A mineral crushing and screening plant is an industrial facility designed to mechanically reduce the size of ore-bearing rocks and separate them into specific size fractions before further processing such as beneficiation. It is the first mechanical step in the mineral processing chain and plays a critical role in the overall efficiency of mining operations.

These plants are engineered to produce raw materials in the required particle size for chemical or physical separation methods such as flotation, gravity separation, or magnetic separation.

 What Is It Used For?

  • Size reduction of extracted ore and rocks from the mine,

  • Separation and classification of materials based on particle size,

  • Removal of waste rock or non-economic material,

  • Preparation of ore for beneficiation or direct use.

Benefits:

  • Improves efficiency of downstream processing units,

  • Reduces energy consumption in grinding stages,

  • Enhances logistics by reducing bulk volume.

 How Does It Work?

 Core Equipment:

  1. Feeder: Controls feed rate into the plant.

  2. Primary Crusher (e.g., Jaw Crusher): Breaks down large rocks.

  3. Secondary/Tertiary Crushers (e.g., Cone or Impact Crushers): Further size reduction.

  4. Vibrating Screens: Classify material by particle size.

  5. Conveyor Belts: Transport material between stages.

  6. Dust Suppression Systems: Reduce environmental impact.

 Operational Flow:

  1. Ore is dumped into the feeder by haul trucks.

  2. Primary crushing reduces the feed to manageable sizes.

  3. The material is conveyed to secondary crushers.

  4. Screens separate the material by size.

  5. Oversized material is recirculated in a closed-loop.

  6. Final products are stockpiled or transported to the next stage.

 Automation:

Modern plants utilize programmable logic controllers (PLC), SCADA systems, and sensors to monitor throughput, crusher load, energy usage, and screen efficiency. This results in higher uptime and better process control.

 Where Is It Used?

  • Metallic Mines: Gold, copper, iron ore, zinc, lead.

  • Industrial Minerals: Limestone, barite, feldspar, talc.

  • Coal Processing Plants

  • Aggregate Production for Construction

  • Recycling Facilities

  • Ore Preparation for Beneficiation Plants

 Advantages

  • High productivity,

  • Flexibility for different ore types,

  • Modular or mobile configurations available,

  • Improved economic feasibility of mining operations,

  • Environmental compliance with integrated dust and noise control.