The alignment of screens and crushers helps to achieve optimum results in the process circuit by ensuring that all settings and parameters are matched, argues Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa regional business director Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers, adding that this alignment has been made easier with the Kwatani product now part of the Sandvik group.

Kwatani and the mining-related business of Schenck Process Group (SP Mining) have been incorporated into the Sandvik group within Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa.

“The Kwatani product can now give their vibrating screen customers added benefits in this regard, being part of the global Sandvik group…The advantage is that the Kwatani screens can be specified and optimised with Sandvik’s range of crushers – ensuring that the key elements of the circuit are perfectly matched,” says Mayhew-Ridgers.

He explains that the screens and crushers in any mineral processing plant are two critical lines of equipment and they need to be well integrated to optimise the performance of both.

“The settings and parameters on both the screens and crushers must suit the mined material, and must be perfectly aligned for best results.”

If the crusher is not delivering the required size distribution of material, for instance, the screen will not perform to expectation. The Kwatani product is now able to specify a vibrating screen along with the optimal Sandvik crusher specification, he adds.

An integrated solution is based on a careful assessment of the nature and size distribution of the material which will be fed into the crushing and screening circuit, says Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions South Africa lifecycle services manager: Africa Gavin McLaggan.

“Among the improvements that can be achieved are reduced energy consumption and less wear on the crusher liners – while gaining more throughput,” says McLaggan. “Where there are changes to the orebody and resulting material, there may be an opportunity to change the particle size distribution and raise the throughput further.”