Tag Archives: cone crushers

Superior Industries opens new manufacturing facility for jaw, cone crushers

Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, , , , , ,

Superior Industries, Inc, a US-based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and handling systems, has announced the grand opening of a new crushing manufacturing facility in Morris, Minnesota, its headquarters and hometown since the company was founded in 1972.

A symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the occasion, highlighting, the company says, Superior’s commitment to growth and innovation in the crushing market.

The new facility, dedicated to producing jaw and cone crushers, will increase Minnesota’s crusher production capacity by 50%. This expansion enhances support for dealers and producers across North America’s aggregates and mining industries, delivering greater efficiency and product availability, Superior says.

Superior’s impact crushers, including VSIs and HSIs, will continue to be produced at the company’s other crusher facility in Belen, New Mexico. Additionally, Superior’s global network includes crusher manufacturing sites in South America and Asia, broadening its reach to serve international markets.

“This new facility means more opportunities for everyone connected to Superior — from our dealers and producers to our team members and local communities,” Jason Adams, President of Superior Industries, said. “With more capacity and smoother operations, we’re able to stay true to our purpose of serving others by providing products that help our partners succeed!”

The facility features an integrated hydraulics assembly area, an inline test zone and expanded parts warehousing to support the growing need for reliable, on-demand, critical components, the company says.

Metso to deliver Nordberg cone crushers to WCS’ Simandou iron ore project

Comminution of minerals, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Metso says it has received an order exceeding €10 million ($10.9 million) from Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) for the supply of key crushing equipment for its concentrator plant at Simandou Iron Ore Blocks 1 and 2 in the Republic of Guinea.

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of 16 Nordberg® HP900™ secondary and tertiary cone crushers, a crusher series that has over 10,000 installations worldwide in the aggregate and mining industries.

Xun Fang, Head of Metso’s Minerals Sales in Greater China, said: “We are pleased to be chosen as the supplier of the state-of-the-art crushing equipment for the Simandou iron project by WCS. We will leverage our global knowledge and resources to support the success of this project.”

Winning Consortium Simandou has been set up by the founders of SMB Winning Consortium, namely Winning International Group from Singapore, China Hongqiao and UMS Guinea. WCS won the public tender to develop Simandou Iron Ore Blocks 1 and 2 in November 2019 and signed a Base Convention agreement with the Guinean Government in June 2020.

Simandou Blocks 3 and 4 are held by Simfer S.A., which is owned by the Guinean State (15%) and Simfer Jersey Limited (85%). Simfer Jersey Limited is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings Ltd (CIOH) (47%), a Chinalco-led joint venture of leading Chinese SOEs (Chinalco (75%), Baowu (20%), China Rail Construction Corporation (2.5%) and China Harbour Engineering Company (2.5%)).

BHP to install Metso cone crushers at Whaleback iron ore mine

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

BHP has awarded Metso an order for three high-capacity Nordberg® MP Series™ cone crushers to be installed at its Whaleback iron ore mine in Western Australia, according to the OEM.

Vinicius Vilela, Vice President, Mining Crushers at Metso, said the MP800™ cone crushers will replace the long-serving MP cone crushers.

“The robust and high-capacity MP Series crushers are a step change in the crushing process, enabling maximum operator safety and easy maintenance, as the key components can be accessed from the top of the crushers,” he explained. “They provide a more sustainable solution, delivering high crushing force with relatively low energy consumption.”

Metso’s cone crusher offering includes four product families for different applications and operations. The Nordberg MP Series cone crushers feature high capacity and high crushing force for size reduction with good energy efficiency.

Just last month, Rio Tinto awarded Metso an order for 10 HP500™ cone crushers to be installed at the company’s Tom Price iron ore mine in Western Australia, replacing  the long-serving Symons cone crushers at the operation.

Rio Tinto bolsters HP Series cone crusher contingent with Metso order

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Rio Tinto has awarded Metso an order for 10 HP Series cone crushers to be installed at the company’s Tom Price iron ore mine in Western Australia, the OEM says.

This order follows the initial award of six HP series cone crushers in late 2022. The crushers in the initial order are currently being delivered to the Paraburdoo iron ore mine and another Pilbara mine.

“The HP500™ cone crushers will replace the long-serving Symons cone crushers,” Julius Mäkelä, Vice President, Mid-size and Mobile Crushers at Metso, explains. “The compact and versatile HP Series crushers are a step change in the crushing process, enabling maximum operator safety and easy maintenance as the key components can be accessed from the top of the crushers. They provide a more sustainable solution, delivering high output with decreased energy consumption despite their smaller size. Additionally, the new crushers feature an option for digitising the operation.”

