Filter Press Specifications
The figures below describe typical industry specifications for this class of equipment rather than a single fixed model. Use them to scope a requirement, then confirm exact figures against the supplied unit before purchase.
| Specification | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Plate size | 630, 800, 1,000, 1,250, 1,500 mm |
| Type | Chamber or membrane (squeezing) plates |
| Operating pressure | 8–16 bar feed; up to 15 bar squeeze on membrane |
| Cake moisture | 12–20% typical on gold tailings and concentrate |
| Cycle time | 20–90 min depending on feed and cloth |
| Cloth | Polypropylene, chosen for particle size and chemistry |
| Automation | Manual, semi-auto or full plate-shift |
| Feed | Positive-displacement pump, pressure-limited |
What a Filter Press Is Used For
- Dry-stack tailings
- Concentrate dewatering before smelting or sale
- Elution and electrowinning residues
- Process-water recovery on water-constrained sites
Maintenance Schedule
Most premature failures in this equipment class trace back to a missed routine check rather than a design fault. The intervals below are a practical starting schedule; adjust them to your duty cycle and the manufacturer manual.
| Interval | Task |
|---|---|
| Every cycle | Inspect cloths for tears and blinding; confirm all chambers filled and the drip trays are clear. |
| Daily | Wash cloths; check hydraulic closing pressure; inspect plate handles and cloth clips. |
| Weekly | Inspect plates for cracking or warping; check feed-pump seals. |
| Monthly | Hydraulic oil and hoses; replace any weeping cloths as a set in that zone. |
| Annually | Plate-pack inspection; hydraulic-cylinder service; cloth-inventory review. |
Frequently Asked Questions
When is a filter press justified on a small gold plant?
When water is scarce, when a wet tailings dam cannot be permitted, or when concentrate must travel. Water recovery alone can justify a press in dry Tanzanian districts. Below a few tens of tonnes a day of tailings, a simple settling pond still wins on cost if the ground and the permit allow it.
Chamber or membrane plates?
Chamber plates are cheaper and fine on free-filtering concentrate. Membrane plates squeeze the cake after filling and cut moisture by several percent, which matters on tailings that must be stacked or trucked. The extra capital is usually recovered in drier cake and shorter cycles on tailings duty.
Why is my cake still wet?
Cloth blinding, feed too fine or too dense, short cycle, or a leaking plate that bypasses pressure. Do not just raise feed pressure — that packs the cloth. Wash or replace cloths, check for bypass, and confirm the feed particle size has not drifted finer after a mill change.
Supply and Delivery Across Tanzania
Bart Mining supplies filter press and related equipment to mining operations throughout Tanzania, with primary coverage of the Lake Victoria Goldfields (Mwanza, Kahama, Geita, Shinyanga and Bukombe), alongside the Lupa Goldfields around Chunya and Mbeya, and delivery nationwide from Dar es Salaam.
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Need a filter press specified for your site?
Tell us your duty, depth or throughput and available power supply. We will come back with a specification and price, and flag anything on site that needs to change to make it work.