Service Questions with James: Installing and Maintaining Screen Cloth
Properly installing and maintaining your screen cloth is crucial for ensuring optimal performance and longevity for your screens in various applications, particularly in industries like mining, aggregate, and recycling. Screen cloth plays a key role in separating materials efficiently, but improper installation or neglecting routine maintenance can lead to costly downtime, reduced productivity, and premature wear. Understanding the correct installation techniques and maintenance practices can prevent these issues, ensuring your equipment operates at its best and extends the lifespan of the screen cloth. Let’s go explore with Eagle Crusher Service Technician James and find out why mastering these skills is essential and offer tips for keeping your screen cloth in top shape.
How to Properly Install the Screen Cloth
Whether you are installing new screen cloth on a new machine or replacing your screen cloth on an inclined screen, these are the recommended steps that need to be performed to insure they are installed correctly.
As with any maintenance work on crushing equipment, you must start by locking out and tagging out. Perform any safety measures needed to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
You will need one individual to be on the deck and two individuals on the catwalks, with one person per side.
Arrange the sections of screen cloths on your screen deck from top, or the feed end, to bottom. Starting at the top, pull the first screen cloth up tight and place the screen cloth clamps over the screen hooks. Install the screen bolts through the clamp and through the holes on the screen machine sides. Make sure the carriage bolt locks into the square hole on the screen cloth clamps.
The two individuals on the catwalks will install the above spherical washers and nuts. The screen bolt nuts have a bent wire located on the nut to lock them tight. Make sure this wire is facing down when installing.
After all bolts are installed with washers and nuts the individuals on the catwalks must work as a team tightening at the same time from opposite sides of the screen machine. This will ensure the screen cloth is stretched properly.
Then push the next screen cloth up tight to the first one installed and repeat until all screens are in the deck and locked in position.
Side note: When installing screen cloth on lower decks of the screen it would be easier on you if you remove the rubber curtain.
Once everything is secure, run the crusher for a recommended four hours. When that is done, repeat the above steps. The screen cloth will slowly stretch during operation but will especially stretch during those first hours. Most manufacturers also recommend checking the screen cloth after the next four hours, or after eight hours of operation. This is important because loose screen cloth breaks prematurely, allowing unsized material to possibly bypass the deck, and causing lower efficiency and lower production.
Maintaining the Screen Cloth
There are several factors that affect wear life of the screen cloth, proper sizing of the material being produced and efficiency of the screen itself.
When crushing asphalt, make sure your screen cloth is clear of asphalt matting. The matting that is in recycled asphalt can cause your screen cloth to clog up and cause oversized material to not clear properly.
When crushing recycled concrete, rebar can get caught up in your screen cloth causing the same issues as asphalt matting. Be mindful of these issues and clean your screen cloth regularly.
If you find broken screen cloth or screen cloth that is coming apart it is best to replace it immediately to prevent other issues from accruing.
Checking your screen cloth for any issues should be on your daily check lists to ensure your production is not slowed and prevent unexpected downtimes.
Knowing the Resources Available to You
Properly installing and maintaining your screen cloth is essential for maximizing the efficiency and longevity of your equipment. Regular inspections, cleaning, and timely replacements are key to preventing costly downtime and ensuring optimal performance. While this blog serves as a starting point in your journey to better understand screen cloth installation and maintenance, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the necessary resources, tools, and best practices. Eagle Crusher has a vast network of dealers and experts available to you alongside your owner’s manual. Additionally, you can check out our previous “Service Questions” or come back next month when Service Technician Louis covers the various fluids in your crusher.
Remember, proper maintenance is an ongoing commitment. Eagle Crusher is here to help you continue with that commitment.