Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
The Gericke Group announces the launch of a newly developed perforated plate featuring an innovative hexagonal aperture design. Engineered to maximise open area while maintaining structural integrity, this technology delivers significantly improved product throughput and process efficiency compared to conventional round-hole screens. The hexagonal geometry provides significantly more open area than an equivalent circular aperture of the same nominal size.
The use of hexagonal apertures instead of conventional circular holes offers significant performance advantages in centrifugal sifting applications. Thanks to the increased open area, throughput and productivity can be substantially improved while simultaneously enhancing overall process efficiency. The optimized geometry reduces flow resistance, allowing material to pass more freely through the screen and potentially lowering energy consumption during operation. In addition, hexagonal screens can be used as a direct replacement for conventional perforated plates, making upgrades straightforward and cost-effective.
The figures behind the magic
For an aperture size of 3 mm (across flats), a conventional circular hole (Ø 3 mm) provides an open area of 7.07 mm² per aperture, whereas a hexagonal aperture with the same nominal size offers 7.80 mm². This corresponds to a 10.3% increase in open area compared with a circular hole.
Performance trials conducted with plain white flour on a GS4-722 centrifugal sifter equipped with a 3 mm screen confirmed the benefits of the hexagonal design. While the circular aperture screen achieved an average throughput of 16,567 kg/h, the hexagonal aperture screen reached 19,338 kg/h, demonstrating a substantial increase in processing capacity under identical operating conditions.
The hexagonal screen delivered a 14% increase in throughput, exceeding the theoretical gain in open area and demonstrating the practical process benefits of the design.