# US 2019/0168261 A1 · Injection molded screening apparatuses and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168261 A1 - Document ID: US20190168261A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/269,646 - Filed: 2019-02-07 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-25 - Assignees: Derrick Corporation - Applicants: Derrick Corporation - Inventors: Keith Wojciechowski - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168261A1 ## CPC - B07B 1/4618: {Manufacturing of screening surfaces} - B01D 29/012: {Making filtering elements (making bag, cage, hose, tube, sleeve or like filtering elements B01D29/111)} - B07B 1/46: Constructional details of screens in general; Cleaning or heating of screens - B07B 1/4609: {constructional details of screening surfaces or meshes} - B07B 1/4645: {Screening surfaces built up of modular elements} - B07B 1/4654: {Corrugated Screening surfaces} - B07B 1/4663: {Multi-layer screening surfaces} - B07B 1/469: {Perforated sheet-like material} - B29C 45/0001: {characterised by the choice of material} - B29C 65/16: Laser beams - B29D 28/00: Producing nets or the like, {e.g. meshes, lattices}(by knotting D04G) - B07B 1/48: Stretching devices for screens - B29K 2075/00: Use of {PU, i.e.} polyureas or polyurethanes {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material - B07B: SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00) - B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS ## Abstract Screening members, screening assemblies, methods for fabricating screening members and assemblies and methods for screening materials are provided for vibratory screening machines that incorporate the use of injection molded materials. Use of injection molded screen elements provide, inter alia, for: varying screening surface configurations; fast and relatively simple screen assembly fabrication; and a combination of outstanding screen assembly mechanical and electrical properties, including toughness, wear and chemical resistance. Embodiments of the present invention use a thermoplastic injection molded material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A screen assembly, comprising: a plurality of independently formed thermoplastic screen elements forming a screening surface, the screen elements having: screening openings that are elongated slots having substantially uniform width W and substantially uniform length L; and surface elements separating the screening openings, the surface elements having a thickness T that is approximately 70 μm≤T≤400 μm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The screen assembly of claim 1, wherein each screen element is a single thermoplastic injection molded piece. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the screen assembly has an open screening area of approximately 5% to approximately 35% of a total area of the screening surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the length L of the screening openings is approximately 0.7 mm≤L≤2 mm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the width W of the screening openings is approximately 40 μm≤W≤200 μm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The screen assembly of claim 5, wherein: the surface element thickness is T≈356 μm; the length of the screening openings is L≈1.9 mm; and the open screening area varies from approximately 6% to approximately 24% as the width W of the screening openings varies from approximately 45 μm to approximately 180 μm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The screen assembly of claim 5, wherein: the surface element thickness is T≈178 μm; the length of the screening openings is L≈1.2 mm; and the open screening area varies from approximately 10% to approximately 28% as the width W of the screening openings varies from approximately 45 μm to approximately 180 μm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The screen assembly of claim 5, wherein: the surface element thickness is T≈127 μm; the length of the screening openings is L≈0.8 mm; and the open screening area varies from approximately 12% to approximately 32% as the width W of the screening openings varies from approximately 45 μm to approximately 180 μm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The screen assembly of claim 5, wherein: the surface element thickness is T≈76 μm; the length of the screening openings is L≈0.7 mm; and the open screening area varies from approximately 13% to approximately 33% as the width W of the screening openings varies from approximately 45 μm to approximately 180 μm. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The screen assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a support structure having support structure openings, wherein at least one of the screen elements is secured to the support structure over support structure openings. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The screen assembly of claim 10, wherein multiple screen elements are secured to the support structure over the support structure openings such that the screening surface is a continuous screening surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The screen assembly of claim 10, wherein: the support structure is a subgrid, and one or more screen elements are secured to the subgrid by laser welding. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The screen assembly of claim 12, wherein: the subgrid includes multiple elongated subgrid structural members forming a grid framework having grid openings; and screen elements each include a plurality of screen element support members, wherein subgrid structural members are aligned with respective screen element support members so that the subgrid structural members provide mechanical support to the screen element support members. