Propose a material and compound for the Goldreef screen panel

What is going on

Goldreef Mining Services has asked Polyform to develop a modular screen panel for wet screening of abrasive ore at 50 degrees slurry temperature, with a customer drawing, an aperture specification and a target service life. Candidate routes are a cast polyurethane elastomer, a natural rubber compound or a synthetic rubber compound, each with different processing, tooling and safety implications. Polyurethane systems involve isocyanates, which are not currently on the Hazardous Chemicals Register. The Technical, Quality and WHS Manager wants a technical proposal that the General Manager can use to decide whether to quote, including the material choice, compound or system, processing route, trial and test program and the safety and register implications.

Your brief

Prepare a technical proposal that compares candidate materials and compounds against the service conditions, recommends one with reasons, proposes the compound recipe or polyurethane system and processing route, defines the trial and test program with acceptance criteria, and sets out the safety, chemical register and environmental implications.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

• Read the customer drawing and specification supplied and the Quality Policy, and list the service conditions, performance requirements and acceptance criteria the panel must meet.
• Compare cast polyurethane, natural rubber and a synthetic rubber compound against abrasion, tear, wet and temperature resistance, hydrolysis, processing, tooling cost and lead time in a structured table.
• Recommend one material route with reasons and state the risks of the choice and how the trial program will address them.
• Propose the compound recipe or polyurethane system, stating the base polymer, reinforcement, curatives or isocyanate and polyol system, and the properties expected, with reference to existing compounds in Raw Materials and Compounds Stock where relevant.
• Define the processing route: mould design requirements for the Tool and Die Register, mixing or casting, curing, demoulding and finishing, and the machines and presses at Wingfield that will be used.
• Define the trial and test program using the Production Trial Report Template: laboratory tests, prototype panels, field trial with the customer and acceptance criteria for each stage.
• Assess the safety and environmental implications, including isocyanate exposure controls, health monitoring and the Hazardous Chemicals Register entries needed if polyurethane is chosen, and any change to the Environment and Waste Policy arrangements.
• Consult the Rubber and Belting Manager on capacity and the Tooling and Maintenance Manager on mould making, and write the proposal for the General Manager with a recommendation on whether to quote.

What someone in this role would produce

• Service condition and requirement summary
• Material comparison table with recommendation
• Compound recipe or system proposal and processing route
• Trial and test program with acceptance criteria
• Safety, chemical register and environmental assessment and final proposal