October 8, 2007

9 Min Read
Screening, Classifying, & Separation

pbs0710p12b.jpgTumbler Screeners
These machines feature unique antiblinding devices and a hand-screening motion that result in higher throughput, better efficiency, and virtually no screen blinding. They are available with diameters from 2 to 8½ ft and with up to five decks. Patented deck lifters and Power Spring locking devices are available on all models. The units screen beads and spheres that blind screens, friable agglomerates that break up, fine separations down to 10 µm, statically bonded products that must be pried apart, and lightweight products that need assistance for higher throughputs. The screens also remove fines to ultralow percentages, fatty or sticky materials that adhere to or plate over the screen, and needle-shaped particles that dive through the screen.
Minox/Elcan Industries Inc., Mamaroneck, NY 914-381-7500 www.minox-elcan.com

pbs0710p12c.jpgCentrifugal Sifter
The Kek centrifugal sifter can sift, recover, and delump. Regardless of the application, the gentle sifting action can check-sift bulk products and minor ingredients to remove extraneous material such as string, packaging, and insects. It can depackage tea bags, condiment sachets, and biscuit packages while maintaining cost-effective operation. The unit’s hygienic operation eliminates the risk of product contamination while maintaining a dust-free environment. Its cantilever design allows for tool-free cleaning and maintenance.
Kemutec Powder Technologies, Bristol, PA 215-788-8013 www.kemutec.com

pbs0710p14b.jpgScreen-Changing System
The operator-friendly QuickChange NV reduces screen changing to a one-man operation, thereby eliminating the need to involve maintenance crews. Powered by a self-contained hydraulic unit, the system does not require outside utility hookups or a staging area. Screen changes can be made quickly, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
Sweco, Florence, KY 859-371-4360 www.sweco.com

pbs0710p14c.jpgMagnetic Separators
Used to remove ferrous contamination, Deep Reach magnetic separators have been redesigned with two powerful magnet circuits surrounding a chute to penetrate the flow of products such as cocoa, powdered cheese, sugar, starch, flour, gypsum, and other sticky products. The units maintain production rates when handling leafy, powdery, moist, sticky, or lumpy materials while improving product purity and protecting equipment and personnel. They feature a low-profile design for tight places and three magnetic circuits to penetrate the product flow for optimum separation efficiency. The Xtreme rare-earth magnet circuit is available to remove fine or weakly magnetic contaminants, while traditional ceramic magnet circuits can be selected to remove larger tramp metal. Deep Reach magnets may be hinged for easy tramp-metal collection or include an easy-to-clean drawer option that provides easy removal of collected tramp metal. All-stainless-steel construction is available for food or corrosive environments.
Eriez, Erie, PA 888-300-3743 www.eriez.com

pbs0710p16b.jpgScreeners
Kroosher ULS 48 screeners can improve throughput on several types of metal powders, fine silicas, and other difficult-to-screen products. The screeners can achieve throughputs up to 10 times greater than those of conventional screeners—even those modified with ultrasonic adapters—and yield improvements from 50 to 94%. The units have been able to screen products that have not been screened before at very fine cuts (325 mesh and finer).
Minox/Elcan Industries Inc., Mamaroneck, NY 914-381-7500 www.minox-elcan.com

pbs0710p16c.jpgHopper-Feeder-Screener Systems
The unit shown incorporates the Model HK-12 equipped with the HK ultrasonic deblinding system along with a stainless-steel feed hopper and vibratory feeder for continuous processing of powder applications. Users can select options that perform continuous removal of oversized material and multiple-deck applications. Units are available in 8, 12, 17, 24, and 36-in. diameters. The ultrasonic transducer is transferable to individual screen frames, utilizing only one transducer for all screen frames. The ultrasonic screeners are effective in the lab or pilot plant for evaluating small powder batches. Precision sieves have mesh sizes down to 635 mesh or 20 µm.
The Cleveland Vibrator Co., HK Technologies, Cleveland, OH 800-221-3298 www.clevelandvibrator.com

pbs0710p26c.jpgIn-Line Sifter
The QA24 in-line sifter has a space-saving design, Tru-Balance drive, and pneumatic dome elevation system. Easily inspected by one person, it is designed to be inserted directly into a vacuum or dilute-phase pressure pneumatic conveying system, eliminating the need for additional equipment. The unit is available with two to five sieves with net screen areas from 4 to 10 sq ft and is ideal for dry, free-flowing powders. It has smooth surfaces with a few weldments and snap-on neoprene gaskets that do not use adhesives, providing a high level of sanitation.
Great Western Manufacturing, Leavenworth, KS 913-682-2291 www.gwmfg.com

pbs0710p26d.jpgCustomized Separation Equipment
In addition to the Vibro-Energy round separator, a device used for both wet and dry particle separation, this company offers customized equipment for virtually any application. For specialized wet separations, high-speed vibrating rectangular separators and high-capacity centrifuges are available. For dry separations, GyraMax rectangular gyratory screeners, centrifugal sifters, and Turbo-Screen air classification systems are offered. A line of Vibro-Energy grinding mills, replacement parts, and screens for any piece of screening equipment are also available.
Sweco, Florence, KY 859-371-4360 www.sweco.com