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The screen assembly of claim 13, wherein: a spacing of subgrid structural members is configured to correspond to a spacing of screen element support members, and the spacing of subgrid structural members and the spacing of screen element support members is a decreasing function of surface element thickness T. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The screen assembly of claim 14, wherein: the screen assembly has an open screening area of approximately 5% to approximately 35% of a total area of the screening surface, and the spacing of subgrid structural members and the spacing of screen element support members varies from a first value corresponding to open screening area of approximately 5%, to a second value corresponding to open screening area of approximately 35%, wherein the first value is larger than the second value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The screen assembly of claim 12, wherein: multiple independent subgrids are permanently secured to each other to form the screen assembly, the screen assembly is an independent structure configured to be removably secured to a vibratory screening machine, and the screen assembly has a continuous screen assembly screening surface having multiple screen element screening surfaces. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The screen assembly of claim 10, wherein the screen assembly is configured to withstand accelerations in a range from approximately 3G to approximately 9G, and to withstand compressive loading forces in a range from approximately 2,000 lb to approximately 3,000 lb. ### Claim 18 A screen assembly, comprising: a plurality of independently formed thermoplastic screen elements forming a screening surface, the screen elements having screening openings that are elongated slots having a substantially uniform width W that is approximately 40 μm≤W≤200 μm, and a substantially uniform length L that is approximately 0.7 mm≤L≤2 mm, wherein the screen assembly has an open screening area of approximately 5% to approximately 35% of a total area of the screening surface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The screen assembly of claim 18, further comprising: surface elements separating the screening openings, the surface elements having a thickness T that is approximately 70 μm≤T≤400 μm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The screen assembly of claim 18, further comprising: a support structure having support structure openings, wherein at least one of the screen elements is secured to the support structure over support structure openings. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The screen assembly of claim 20, wherein the screen assembly has a total screening area in a range of approximately 0.4 m2 to 6.0 m2. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The screen assembly of claim 20, wherein the screen assembly is configured to withstand accelerations in a range from approximately 3G to approximately 9G, and to withstand compressive loading forces in a range from approximately 2,000 lb to approximately 3,000 lb. ### Claim 23 A method of fabricating a screen assembly, comprising: injection molding a plurality of thermoplastic screen elements, the screen elements having: screening openings that are elongated slots having substantially uniform width W and substantially uniform length L; and surface elements separating the screening openings, the surface elements having a thickness T that is approximately 70 μm≤T≤400 μm; and forming a screening surface that includes the plurality of screen elements. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: injection molding each screen element to be a single thermoplastic injection molded piece. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: injection molding the screen elements to have screening openings that have a length L that is approximately 0.7 mm≤L≤2 mm. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: injection molding the screen elements to have screening openings that have a width W that is approximately 40 μm≤W≤200 μm. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, further comprising: securing at least one of the screen elements to a support structure, having support structure openings, to generate a screen assembly having a screening surface having an open screening area of approximately 5% to approximately 35% of a total area of the screening surface. ### Claim 28 A method of fabricating a screen assembly, the method comprising: injection molding a plurality of independently formed thermoplastic screen elements, the screen elements having: screening openings that are elongated slots having substantially a uniform width W that is approximately 40 μm≤W≤200 μm, and a substantially uniform length L that is approximately 0.7 mm≤L≤2 mm, forming a screening surface that includes the plurality of screen elements. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, further comprising: injection molding the screen elements to have surface elements separating the screening openings, the surface elements having a thickness T that is approximately 70 μm≤T≤400 μm. ### Claim 30 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, further comprising: securing at least one of the screen elements to a support structure, having support structure openings, to generate a screen assembly having a screening surface having an open screening area of approximately 5% to approximately 35% of a total area of the screening surface.