Power management company Eaton was recently awarded a contract to supply Airflex® Ventilated Constricting clutches to CITIC HIC for use in the new copper mill in Gansu, China, which will be operated by Gansu Jinhui Mining Co Ltd. “Eaton’s products have helped us increase efficiency and extend the service life of our equipment,” said Hongwei Zhang, CITIC’s Jinhui project manager. “It was an easy decision to choose Eaton as the clutch supplier for our new mill project.”

Chosen for the job were Eaton’s Airflex 52VC1200 clutches, which are specifically designed and manufactured for severe clutching and braking applications like those encountered in grinding mill operations. In these types of applications, high starting loads and sustained slippage would normally lower clutch efficiency and reduce operating life. In these applications, the Airflex clutches transmit the rotary torque from 4,000 hp, low-speed synchronous motors to operate one ball mill and one SAG mill that grind the ore in preparation for copper extraction.

“Eaton’s been a clutch supplier for CITIC for more than 15 years and we are excited to continue our work with them through this new mill project,” said Amelia Xue, Business Unit Manager, Airflex China, Eaton.