New screens and new technology reduce the need for esoteric practices in the discipline of screening

A trifecta of new screening solutions offer increased uptime. Polydeck’s new steel-backed screening media lasts longer for fewer, less frequent replacements. New Sandvik technology digests data to deliver information that can be used to plan preventative maintenance and inform technicians, enabling efficiency gains. The solution all but renders obsolete what a Sandvik expert described as the “dark arts” of manually assessing screening media for wear. Metso’s new screening media for moist materials can reduce downstream processing requirements. Even if they don’t outright eliminate the esoteric practices involved in operating screening solutions, they support the exoteric practice of optimizing throughput and revenue.

Polydeck showcased the new RUBBERDEX XTREME screening solution at MineXchange in Salt Lake City. “Compared to typical modular screening media, RUBBERDEX XTREME delivers up to 30% more wear life, helping reduce changeout frequency and support uptime in demanding processing environments,” the supplier said.

RUBBERDEX EXTREME is “built with a heavy-duty steel backplate rather than a traditional embedded insert” to deliver “the required strength while maximizing wear life and preventing panel margin separation, a common issue when fines are forced into seams in heavily loaded applications,” Polydeck said.

It is available in 1- by 2-ft modular format with thickness options of 50, 65, 82 and 100 mm, and aperture sizes as small as 25 mm. Polydeck said “the panels use either bolt-down or pin-and-sleeve fastening and fit most stringer systems, including PIPETOP angle and tube configurations, allowing operations to integrate the solution into existing screening equipment.”

Polydeck said the panels answer trending industry challenges. “RUBBERDEX XTREME is a direct response to what we continue to hear from customers who need the convenience of modular rubber media that can support heavier scalping applications while maintaining the consistency and quality they expect from Polydeck solutions,” said Tod Eberle, vice president of sales.

The 2025 release of RUBBERDEX XTREME is one of several recent examples of innovation at Polydeck, according to Aaron Boggess, director, Energy & Industrial. Prior to the development of RUBBERDEX XTREME, the company reportedly became the first screening media manufacturer to successfully produce a prototype recycled polyurethane screen panel.

The project was driven by customer interest in reducing waste and exploring opportunities to recover value from end-of-life screen media, Polydeck reported. Working with select sites throughout the Americas, Polydeck developed and validated a process for reclaiming used polyurethane media and incorporating recovered material into new panels.

“The project challenged us to rethink what was possible with end-of-life polyurethane media,” Boggess said. The initiative “demonstrates the technical feasibility of recycled polyurethane screen media” and continues to inform the company’s broader sustainability and product development efforts.

Boggess said this year will be a “heavy R&D year for us.” The company is preparing to release new products in 2027.

The company is also developing the leadership team. Recently, Matthew Friessle, executive in training, completed a one-year tour of North America, meeting customers and “learning the coal business from the mine face, throughout, and to the blast furnace and power plants and all the points and people in between,” Boggess said. “We took him to several customers, completely underground and then on the surface through all the processing plants, and on to the end
users where those products turn into commodities.”

Back at the company’s Spartanburg, S.C., headquarters, Friessle is tasked with, among other things, “taking the knowledge he learned, transferring it to our manufacturing team, and working on research and development and process improvements for the company,” he said. Which will be no small feat. “At Polydeck, not only do we have the largest offering of screening media to support our machines, we also have the most experienced individuals in the field.”

The managers and engineers on the innovation team and in the other areas “come from the industry and work in the industry,” Boggess said. “So we have a unique understanding of your mission, and can respond faster to meet your needs.”

Enabling a fast response, “we keep our products close to our customers by stocking inventory in the coalfields,” he said. “We have distribution centers in northern and southern West Virginia and Illinois, and stocking dealers throughout North America.”

Sandvik Mining and Rock Processing Solutions said DeckMapp, a cloud-based software solution, can transform screen deck maintenance and drive improvements in the efficiency and performance of plants. “Accessible via laptop, tablet or mobile phone, DeckMapp captures, stores and shares real-time data to present a reliable, single source of truth for all activities within the screen media lifecycle,” Sandvik said.

A digital mine expert at Sandvik said the solution gives users tools to view deck history, share deck plans, visualize panel wear patterns and access maintenance plans and activity reports. “By guiding operators through maintenance updates and wear assessments, DeckMapp ensures consistent data entry across the board, resulting in robust, reliable historical wear data for every screen in your operation,” said Matthew Cutbush, digital product manager.

“DeckMapp enhances data quality and formalizes maintenance processes, thereby eliminating information inconsistencies that can adversely affect production and profitability due to rework and extended task durations,” he said. “And DeckMapp delivers real-time updates to ensure all team members are aligned, further reducing the risk of miscommunication and operational inefficiencies.”

The optional wear assessment system, WearApp, with artificial intelligence, can help further reduce inefficiencies. With it, users capture images of worn screening media panels with a smartphone or a tablet, Sandvik said. “WearApp then applies AI to automatically assess each aperture, calculating the amount of wear, panel efficiency and remaining wear life.”

Cutbush says that WearApp not only saves substantial time but also delivers far greater accuracy over traditional manual wear assessment methods, which can include what he likened to “dark arts.” The DeckMapp and WearApp combo can help an operation “significantly reduce cost overruns associated with screen deck maintenance,” Sandvik said.

DeckMapp was released at MINExpo 2024 where Sandvik announced ACS-s, a condition monitoring system for screening machines and media. The system uses wireless, energy-harvesting sensors that are powered by the machine’s motion. It can incorporate up to 32 sensors. The sensors detect anomalous vibration and send data to transceivers that transmit it to either the plant control system or SAM, Sandvik’s cloud platform.

“ACS-s is designed to facilitate the highest tier of fault detection and response, with the option to either use your own teams to monitor alerts or leverage Sandvik’s global network of specialist engineers to provide remote monitoring and situation response direction,” Sandvik said. It “turns your mobile device into a monitoring control center, with alerts and system analysis available in real-time.” Data collected by the sensors is converted into “easy-to-understand visualizations” of “both the nature of a problem and a productive course of action.”

Metso launched the GFF Series flip-flow screens for efficient fine dry screening of difficult and often moist materials. “The rugged design delivers stable classification in demanding conditions and enables finer cut sizes,” the supplier said. “Straightforward access, rugged construction and easy serviceability support faster maintenance, higher availability and a lower total cost of ownership.”

The screens combine “hybrid flip-flow and conventional deck technology with high excitation forces to deliver precise screening in both dry and wet conditions,” Metso said. “It achieves cut sizes down to 0.5 mm in dry applications and 0.3 mm in wet applications, while minimizing blinding and pegging.” Benefits include “higher efficiency, reduced process water demand, and less energy wasted in downstream processing, enabling more efficient flowsheet design.”

The company said development of the screens was driven by customer demand for solutions that handle fine, difficult and moist materials. The announcement follows the introduction of the Grand Series screens in 2025. With the two releases, “Metso now offers fit-for-purpose solutions ranging from coarse, high-capacity applications to demanding fine dry screening.”