pbs0710p27a.jpgCounterflow Screen
The Counterflow screen features a new unibody system that offers a significant weight savings for a rigid machine. The screen provides large screen areas in a small footprint, ensuring precise product separations. The screen has a patented three-year drive unit with drive bearings that are lubricated for life and screener decks that rotate at high revolutions per minute, providing excellent throughput per screen element area. Uniform motion across the entire screen element ensures that every square foot of screen is used, guaranteeing maximum efficiency and capacity. These durable machines are designed for 24/7 trouble-free operation and free up maintenance personnel.
BM&M Screening Solutions, Surrey, BC, Canada 604-888-8400 www.bmandm.com

pbs0710p29a.jpgTriple-Frequency Metal Detector
Based on the proven advanced technology of the company’s MET 30+, the state-of-the-art 3f/hf is a fully automatic triple-frequency metal detector that can perform highly accurate inspection of food products and polyfilm and metallized packaged products. The unit features a built-in automatic frequency selection facility that chooses the optimum frequency, whatever the product or packaging. The high frequency is selected to inspect dry products such as cookies or snack foods at 875 KHz—four times more sensitive than standard food industry detectors. This frequency offers food manufacturers and packers heightened sensitivity for nonferrous and stainless-steel metals—up to 30% higher than standard detectors. The unit operates at three crystal frequencies: low, medium, and high. Its automatic product setup facility eliminates the time required for configuring the detector and ensures consistently high performance.
Lock Inspection Systems Ltd., Oldham, Lancashire, UK +44 161 6240333 www.lockinspection.co.uk

pbs0710p29b.jpgTwin Vibratory Motor Screens
These twin vibratory motor screens are simplistic and operator friendly. Powered via two vibratory motors and using coil spring vibration isolation, the units transmit energy to screen product but are extremely gentle on buildings or structures. To demonstrate vibration isolation, a 1/8-in.-thick washer can be stood vertically next to the vibration isolation spring, and it stays in its position. The screens can be used across industry from coal to candy and potassium to pet food.
Gough Econ Inc., Charlotte, NC 704-399-4501 www.goughecon.com

pbs0710p30b.jpgUltrasanitary Double-Deck Screener
The Vibroscreen ultrasanitary double-deck screener for scalping, dedusting, and dewatering of contamination-sensitive materials meets CGMP, 3-A, USDA, and FDA standards. The unit features gap-free screen frames, quick-release U clamps, radius corners, a domed lid, an air-lift device to raise the frames, continuous ground and polished welds, a gap-free and crevice-free interior, and a washable underside. It reduces the possibility of contamination from bacteria growth or cross-contamination while improving sanitizing efficiency. Screens are mounted to support rings using FDA-approved epoxy and sealed using FDA-approved gasket material. The unit can be equipped for clean-in-place sanitizing and operating under a blanket of an inert gas.
Kason Corp., Millburn, NJ 973-467-8140 www.kason.com

pbs0710p30c.jpgDrawer Magnet
This patent-pending drawer magnet was designed specifically for applications that require on-the-fly cleaning capability. Ideal for plants that either cannot or do not want to shut down product flow to clean their magnets, the patent-pending design uses an extended cartridge with a dead zone that never disengages the back plate. The extended-cartridge design eliminates the possibility of cartridge distortion while under pressure from heavy flow. Each row of cartridges cycles independently so that magnetic protection is never completely bypassed during the cleaning process.
Bunting Magnetics Co., Newton, KS 800-835-2526 www.buntingmagnetics.com

pbs0710p31a.jpgAir Classifiers
These air classifiers balance the physical principles of centrifugal force, drag force, and gravity to generate a high-precision method of classifying particles according to size and density. They can meet cut points that are too fine for screens (200–400 mesh or finer). Continuous duty avoids downtime from screen blinding, and increased wear protection avoids downtime from screen wear or breakage. Easy speed control adjustability helps meet various product specifications. The units also offer high capacity of up to 800 tn/h. Three models are available: a whirlwind internal-fan air classifier for fineness of 100 to 400 mesh, a side-draft external-fan air classifier for fineness of 100 to 400 mesh, and a superfine external-fan air classifier for fineness of 44 to 5 µm. These classifiers process aggregates, ceramics, chemicals, fly ash, foods, minerals, metals, plastics, and other materials.
Sturtevant Inc., Hanover, MA 781-829-6501 www.sturtevantinc.com

pbs0710p32b.jpgScreener and Bag Dump Station
A 3-in-1 screening and bag dump station features a high-capacity check screener with a dust hood and magnetic trap. Designed for dust-free bag-emptying and check screening of raw materials, the unit was developed to help food, pharmaceutical, and chemical processors. The low-level bag-tipping station is manufactured in stainless steel and has a dust hood that connects with any existing dust-extraction system. It is integrated with a sieve deck to provide a dust-tight interface to increase hygiene efficiency. An optional “post box” can be installed, allowing operators to transfer empty bags to a sealed container or compactor to further reduce dust levels. The high-capacity screener removes contamination such as pieces of paper, string, and possibly hazardous materials. Seated beneath the sieve mesh is a magnetic trap to catch ferrous particles that are smaller than the mesh size. Standard or rare-earth magnets are available. The screener is easy to clean between batches and product changes and is quick to disassemble without tools. It is extremely quiet during operation—typically less than 70 dBA.
Russell Finex Inc., Pineville, NC 704-588-9808 www.russellfinex.com

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