A plansifter uses multiple flat woven-wire screen decks arranged in stacked compartments, driven by a gyratory eccentric drive — providing high-efficiency multi-fraction classification at 500–50,000 kg/h for flour, starch, grain, and chemical powder at screen ratings of 50 µm–5 mm. The large flat screen area (up to 32 m² per unit) delivers the highest throughput per footprint of any sieving technology for continuous bulk powder classification.
Feed enters the top compartment and distributes across multiple flat screen decks. Gyratory drive rotates the entire sifter body, creating an orbital motion that transports material across each screen surface — fines migrate through, oversizes transport to the discharge outlet at the frame periphery. Multiple independently routed compartments within the same sifter body enable simultaneous processing of different products or different fractions of the same product. Centrifugal cleaners (brushes or plastic balls) continuously sweep the screen underside to prevent blinding.
Challenges
Complex Internal Routing
Multi-compartment internal ducting requires expert knowledge to adjust for product changes.
Screen Access for Replacement
Multi-deck internal screens require significant disassembly time for screen inspection and change.
Flour Dust Explosion Risk
Fine combustible flour dust inside sifter body requires ATEX dust-ex certified design.
Drive Bearing Fatigue from Gyratory Load
Orbital drive eccentric bearing carries full sifter body weight — rated 10,000 operating hours.
Limited Fine Separation Below 100 µm
Flat gyratory motion provides insufficient energy for consistent <100 µm classification.
Solutions
- Pre-Set Internal Routing Manifold: Factory-set routing manifold standardises product flow paths — eliminates field adjustment errors.
- Quick-Release Screen Frame Extraction: Screen frames pull out on drawer-type guides without sifter disassembly.
- Full ATEX Zone 20 Dust-Ex Certified Design: Inert gas purge option; conductive anti-static screen frames; spark-proof drive.
- Spherical Roller Eccentric Bearing (Grade C3): Heavy-duty C3 bearing rated 20,000 hours under full gyratory load.
- Ultrasonic Screen Upgrade for Sub-100 µm: Ultrasonic generator bonded to screen frame enables consistent sub-75 µm classification.
Applications
- Food & Beverage: Flour milling classification, wheat semolina grading, starch quality sieving, sugar screening.
- Chemical: Bulk powder classification, fertiliser particle grading, polymer pellet quality control.
- Pharmaceutical: Bulk excipient classification, lactose powder grading, talc and starch sieving.
- Nutraceuticals: Bulk protein powder grading, plant extract powder classification at high throughput.
- Feed & Agriculture: Animal feed ingredient grading, grain classification, dried herb powder screening.
Models & Capacities
| Model | Scale | Throughput (kg/h) | Screen Area (m²) | Compartments | Screen Rating (µm) | Fractions | Drive Motor (kW) | L × W × H (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLS-01 | Pilot | 100–1,000 | 0.5 | 2–4 | 50–5,000 | 2–5 | 0.75–1.5 | 1,000×800×1,800 |
| PLS-04 | Production | 500–4,000 | 2.0 | 4–8 | 50–5,000 | 2–5 | 1.5–3.0 | 1,400×1,200×2,200 |
| PLS-10 | Production | 1,500–10,000 | 5.0 | 6–12 | 50–5,000 | 2–5 | 3.0–5.5 | 1,800×1,600×2,600 |
| PLS-25 | Large Prod | 4,000–25,000 | 12.5 | 8–16 | 100–5,000 | 2–5 | 5.5–11 | 2,600×2,200×3,000 |
| PLS-50 | Large Prod | 8,000–50,000 | 25.0 | 12–20 | 100–5,000 | 2–5 | 11–22 | 3,600×3,000×3,500 |