Tim Segal, president of Segal Sand and Gravel in Delphi, IN, had a problem with losing too much sand and fines to his settiling ponds.

He wanted to streamline the company’s operation and improve the size, texture and cleanliness of its sand.

So Segal did some research. He considered adding another screw or cyclone to solve his quality issues and met with representatives from several companies.

Segal heard one proposal for a completely new system, but he worried that this would require a great deal of engineering development and customization, adding substantial cost to the operation.

Jay Beland, of Powerscreen Indiana, tried to quell those concerns by taking Segal to visit several facilities already using the system and demonstrating its real world benefits. With engineering and technical assistance from Brian McCammon, of Terex Powerscreen, Powerscreen Indiana proposed a component system approach, employing a fully self-contained unit that required only the building of a concrete pad. According to Segal, the visits with Beland as well as the cost savings and the installation interval were the deciding factors in choosing a Powerscreen.

Because the screws at the plant were still working fine, Segal Sand and Gravel really only needed to purchase one machine, the Powerscreen FinesMaster 100 —the 100 standing for 100 tons of sand per hour.

The FinesMaster takes all of the water and sand into a holding tank and pumps it through a cyclone, with the pump as the only moving part. By centrifugal force, the cyclone forces the heavier sand to the outside where it falls to the dewatering screen. Being lighter than the sand, the water and silt get siphoned off and discharged as waste.

From the dewatering screen, which is able to catch everything above 200 mesh, clean and dry sand is placed onto a conveyor belt.

Segal said he was pleased that the machine was fully assembled by a team of three men in only eight hours. Once the piping was in place and the electric hooked up, Powerscreen Indiana spent approximately 30 minutes making adjustments and the system has been running smoothly ever since.

In addition to the quick set up time and high capacity, the FinesMaster boasts a number of other features that appealed to Segal, including high-capacity twin bucket wheels, specially designed inlet boxes, a weir discharge system, an underflow rubber lined slurry pump, rubber lined hydro cyclones and a high-frequency screen fitted with micron polyurethane modular mats.

Now that the system is fully operational, Segal Sand and Gravel is reaping the benefits.

The company is saving on costs from the diminished need to clean out its waste ditch. Prior to putting the new Powerscreen FinesMaster 100 to work, it had to clean out the ditch two or three times each month. Now it can go a full year before cleaning and no longer loses product to the settling pond.

According to Segal, the company also has tripled its production of consistent dry high quality mason sand and was able to increase sales and gain additional contracts that had eluded the company in the past.

Construction of another 30-mi. stretch of the Hoosier Heartland Highway is scheduled to begin in the next couple of years and Segal is confident that Segal Sand & Gravel will be ready to serve.

For more information, visit www.powerscreenindiana.com. CEG

Today's top stories

Florida's Sarasota Bradenton International Airport Sees $105M Terminal Expansion

Louisville Pump Station Receives $230M Update

Rokbak Haul Track Telematics Boost Uptime With Proactive Maintenance

SISO Air, InTerra Form Strategic Reseller Agreement

Hitachi Construction Machinery Wins Silver in 2024 Anthem Award

Balfour Beatty's Carolinas Operations Selected for Over $36M in Special Project Works

Caterpillar to Spotlight 'Next 100 Years' at CES 2025

Liebherr to Exhibit at World of Concrete 2025