Pigments are colorized particles that have been used for centuries. From makeup to paints, they are responsible for creating a colorful world that pops.
Originally made from materials such as soil, clay, animal matter, and charcoal, pigment is often created using inorganic recycled resources via a fairly automated production process. That said, how does woven wire mesh fit into the pigment production process?
W.S. Tyler has helped engineers and technicians alike weave woven wire mesh into their process for over 150 years. We strive to learn your process inside and out to help you understand whether or not woven wire mesh is right for you and what specifications may work best for you.
For this reason, we wrote the following article to establish the role woven wire mesh plays when producing pigments. It will cover:
- The pigment production process
- The definition of woven wire mesh
- How woven wire mesh fits into the pigment production process
- How you can implement woven wire mesh
How Are Pigments Made?
To pigment, recycled salt is mixed with water, iron, and other chemicals. This works to create a slurry that is heavily monitored by technicians.
Once the properties of the slurry meet quality standards, it is cascaded over a large drum filter. At the same time, water is used to rinse away any salt while the vacuum system draws the moisture through the openings of the filter drum.
This creates a filter cake on the outer surface of the drum filter.
At this point, the filter cake is continuously removed from the surface of the drum filter and is transferred to a drying station. Certain colors must undergo extreme heat treatment processes to achieve the necessary chemical reaction to achieve the color.
Once dry, the pigments will go under various forms of grinding depending on if it's a granular pigment or powdered pigment. The ground pigment is now ready to be packaged, labeled, shipped, and mixed into an emulsion.
What Is Woven Wire Mesh?
Woven wire mesh is a metallic fabric comprised of thousand of weft and warp wires interwoven together, making for a universal screening and filtration medium. A centuries-old weaving technique is employed to take these wires and form various weave patterns, each furnished with precise pore openings that deliver unique characteristics.
What makes the product one of the most widely used materials of its kind is the level of customization it puts into your hands. Virtually everything about it can be calculated before being woven, including the wire diameter, mesh count, opening size, and alloy.
You can even apply value-added services to further enhance the performance of wire mesh that has already been woven. Services like heat treatment, calendaring, and welding are all at your disposal.
How Does Woven Wire Mesh Benefit the Production of Pigments?
Drum filters are cylindrical filter components that are fitted into a rotary assembly to deliver efficient solid-liquid separation. It has been established that pigment manufacturers rely on large drum filters to separate pigment particles from a pigment slurry.
Well, these filters commonly utilize woven wire mesh as a screening media due to its ability to deliver the most screening surface area possible while remaining durable enough to provide prolonged performance. As the slurry is poured over the filter, the thousands of precise pore openings allow the vacuum system to dewater the slurry while retaining the pigments on the filter surface.
To help the wire mesh filter layer maintain its shape and accuracy over time, a supportive layer is typically included in the construction of a drum filter. Welded wire mesh, perforated plate, and expanded wire are all popular materials for this purpose, as they offer superior durability.
Is It Possible To Introduce Woven Wire Mesh to an Existing Drum Filter?
As pigment has been used for tens of thousands of years, chances are you already have a drum filter put in place. But happens when you want to switch to woven wire mesh as a screening media or change the wire mesh specification you are actively using?
The solution would be to retrofit your drum filter with a woven wire mesh weave that best accommodates your pigment production process. The retrofitting process involves removing the existing filter media and adhering the new woven wire mesh specification in its place.
For more information regarding the retrofitting of drum filters with woven wire mesh, refer to the blog post below:
Get To Know the Verbiage That Surrounds Woven Wire Mesh Before Making a Decision
Pigments are colorized particles that have been making the world a vibrant place for thousands of years. Manufacturers often employ woven wire mesh drum filters to screen solid pigment particles from a slurry of chemicals and recycled elements.
Regardless if you are considering integrating woven wire mesh for the first time or changing out an existing wire mesh filter, it is critical that you fully understand the material. This will ensure you implement a solution that produces an end result you can proudly stand behind.
Having been in the business of weaving wire mesh into the operations of countless industries for over 150 years, W.S. Tyler is here to resolve your wire mesh concerns so you can spend more time refining other areas of your process.
To learn about the critical wire mesh filter terms that will dictate its performance, read the following article: