Shifters, also known as sifters or screeners, are essential equipment used in various industries to separate and classify particles based on size. They are commonly employed in industries such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and mining to ensure product consistency, quality control, and to remove unwanted debris or oversized particles. Shifters work by passing materials through a series of screens or sieves with different mesh sizes, allowing only particles of the desired size to pass through while larger particles are retained.
Shifters come in various designs, including vibrating screens, rotary sifters, and centrifugal sifters, each suited to different types of materials and processing requirements. Vibrating screens use vibration to move materials across the screen surface, promoting efficient separation and throughput. Rotary sifters, or rotary sieves, use a rotating drum with a mesh screen to achieve separation, providing gentle handling for fragile materials. Centrifugal sifters use centrifugal force to push materials through a stationary screen, making them ideal for high-capacity applications. Shifters are critical for ensuring uniform particle size distribution, improving product quality, and enhancing the efficiency of downstream processing operations.