Screening plant setups

Two Barford SR124 scalping screens screening 5 different sizes of rock on site

Efficiency is key when you are screening any kind of material. Getting your screening plant setup wrong can really affect output, costing you and your business time and money. Every plant is different, and your screening plant equipment should be set up with the product you want to make in mind.

No matter if you are screening topsoil or crushed aggregates like concrete & stone, the goal is always the same – perfectly separated products. To do this - you'll need to make sure that you've got the equipment that meets your screening needs. Equipment must be reliable, accurate, durable & fit into a plant set-up that works for you.

This blog will explore screening plant setup, equipment types, and important thing to consider when picking the right machinery for the task.

barford sr124 screening 3 different sized piles of rock and feeding a barford radial conveyor — Rock screening plant setup

Screener Plant Equipment

Your main aim is most likely to be able to screen your material into a product that is graded into similarly sized pieces and free of contaminants like metals and plastics. To do this you'll need screening plant equipment that is up to the task. Let's look at some of the machinery categories you'll use for your screening plant.

Excavators – are used to dig up or load material to be fed into the screening plant. Excavators come in loads of sizes from small to large. They come on tracks so they are mobile and can be easily moved around your site.
Screeners – sift and separate material as it passes over the screening media (the mesh), separating it based on size and shape.
Trommels– are a special kind of screener that is great for wet and sticky materials like soil and compost. They use rotating drums to screen oversized material like rocks from the topsoil. Trommel drums are covered in mesh, allowing finer soil to pass through.
Conveyors – are the workhorses of the plant, moving material between stations, and stockpiling it. They can really lower downtime as they can be easily moved to a new angle to make a new stockpile without having to move the whole screening plant. Conveyors can be tracked and mobile to optimize efficiency.

screeners, excavators, trommels and conveyors all used for screening plant setups and an explanation of what each one of them does — Types of screener plant equipment

Types of Screener plant setups

There are many options for choosing the right screening plant for your business. Depending on the size of your operation and screening needs, you can configure your screening plant to one of these general screening plant setups.

Large Screening Plant

The large screening plant deals with bigger-sized or large amounts of materials. Here's the general process and the equipment you'll need for this large-scale screener plant configuration.

1. A large excavator will be able to lift larger amounts of material in one go. They load your material onto trucks or can carry it and move it directly to the start of the plant. After screening is finished - the large excavator will make light work of big stockpiles. Recommended Equipment: Sunward 40 Ton Excavator.

2. Next, the material is fed into a large screener, which will separate the oversized material like large rocks and rebar from your output. They often come with options to screen and make 3 different-sized products. The output size can be changed by using different sized meshes. Find out more about how screening media - the mesh on these machines can change your product. Large screens can work at up to 450 tph! Recommended Equipment: Barford SR165 3-way screener.

3. Once the material has been screened, it is fed into a conveyor for stockpiling. Radial conveyors are the best option for a screener plant setup because they can be moved to a different angle without having to power the plant down. Recommended Equipment: Barford 65' Tracked Radial Conveyor

4. Finally, you may require additional screening for an ultra-fine topsoil product. If so, you'll need fine screening plant equipment that delivers a superb ultra-fine product. Recommended Equipment: 10' ✕ 4' Tracked 3-Way Fine Screener

two ark SR124 screening on site along with a conveyor and excavator in a plant setup — Large screener and conveyor setup

Smaller Screening Plant

A small screening plant is excellent for short-term setups or if you don’t deal with large amounts of material. They should be designed to be as mobile as possible so they can be transported easily from site to site or put into storage.

Here are some of the steps and equipment you'll need to set up a small screener plant:

1. Small, mobile excavator that meets your lower-load needs is perfect for a small screener plant setup. Recommended Equipment: Sunward 4 Ton Excavator

2. Compact 3-way scalping screens can still pack a massive punch when It comes to screening. You will still get 3 different sized products, just at a slightly lower tph. Recommended Equipment: 7' ✕ 3' Compact Tracked Scalping Screen

3. And for smaller screener plants, a conveyor is usually an optional extra, only needed if you expect to increase output to a level that doesn't require a larger screener plant option. Recommended Equipment: 65' Tracked Radial Conveyor

Mini Screening Plant

If you are low on budget or don't really need a full plant set up for your business you can make screened products. The best options here are:

1. Screening box - this is a small static unit that will separate large oversized material from smaller fines. This is great if you are just looking to roughly screen material.

2. Screening bucket - this is an attachment for an excavator and works in the same way as a trommel.

3. Deck screen - this is a compact screener that can make two different sized outputs without having to commit to a large screening unit.

different types of small screeners including, screening box, screening bucket and deck screen — Different types of small screeners

Irregular/Course Materials Screening Plant

You'll need to consider a customized screening plant setup if your material is coarse or irregular. These options can handle the different sizes and shapes of material input. A large scalping screen is perfect for this plant type and is designed to separate the topsoil into 3 or 4 products. Recommended Equipment: Barford SR165 3-way screener.

What is a topsoil screener plant?

While topsoil is generally unsuitable for most stone crusher plant setups, it also represents a valuable source of income. However, if you're just extracting topsoil and need to find a way to screen it, you'll need to put the right screening plant equipment to work for you.

Topsoil consists of a mix of rocks, water, and other organic/natural materials. A topsoil screener plant setup allows you to remove larger stones and materials, transforming it into a valuable resource with many different uses and applications.

Let's look at the screening plant equipment for screening topsoil that you'll need to ensure that your screener plant setup is running smoothly.

large trommel screening soil and bark — Trommel screening soil

Topsoil screening plant set up

The excavator and conveyor options will be similar for a topsoil screening plant based on size and amount of material you are making.

The main difference is that the soil is fed into a trommel screener, which uses a rotating drum to separate the oversized material like stones and organic contaminants from the topsoil. Trommels are great for separating wet and sticky materials from drier ones. Recommended Equipment: Barford 5' ✕ 16' Tracked Trommel Screener

large green trommel screening wood cips — Trommel screen

Things to consider for your screener plant setup

Before you pick your screening plant equipment, there are a few things to consider before choosing your setup and configuration.

Cost

Setting up any plant can be expensive, so you'll need to consider the most important components of your plant first. Think about the size and output of your plant and the revenue you might earn from it.

At Machinery Partner, we're committed to helping people buy the best screening plant equipment around – speak to us about our helpful financing options.

Mobility

Equipment in your screening plant that can be repositioned and moved around is always your best bet. From conveyors which can be shifted without needing to shut down screeners and trommels to excavators that can handle big loads while in motion, mobility is a key productivity factor.

Material Size

Things like soil and crushed concrete contain different-sized materials, from large rocks to smaller gravel pieces. This decides which mesh sizes and screeners are right for you. Check out our article on screening media to learn more.

Material Type

Topsoil can be relatively free of stone but very wet or of a clay-like composition. Other topsoils are dry and quite fine but hold many different types of organic matter and rocks. Concrete and rock can be rough and damage a trommel screen so for these it might be best to work with a large scalping screen. Understanding what material you'll be feeding into your screener plant will help you pick the screening plant equipment to handle it.

Setting up your screening plant

Putting together your screening plant setup can be complex, with many things to consider, including different equipment types, price ranges and capabilities.

At Machinery Partner, we take pride in our full, diverse range of screening plant equipment that will help you set up your screening plant in no time.

Our resident experts have years of screening experience and will offer you the best advice based on your unique screening needs.