The compact size of the HP500 cone crusher is well suited as a replacement for Symons crushers, Metso says. The HP500 is used in aggregates production, quarrying applications and mining operations worldwide.

Metso wins major flotation cell order from First Quantum for Kansanshi S3 expansion

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Canada-based First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has placed an additional order with Metso for the delivery of minerals processing equipment to its Kansanshi copper mine S3 expansion.

Metso’s scope of delivery includes apron feeders, Nordberg® MP800™ cone crushers, TankCell® e630 and TankCell® e300 mechanical flotation cells, high-intensity Concorde Cell™ units, ColumnCell™ units, HRT thickeners and a clarifier.

Most of the separation equipment are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering.

Last year, Metso was awarded an order for two Premier™ grinding mills, with a total installed power of 50 MW, including Metso Megaliner™ and metallic mill linings for the expansion.

The First Quantum Minerals Ltd Board of Directors signed off on the S3 Expansion last year, bankrolling a project that could see Kansanshi’s life pushed out to 2044. Once the expansion is completed, copper production from Kansanshi is expected to average approximately 250,000 t/y for the remaining life of mine.

Metso says the value of the order exceeds €20 million ($21. 8 million).

Antti Rinne, Vice President, Flotation at Metso, said: “Kansanshi’s flotation flowsheet combines the well-proven, energy efficient TankCell flotation cells with the new Concorde Cell, unlocking the potential for further improved flotation performance. Concorde Cell high-intensity, forced-air pneumatic flotation cells allow operations to enhance fine and ultrafine particle selectivity.”

Metso Outotec expands O-Series wear parts offering for crushing equipment

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec is expanding its O-Series wear parts offering from working wears to protective wears, with the new offering now commercially available.

“We are excited to announce that through the expansion of the offering, the customer can get a complete set of wear parts in a competitive price range from the O-Series offering,” Olli Heinonen, Director, Mid-Market Crusher Wears, Consumables business area, says. “Our O-Series is a fit for customers who want reliable wear parts that are designed for Metso Outotec crushers, and backed up by OEM warranty, quickly and flexibly.”

Metso Outotec O-Series crusher wears are available for Metso Outotec’s stationary and mobile crushers in mining and aggregates industries. The protective wears will include selection of wears for Nordberg HP Series and GP Series cone crushers and C-Series jaw crushers.

The O-Series wear parts will be featured at the Hillhead Quarry event 21-23 June in the UK.

The O-Series wear parts were originally launched in 2019 and have been sold to hundreds of customers since, the company says.

Alongside this expanded wear parts offering, Metso Outotec is launching Chamber Expert Service, a service that brings the company’s wide selection of crusher wear parts with crushing process-specific application instructions delivered to the customer’s crushing site, at Hillhead this week.

The service uses Metso Outotec’s online wear part product catalogue, and the unique Chamber Pro online simulation tool to select the optimal chamber geometry and crushing parameters that match the customer’s production targets and the specific crushing process, it says.

In aggregate processes, the optimal chamber geometry and crushing parameters improve process performance and reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs, yielding an increase in saleable products and a longer wear part life cycle.

Jarkko Leppänen, Vice President, Aggregates Crusher Wears at Metso Outotec, said: “The service has been developed in response to customers’ increasing demand for continuous improvements in process performance. The correct wear part and verified sizing make a clear and sustainable difference for the customer’s crushing process.”

Chamber Expert Service will get the crusher producing for our customers with:

  • Best performing chamber to match customer capacity and quality targets;
  • Ensured optimal chamber geometry and crushing parameters;
  • Improved process performance and lower energy consumption, bringing improved sustainability benefits;
  • Cost efficiency without a major investment in new equipment; and
  •  Verified wear part lifetime.

Weir Minerals updates Trio live-shaft cone crusher range with TC84XR

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, , , , , ,

Weir Minerals has upgraded its range of Trio® TC live-shaft cone crushers, incorporating the latest technology to ensure it remains integral to flowsheets long into the future, the OEM says.

The Trio® TC84XR features all the robust design elements that have made live-shaft crushers a fixture of the mining and sand and aggregate industries for generations, but updated it with new smarts, according to Weir Minerals.

Mark Utecht, Weir Minerals’ Director of Comminution Engineering, said: “The Trio TC cone crushers’ live-shaft design has been proven to perform in heavy-duty secondary and tertiary crushing applications. We wanted to build on this strong foundation. My team followed a comprehensive design process – we’ve reviewed and tested every inch of this crusher. While the TC84XR may seem familiar on the outside, we’ve upgraded its design and control functionality. The motor is larger and it has a much higher crushing capacity compared to equivalent sized crushers.

