Monday, July 27, 2015

Mesh Sizes and Microns - What does mesh size mean?

Figuring out mesh sizes is simple. All you do is count the number of openings in one inch of screen (U.S. standard) The number of openings is the mesh size. So a 4 mesh screen means there are four little squares across one linear inch of screen. A 100 mesh screen has 100 openings, and so on. Note, therefore that as the number describing the mesh size increases, the size of the particles decreases. Higher numbers = finer powder. Mesh size is not a precise measurement of particle size. Screens can be made with different thicknesses of wire. The thicker the wires, the smaller the particle passing through that screen, and vice versa.

What do the minus ( - ) and plus ( + ) plus signs mean when describing mesh sizes?

Here's a simple example of how they work. -200 mesh aluminum would mean that all particles will pass through a 200 mesh screen. A +200 mesh aluminum means that all the particles are retained on a 200 mesh screen

How fine do screens get?

That depends on the wire thickness. But the supplier of our screens does not offer any screens finer than 500 mesh. If you think about it, the finer the weave, the closer the wires get together, eventually leaving no space between them at all. So, beyond 325-400 mesh, we usually describe particle size in "microns".

What is a micron?

A micron is another measurement we use for measuring particle size. A micron is one-millionth of a meter or one twenty-five thousandth of an inch.

* The mesh numbers in parentheses are too small to exist as actual screen sizes; they are estimated and included just for reference