Dresser Trap Rock Company Dresser, Wisconsin

The 1914 Dresser Trap Rock Plant featured "top loaders", a production efficiency feature for material transportation by locomotive.

100% to 400% increase in wear life with a 30% per year reduction in screen media costs!

Dresser Trap Rock Co. of Dresser, Wisconsin has been in business since 1914. After a major fire in 1993 the plant was redesigned from the ground up.

Previously, Dresser Trap Rock Co. relied on perforated plate, high-carbon and oil-tempered wire, and urethane screens. It became obvious that something better was needed to improve productivity, reduce blinding problems and lower maintenance costs.

Mr. Rick Demulling, the Plant Manager, made a decision to begin testing a combination of solutions. These included rubber screens and urethane screen panels made by a Durex competitor. The results were unsatisfactory.

He then experimented with Dur-X-Snapdeck®, Dur-X-Vulcan® and Dur-X-Kleen® on several smaller applications, as well as ceramic wear liners (over a 2 to 3 year period). The results were successful. After hearing positive reports from other Durex customers, Rick placed an order for the recommended combination of Dur-X-Vulcan® on the top deck of the plant’s primary screen and Dur-X-Kleen® on the second deck.

Today, the Plant Superintendent and a Durex representative discuss the improved overall plant layout, material flow and new screen media and wear parts that contributed to increased plant production

After screen media revisions were in place, Dresser Trap Rock Co. was able to increase screen wear life on the feed panel of the top deck of their primary machine over 100%. The wear life on the second deck increased 400% over a similar competitor’s product while further reducing blinding. Today, the Dresser Trap Rock Co. has become one of the most efficient ballast plants in America.

“We’re experiencing a 30% reduction in screen media costs per year with Durex rubber screens. We’ve seen hardly any wear on the screens after 750,000 tons of material, and we haven’t needed to replace a screen due to wear, since the plant was remodeled in 1994.

Other Durex products are now used extensively throughout the plant, including Durex wire screen cloth and Durex rubber/ceramic liners.