wire. Depending on the application, production can increase by 40% using hybrid screen media.