Haver & Boecker teaches college students about the screening industry

University of Toronto students tour Haver & Boecker plant.University of Toronto students tour Haver & Boecker plant.

For a second year, Haver & Boecker engineers gave 22 minerals students from the University of Toronto a firsthand look at the various aspects of vibrating screens and the screening process, which is essential for the production of construction aggregate. They capped off the experience with a plant tour to reinforce what the students had learned in class.

Dieter Takev, Haver & Boecker’s vice president of engineering and technology, and Duncan High, processing equipment technology division manager, walked students through the basics of screening, material sizing, and the mechanical performance of the vibrating screen. Students learned about the different types of material and screening equipment, calculations for determining optimum performance, and the mechanical design of different components.

Takev also showed the students how mining and aggregates operations use Haver & Boecker’s Pulse vibration analysis software to monitor the health of vibrating screens and detect irregularities that could prevent optimum performance.

“I wanted to give the students a chance to learn from industry experts, not just me,” said professor Erin Bobicki in a Haver & Boecker press release, adding that there’s no way to show a full-scale vibrating screen in a classroom. “Learning the process through which the screens are made was valuable, as was the opportunity to work with the vibration analysis system. Probably, most of the students would think of vibration analysis as a mechanical engineering task, but the truth is that mining and mineral processing are very interdisciplinary, and you end up touching a variety of functions within the industry. The students now have a much greater appreciation for screening equipment and the science and engineering that goes into it.”

The program has proven its worth when one of last year’s students was hired by Haver & Boecker after graduation. In the press release, Peter Kilmurray, Haver & Boecker vice president of sales, said the company will open the same opportunities to other interested educational institutions. “Our team takes pride in the innovation and testing that goes into each product design,” Kilmurray added. “We’re more than willing to spend time introducing future industry leaders to ways they can make a difference in the industry.”