The next evolution of the FlipScreen screening attachment is here – the WL3000 – taking a unique and proven invention into the world of mining
Every now and then, an idea comes along in earthmoving that’s so tough, so practical, and so relentlessly effective that it refuses to stay small.
That was the FlipScreen story long before mining ever came knocking.
For years, contractors across civil, demolition, scrap and quarrying have used FlipScreen to do what no other screening tool could manage: deliver fast, clean, efficient material separation, kill material contamination and turn downtime into uptime.
It earned its place on job sites by doing exactly what it promised – every time.
But success has a funny way of creating bigger problems to solve, with the mining world asking the obvious question: “If this works so well on a 20-tonner – what could it do on a 100-tonne loader?”
It turns out, quite a lot.
Meet the WL3000
This is not an attachment or a bolt-on accessory. This is a fully integrated, purpose-built screening powerhouse engineered onto the chassis of large-scale mining loaders.
The WL3000 takes the same rotating action earthmovers already know and trust and scales it into something monumental:
- built for 100-tonne loaders
- a massive ~373 square foot (34.7 square metre) screening area
- up to 1,500 tonnes per hour throughput.
That’s the kind of capacity that makes even seasoned mining crews step back and go quiet for a moment.
Because the WL3000 doesn’t just tame the run of mine (ROM) feed, it gives the primary crusher a smooth, consistent flow of material that is free of large boulders – preventing surprise blockages that can easily chew through production hours.
It uses the same simple, genius principle every other small FlipScreen uses – just scaled up until it’s big enough to change the way a mine can operate.
The primary crusher’s new best mate
Every mine knows the pain of oversized rock hitting the plant and causing shutdowns of the production line.
You blast, you get your standard P80 curve — most of it’s fine, and the rest carries the big stuff: the lumps, the boulders – the production killers.
Traditionally, you shrug and deal with it because that’s just “how mining is”. But not anymore.
The WL3000 screens at the ROM before it ever hits the feeder, meaning blockages from oversize are eliminated and downtime evaporates.
It’s a simple idea, scaled to solve one of mining’s most expensive headaches.
Engineering at scale
Scaling up a FlipScreen isn’t just a matter of thicker steel or making it bigger. It needs to be strong enough to handle the requirements of a mine site without being unwieldy.
This is where FlipScreen’s engineers, led by inventor Sam Turnbull – notorious for his unconventional approach – did what they always do: they asked the questions nobody else thought to ask.
“I’ve never been much good at thinking in straight lines,” Turnbull says of his design process.
“But, sometimes, the sideways way of seeing things turns out to be the right way.”
Instead of brute force, they borrowed geometry from unexpected places, even the internal structure of cardboard, to get extraordinary strength without unnecessary mass.
The result is a unit so seamlessly integrated that it becomes part of the loader’s DNA.
“We striped out 32 tonnes and added around 36 tonnes of purpose-built architecture to create the WL3000,” Turnbull says
“Its not a loader that is carrying a screening attachment, it’s a loader that is converted into a fully integrated screening unit.”
From civil jobsites to the heart of mines
The beauty of the WL3000 isn’t that it’s new – it brings a familiar site from construction sites across Australia and just applies that expertise to a larger scale.
FlipScreens are used on excavators, loaders and skid steers every day to clean, sort and screen millions of tonnes of materials across many sectors.
What began in landscaping, demolition, civil and scrap yards has now become something that can reshape site efficiency on iron ore, coal, copper and opal operations alike.
No white flags
After decades of design, refinement and pushing against the edges of what a screening tool can be, Turnbull’s philosophy remains the same:
“Tell me it can’t be done – that just makes me grin,” he says.
“Impossible is a challenge, not a fact.”
That attitude built FlipScreen and the new WL3000. Now, FlipScreen is building seven new, giant factories across 100 acres in the regional city of Wagga Wagga to meet global demand.
Because when an idea grows beyond its industry, you don’t slow down – you build it bigger.
The WL3000: the next frontier in screening
For the earthmoving sector, the WL3000 is proof that the tools you rely on are far more capable than anyone imagined.
For mining, it’s a revolution in feed preparation, safety, uptime and production reliability.
And for FlipScreen, it’s simply the next logical step in a journey that started with a small rotating bucket and ended up creating one of the largest integrated screening tools the mining sector has ever seen.
For more information, visit: www.flipscreen.net
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news in the earthmoving industry
- Never miss a great deal and subscribe to our monthly magazine
- Download a free copy of our latest digital magazine to catch up on the biggest news and developments in the earthmoving industry