“The result: we now have an incredibly robust, powerful and technologically advanced crusher that is easy to operate, has a low wear rate and uses less energy, which ultimately lowers operating costs.”

While many OEMs have made the decision to discontinue their live-shaft cone crushers, Weir Minerals says it has resisted this trend, believing that, because every mining and sand and aggregate operation is different, there can’t be a one-size-fits all approach.

There are some applications and situations where pedestal (fixed-shaft) style crushers may be the more appropriate solution, which is why Weir Minerals continues to manufacture the premium Trio TP pedestal style machine, it said. Weir Minerals claims to be the only global equipment manufacturer offering both the TC live shaft and TP fixed shaft style machines.

“The combination of the Trio TP and TC fixed and live-shaft cone crushers ensures that Weir Minerals continue to offer their customers the right technology, regardless of their site structure, operating conditions or application,” Utecht said.

Trio live- and fixed-shaft cone crushers are made for modern mines and quarries with advanced hydraulics, wear resistant material and the latest technology, according to the company.

Ekkhart Matthies, Weir Minerals’ Global Application Director, said: “This is really exciting for our customers, as they now have a real choice. The combination of our TC and TP series allows us to have an honest conversation with our customers on the options available to them and make a technological recommendation which truly meets their needs.”

Replacing existing live-shaft style machines on site with the Trio TC84XR crusher is now a straightforward process because it has very similar dimensions and is a comparable weight to its live-shaft predecessors, Weir says. And because it produces the same product, downstream changes aren’t required, which isn’t the case when replacing a live-shaft style machine with a fixed-shaft style machine.

“In other words, there is no need to re-design existing circuits,” the company said.

Technology upgrades

The recent technology upgrades in the Trio TC84XR crusher have improved its safety, functionality and reliability, according to the OEM.

Matthies explained: “At Weir Minerals, we understand and appreciate the important role live-shaft cone crushers play in today’s challenging crushing applications. Combining decades of experience and first-hand customer feedback with innovative designs, the highest quality materials and latest in control technology, we believe that our new Trio TC84XR cone crusher is the most reliable and robust live-shaft cone in the market today.”

Engineered to perform in the most extreme applications, the Trio TC84XR crusher is robust and easy to maintain and operate, according to the company. It reliably delivers high crushing force and high horsepower in primary, crushed ore and quarry rock applications.

The ability of the TC84XR crusher to handle variable feed and crush pebbles is also partly a result of its large motor; it’s been designed with higher power capability than comparable cone crushers. Ultimately, this translates to a higher potential crushing force and, therefore, increase in production, Weir said.

Another feature that allows it to handle variable feed, as well as deal with tramp material safely, is the fully-automated tramp-release and setting recovery system. The tramp release hydraulics can also be used to safely clear the crushing chamber should a sudden disruption in plant power cause a shutdown of the cone crusher.

The socket assembly has been redesigned to improve sealing, which has optimised functionality and manufacturability by reducing the machining setups of the socket and seal rings, it said. The Weir comminution team has also redesigned the countershaft assembly to remove welding and machining, while simultaneously improving venting and the dust seal.

The Trio TC84XR crusher, like the range of TP series cone crushers, can be fitted with ESCO® wear parts, designed with superior ESCO alloys, which can be custom designed based on specific requirements.

Metso Outotec introduces new ’Xtreme’ crusher head for Nordberg cone crushers

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec has introduced a new crusher head to complete the portfolio for its Nordberg® MP800, MP1000, MP1250, HP800 and HP900 series of cone crushers.

The Xtreme (forged) head is the most robust head on the market, designed to handle the most demanding applications, according to the company.

Chad Smallwood, SVP Crushing Products at Metso Outotec, said: “Metso Outotec now has a complete range of crusher heads in the portfolio and our customers can choose the level of durability based on their application and needs. The new Xtreme forged head is the most reliable crusher head in the industry. The OEM design ensures optimal crushing even where equipment may be pushed beyond design limits.”

The new Xtreme head provides customers with an option for the most extreme conditions. The Xtreme head complements the Enhanced (heavy duty) head and the Elect (traditional cast) head in this range of crusher heads, Metso Outotec says.

The customer can match their price point and duty level to get the most life out of their components, according to the company. Maximising and extending the life of the components allows for a more sustainable operation overall.

