One challenge faced by rock and mineral mining operations is that the extraction and processing of these materials often place rigorous demands on equipment, particularly during the screening stage.
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The conversion from woven wire mesh screening media to Multotec’s side-tension polyurethane mats significantly reduced the customer’s total cost of ownership.
Mines typically rely on various types of screening media to efficiently separate and classify materials. However, the harsh conditions inherent in mining operations – such as heavy impacts from large rocks and abrasive materials – can lead to rapid wear and tear on traditional screening media, such as woven wire mesh.
This results in frequent maintenance interruptions, increased operational costs, and potential safety hazards for workers. As a consequence, many mines experience significant downtime and inefficiencies, highlighting the need for more durable and effective screening solutions that can withstand the rigours of mineral processing while minimising operational disruptions.
Strategic screening upgrade
A case study illustrates how a rock and mineral mine in South Africa turned to Multotec to address challenges with its woven wire mesh screening media. The company opted for a strategic solution by transitioning to Multotec's side-tension polyurethane (PU) mats, which effectively resolved the operational issues that the mine was experiencing.
The mine operates as an open-pit facility, specialising in the production of various rock and mineral products, including metallurgical materials, commercial aggregates and lime products. These materials are essential for numerous industries, supplying metallurgical products to steel producers and aggregates to the construction sector.
Issues encountered with woven wire mesh
In line with common practices in the quarry industry, the mine utilised woven-wire-mesh screening media in its secondary sizing plant. Although this type of screening media is generally affordable and readily available, it presents several disadvantages.
“In this case, the woven wire mesh struggled to withstand the impact and abrasion from the product stream, necessitating frequent change-outs, sometimes as often as twice a month. This led to high maintenance costs due to frequent purchases of new mesh, production interruptions during change-outs, increased labour hours, and associated health and safety risks. It also led to the need for entire screen decks to be replaced when small sections of the mesh failed,” says Pieter Uys, Business Development Manager at Multotec.
Finding a reliable solution
The mine sought assistance from Multotec to find a more effective solution for its screening needs. After evaluation, they decided to transition from woven-wire mesh screen media to side-tension PU mats, which are designed for enhanced durability and can be installed on existing vibrating screens without requiring structural modifications.
Says Uys: “A key aspect of this solution was the custom hand-casting of PU mats to fit the exact dimensions of the vibrating screens, ensuring a precise fit and optimal performance. Additionally, these PU mats offered the advantage of easy installation in place of the traditional woven wire mesh panels, minimising downtime during the upgrade process. Notably, this innovative approach is applicable across various operations within the sand and aggregate industry, making it a versatile and practical choice for improving screening efficiency.”
Globally, Multotec’s PU mats are also successfully used with other commodities, including Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), limestone, gold and coal.
Measured results and cost efficiencies
Despite the initial capital expenditure required to convert to side-tension PU mats, the mine has experienced significant improvements in the performance of its screening media. Since their installation, the PU mats have not required replacement for over a year. There has been a substantial reduction in maintenance, labour, and material costs, and downtime has decreased significantly, along with fewer health and safety risks associated with frequent changes. Furthermore, noise levels have been significantly reduced, resulting in improved working conditions.
“The cost savings realised by moving from changing out mesh up to twice a month to not changing the PU mats at all in more than a year are favourable. There have been significant improvements in terms of downtime, labour and direct material costs,” adds Uys.
As a result, the mine's total cost of ownership for the PU mats has dramatically decreased since their conversion. Additionally, Multotec's commitment to customer service is demonstrated through the assignment of a dedicated sales engineer who understands the plant’s processes, manages replacement panel stock levels, and can respond quickly to operational challenges.
