Falcon SB Series FAQ

Who is the originator of the fluidized bowl design?
MacNicol, 1935 in Australia. Please refer to the Falcon Paper, Selecting Batch-Type Concentrators.

How do I compare machines from different manufacturers?
Concentrating surface area (CSA), centrifugal field, machine power and weight are most important. Please refer to Selecting Batch-Type Concentrators, for further details.

What do your model numbers mean?
The model prefix designates the machine type. The suffix is the approximate concentrating surface area of the machine in square inches. A SB5200 is batch unit with approximately 5200 in² of concentrating surface area.

What is the biggest machine you have?
The recently released Model SB5200 has a rated capacity of 330 t/h solids. It is not really a new machine since it shares most of its parts with the well-proven Falcon Model C4000 continuous concentrator. View SB Specifications

Why should I choose a Model SB Falcon?

Falcon SB's have the industry's best concentrating surface area to footprint ratio
Are designed from the ground up to withstand 200G concentrating fields
Have the best unit fluidization water requirement in the industry
Produce very high-grade concentrates
Require almost no operator attention
Offer extremely low maintenance and operating costs
Have a two-stage bowl design that delivers superior metallurgical performance and service access.
Are realistically priced

Please refer to Selecting Batch-Type Concentrators, for further details.

In a grinding circuit application, should I design for maximum recovery across the Falcon?
In Falcon's opinion, gold production should be maximized as opposed to maximizing efficiency of the SB concentrator. This may mean deliberately overloading the machine and accepting lower recovery but achieving higher overall yield from the circuit. Fortunately, Falcon machines are built to handle overloading.
Does pulp density have an effect on enhanced gravity concentrator performance?

The thicker the pulp density the more difficult it is for FINE gold particles to migrate to the riffle collection zone. Pulp densities of greater than 60% are not recommended for this reason. Treating more dilute streams in the order of 40-50% solids will maximize FINE gravity gold production. Falcon has numerous installations operating at 60 - 70% solids primarily recovering coarse gold from grinding circuits.
What is the best location for a Falcon SB concentrator?

Although conventional wisdom dictates that the best stream for installing gravity concentrators within a grinding circuit is cyclone underflow, more and more mines are achieving better results with mill discharge or cyclone feed. Download a detailed report on this topic.

What top size should be fed to Falcon SB machines?

Top size for Falcon SB's is 6 mm. Falcon strongly recommends, however, that SB feed be sized slightly coarser than the maximum gold particles in the stream for these reasons:

1.   Screening off barren coarse material saves money as it is less expensive to buy and operate a unit of screening capacity than a unit of concentrating capacity.
2.   Metallurgical performance will improve as the target and gangue particles become more closely sized.
3.   Operating costs for the Falcon SB are a function of maximum particle size. As the maximum feed particle size becomes smaller, so do the operating costs for the Falcon.

How long has Falcon been in business?
Falcon has been in business since 1987.

What is the difference between the Falcon SB and C machines?
Falcon SB's are batch-type concentrators that use fluidization water to obtain a high-grade concentrate and a mass pull to concentrate << 1%. SB's are used primarily for the recovery of precious metals in the free, metallic state. The Falcon C's, on the other hand, do not require any fluidization water and are mainly used for pre-concentration and scavenging where high mass recoveries are required. C machines can pull up to 40% of the feed mass as concentrate.

What are the major industries that Falcon technology is used in?
Falcon SB: Au, Ag and PGM's.
Falcon C: Au, Ag, Ta, Sn, Coal, Iron ore, Titanium sands and Cr.
Falcon UF: Ta, Sn, Coal, Iron ore, Titanium sands and Cr.

What is Falcon's commitment to servicing their clients across the globe?
Falcon has a global network of representatives who are as committed to service and support as Falcon itself. Please refer to for the contact information for your closest representative.

What operating availabilities does Falcon equipment attain?
Falcon mechanical availability will be >95% if equipment is installed and maintained according to our recommendations.

How do you calculate the G forces produced by a centrifugal field?
Centrifugal Field in G's = Rotor Diameter (inches) x RPM2 ÷ 70471.

Are there 'gravity-only' flowsheets available?
Yes, Falcon has developed unique flowsheets to help clients achieve previously unobtainable recoveries without using any reagents such as cyanide.