Trommel Screens

Trommel screens are rotating industrial screening machines that operators use to separate materials by size, usually referring particularly to minerals, biomass (dirt, rock, soil, aggregates) and other types of waste.

Trommel machines are a staple in applications across many industries, but particularly in recycling, waste processing, gardening, landscaping and mining.

First, the cylindrical drum is filled with the raw materials that need to be filtered. As the drum moves in a circular motion, the finer particles and pieces pass through the screen of the rotating drum like a colander and are collected in a skip bin or moved elsewhere. While the larger pieces remain in the centre of the drum, like wood chips.

Trommel screens are highly efficient when it comes to sorting/filtering solid materials by size which translates to uses across many industrial applications. Whether to process and sort out aggregates in mining, to screen for higher quality ingredients in food, or to act as a filter in part of a process in a solid waste processing industry, or manufacturing facilities.

Besides these benefits trommel machines excel over other types of industrial screening with:

• Optimal size separations
• Large barrel screen for easy loading and faster processing
• Large processing capacity
• Low power consumption
• Long service life
• Minimal maintenance

There aren’t any formal trommel screen ‘types’ but there are different specifications that you should pay more attention to in regards to your company’s industry, worksite, desired application and use.

Consider these factors when shopping for a trommel screen:

Workload/Production rate

Consider both the amount of material your trommel screen needs to turn over per hour. If you have a high workflow, opt for a double trommel drum machine for better capacity to filter a large amount of product. You also need to take into account screen size (most operators choose a screen between 0.3cm to 7.6cm) as it will influence how quickly the drum can be filled, and the materials processed.

Desired size of trommel ‘fines’

The screen size or entry point of trommel screens will also influence how fine the end particles that get filtered through the drums.

Worksite space requirements or limitation

Smaller yards or worksites, unfortunately, translate to less space to work with. For a smaller yard, consider getting a smaller trommel screen and installing a conveyor belt to help automate and optimise your screening efficiency in the limited space.

Customizability

Depending on your work requirements, you may need to take into consideration other features of your trommel. For example, if you live in a city with dust regulations your trommel screening machine might also need a dust cover.

Find out about the work environmental regulations of your location and talk to one of our staff for more assistance in tailoring the ideal package for your company’s needs and worksite.

Trommel machines have been used across a wide variety of industrial processing applications, such as to:

• improve recovery of fuel, as part of filtering process for wastewater (wet screening)
• mineral processing in order to grade raw materials
• screening soil compost to create a finer and superior product
• in food manufacturing or processing facilities to screen smaller raw food products that are strong enough to withstand the moving force of the drum for quality control

The typical angle is 5 degrees, with a drum speed of 18-20rpm.

By choosing Waste Initiatives for your trommel screens, not only do you get a hold of a very reasonable quote on a trommel screen competent for your applications but you get the aftercare and service of a dealer that wants to help see your business succeed.