When it comes to screening a multitude of products Brendan Mallia, Director of Composting NZ, knows nearly all there is to know. Screening bark, mulch and biomass products require a good understanding of screening techniques and plenty of experience with the products and market demands.
Composting NZ has four branches in the Lower North Island and screen 25 unique products consisting of Aggregates, Bark, Mulch, Lime and Soils. They also screen at each yard rather than at a central location, reducing bulk transport costs to distribute products to each yard, moving the screen instead of the raw material for processing.
That’s why when looking for a new screen, Brendan started searching before the business was calling out for it. Brendan trialled several different screens to find just the right solution. In short, it needed to: Screen off three products, easily reconfigured for various end products and had to be mobile and easy to transport.
Enter the Portafill MR-6 released mid-2019. The MR-6 is Portafill’s second entry to their Scalping Screen (Reclaimer) range. Often when people think of screening biomass materials, they think of trommel screens as the ideal screen for the job, but Brendan challenged this and has proven with the MR-6 that a Trommel is not the only machine suited to the job. The benefits of the MR-6 over the Trommel have been noticeable, 3-way split as opposed to 1, improved versatility for processing other materials like aggregates, and a larger screening area in a lighter package.
"One of the key points is it's only 19 tonnes but has the performance of a 30 tonne machine. It's quite well balanced and goes great with our 20 tonne digger."
When it comes to screening, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ machine, but knowing your screening techniques, taking the time to trial new ideas and machines can lead to some excellent results.
If you’re looking to try something new, talk to us, we can help you trial a machine that’s right for you.
