Fires on vibrating screen decks pose a significant threat to mining operations, as they can rapidly escalate into uncontrollable incidents that endanger personnel, damage equipment, and disrupt production. Multotec’s newly developed Flame Retardant (FR) rubber screen panels provide mines and quarries with a proactive solution to reduce fire risks while ensuring continuous plant up time. 

Standard rubber screen panels are highly susceptible to ignition, with fires often continuing to burn or propagate once they start. The risk is particularly high during routine maintenance or hot work activities such as welding, grinding, or flame cutting, where sparks, heat or hot pieces of metal can easily ignite surrounding panels.

Multotec’s FR screen panels, engineered from specialised flame-retardant rubber compounds and rigorously tested to international standards, are designed to resist ignition and self-extinguish in under 60 seconds. This key feature prevents flame propagation while protecting personnel, equipment, and critical processing assets. 

The panels combine safety, reliability, and performance in a single solution. Backed by more than 50 years of mineral screening expertise, the durable FR panels, like all of Multotec’s screening media, are engineered with good wear properties and will maintain operational efficiency, even under the most demanding conditions.

These solutions were first developed for the Australian market in response to stricter fire safety regulations and insurance requirements. Today, leading iron ore producers in Australia have made FR panels a standard, with certification and compliance to Australian fire safety standards central to their adoption.

Proactive fire safety ensures continuous operations

“FR screen panels go beyond their primary screening function,” explains Francois Fouche, Vice President of Screening Media at Multotec. “By self-extinguishing when the heat source is removed and limiting flame propagation, these panels protect personnel, equipment, and assets while reducing unplanned shutdowns, ultimately supporting higher plant availability.” 

“The chance of a fire occurring during maintenance is ever-present,” Fouche adds. “These panels have been designed to support uninterrupted mineral processing operations, even under South Africa’s extreme and continuous operating conditions.”

The FR screen panels are suitable for both wet and dry screening applications across a wide range of commodities, including coal, iron ore, copper, platinum, manganese, zinc, and diamonds. They are available in both hard and soft durometer rubber variants, offering options tailored to meet specific operational needs.

Multotec is continuously developing new FR compounds to meet evolving mine health and safety compliance requirements while solving the practical challenges faced by modern mining operations. 

By adopting these advanced rubber screen panels, South African mines and quarries can proactively safeguard against potentially catastrophic fire events while maintaining production, demonstrating that safety and productivity can go hand in hand.