Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1282913
38 / September 2020 powderbulk.com Test Center | Accurately and efficiently screening rubber PBE A green company finds a screening solution for end-of-life tire processing. E nsuring optimal and sustain- able screening equipment processes and productivity is vital for many processing indus- tries. When investing in expensive capital screening equipment, it's critical to remove any guesswork to make sure the investment will pay off. Conducting screening equipment testing can provide cus- tomers with essential quantitative data to make the best decision for their application. Midwestern Industries, Massillon, OH, is a screening equipment manu- facturer that offers a full-size testing facility with ISO 9001:2015 certifica- tion where clients can see how the equipment handles their material. The supplier recently conducted a real-time, full-scale material test for a green technology cli- ent. The client needed a screener to aid in material recovery from end-of-life (EOL) tires. The client had been experiencing consistency issues. The client's previous screen- ing system wasn't processing the material consistently, resulting in several problems, including large chunks and contamination issues as the recovered materials slipped through the old screener. Tests were conducted at the sup- plier's recently expanded 10,000- square-foottestfacility.Staffmem- bers worked closely with the client's superintendenttofindawaytosep- arate ground rubber material from carbon black and other chemicals recovered from EOL tires. Midwestern's client wanted to efficientlyachieveprofitablerec- lamation of all materials resulting fromEOLtirerecycling.Tofind the right equipment to consistently screen a material blend of rubber aggregatesandfinepowdersfrom 20 microns, the client took part in a 3-week-long testing process that began with a screening ques- tionnaire. Preliminary questions cover target material size, cut size, feedrate, bulk density, moisture content, feed gradation, and more to help the supplier create the test- ing parameters. The client sent a 55-gallon drum of its material to be test-screened or -separated, and feasibility tests were performed on various types of screeners and sep- arators, including round, rectangu- lar, and others. Tests were performed by run- ning several material blends with differentparticlesizesandcompo- sitionstofindtheoptimalmaterial to feed into the machines. This process can help clients determine which blend produces the highest quality end product. Tests using bulk bags can also be performed to see if screening will help cre- ate an optimal end product. At the supplier's test center, all tests are performed on full-size equipment to simulate the client's application as closely as possible. Due to the size of the material and feedrate this customer required, the supplier suggested an MEV series high- The supplier's testing facility uses full-size equipment to replicate the customer's application as realistically as possible.