Weba Chute Systems & Solutions says it has leveraged the latest technology to ensure high-quality results for its global customer base.

Using 3D scanning technology during on-site assessments has enhanced the levels of accuracy which has, in turn, minimised rework costs in design and manufacturing, and significantly reduced downtime during installation, according to Managing Director, Mark Baller.

“Implementing 3D scanning technology to our capabilities two years ago enabled our on-site technical teams to obtain accurate measurements from a safe distance, and allows us to inspect and survey large infrastructure in detail,” Baller said. “The technology allows us to consider all elements in existing infrastructure and this plays an important role when replacing transfer points or chutes as we are able to create an accurate preliminary design and costing in the early feasibility stages of a project.”

Design engineers can use the data from modern laser scanners to superimpose this information on their design intent, according to the South Africa-based manufacturer of custom transfer points and chute systems. “This allows them to pick up any interference, existing defects, redundant elements, structural deformation and undocumented historical alterations made to the site’s infrastructure that may lead to problems during the design and execution phases,” Weba Chute Systems said.

From this data, taken on-site, Weba Chute Systems teams can generate 3D models specific to on-site conditions enabling accurate reverse-engineering to be done. Baller said it is not just the access to accurate measurements provided by the 3D scanning technology that makes this possible, but also the level of in-depth expertise and experience the company has garnered over its more than 35 years in operation.

“Many companies offer 3D scanning, but do not have the in-house ability that Weba Chute Systems does to process and effectively use the data in a mining engineering environment,” Baller said.

“As a market leader, that is one of our strengths; and comes from our continuous investment in upgrading our systems and work flow processes to ensure that we stay abreast of best practice.”

He concluded: “Leveraging this technology allows our engineers to get to the highest probability factor, so the project can be seamlessly executed and time overruns are not incurred during the constrained shutdown periods which are normal on these projects.”