Key benefits of the Xtreme head include:

  • Advanced geometrical features to assure consistent bearing loading within machine design parameters;
  • Complete one-piece forged material;
  • A sustainable design and capabilities to provide safe and reliable operations; and
  • Offers a three-year warranty.

Sandvik cone crushers go circular with recycled wear parts

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Sandvik Group is encouraging circularity in the mining industry through the recycling of steel from used cone crusher parts to make new crushing equipment.

While extractive industries such as mining are responsible for 50% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, recycling steel from mining equipment could make all the difference, according to Anders Åkesson, QM EHS Manager, Crushing & Screening at Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology (SMRT).

Circularity is becoming vital in the reduction of CO2 emissions, and can help improve the environmental position of many industries. With the mining industry contributing a large percentage of global CO2 emissions, implementing circularity could help it make vital reductions, Åkesson says.

To produce equipment, the mining industry predominantly uses manganese steel, which is renowned for its work-hardening properties and resistance to abrasion. This means the material becomes harder with the more impact it receives, creating a low friction surface suited to crushing. For this reason, manganese steel has been used in high impact applications for over 100 years, making it an ideal material for cone crushers.

Cone crushers are used to grind down rocks, which are fed into the top of the crusher and pressed between the mantle and the cone. This breaks the rock down into smaller fragments, which are then passed through lower levels of the crusher where they are broken down further.

“It’s vital that cone crushers are made from a material that provides the necessary force to grind the rocks, while withstanding the abrasive nature of the process,” Åkesson said.

Using recycled steel from used cone crusher parts to make new cone crushers, Sandvik SMRT has demonstrated and improved circularity of steel production for mining equipment, he explained. The division was nominated for Sandvik’s first sustainability award in April 2020, which recognises sustainable innovations from its employees.

Sourcing manganese steel from one of the world’s most sustainable manganese foundries, based in Sweden, was the first step SMRT took towards its sustainable innovation. A total of 91% circular steel was used to manufacture wear parts, such as the cone and mantle of a cone crusher. These wear parts are reused to produce new wear parts for the cone crushers – creating a continuous cycle, Åkesson said.

Moving away from a linear model, Sandvik increased the circularity and sustainability of its products and eliminated 79% of production emissions, according to Åkesson. “In addition, Sandvik cone crushers help SMRT’s customers to lower their environmental impact as they are buying from the circular economy – contributing to their own sustainability goals,” he said.

Åkesson concluded: “With mining contributing towards CO2 emissions in more ways than one, it’s essential that the industry uses methods that reduce emissions. Reusing and recycling steel to manufacture mining equipment has demonstrated an opportunity that helps meet the sustainability goals of both equipment suppliers and their customers. If the industry wants to become circular, taking a look at equipment a good place to start.”

Sandvik bolts on three more “connected crushers” to 800i series

Automation, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik says it is expanding its 800i series of cone crushers to include three new models that come equipped, as standard, with an Automation and Connectivity System (ACS).

The new Sandvik 800i series of cone crushers feature mechanical upgrades, connectivity, advanced automation and rebuild possibilities to predict performance, maximise uptime and offer the best in sustainability at the lowest possible cost, Sandvik says.

Sandvik launched the series of “connected crushers” in July 2018.

The three new models – CH830i, CH840i and CS840i – means the 800i crusher series has been improved and extended to offer reliable, intelligent crushing to any mining or aggregate application, according to the company. Connected to My Sandvik, the crushers enable managers and operators to “make decisions based on facts, and see areas for improvement directly, increasing uptime and availability”, Sandvik said.

The ACS continuously monitors and optimises crusher performance and controls the complete lubrication system, increasing uptime and reliability, according to the mining OEM. It replaces the ASRi™ system that was previously in use for the 800i series of cone crushers.

The 800i series has been “toughened and improved to offer greater reliability, higher availability and a low risk of critical failure”, Sandvik says. This sees the crushers have bolted rather than welded top and bottom shell liners making a changeout 90% faster, according to the company.

The over-pressure system keeps dust out, and the standard offline filter keeps oil cleaner, extending oil life by, the company says, up to five times.

“More power output from less energy and more uptime through intelligent crushing make the 800i series a safer, more sustainable choice,” Sandvik said.

The 800i crusher series can be purchased as a completely new crusher, or as a Sandvik REBORN solution, replacing an existing crusher and reusing existing auxiliaries and infrastructure, according to the company. “This plug and play installation minimises disruption and maximises productivity, while offering up to 40% cost savings compared to a complete crusher system,” Sandvik said.

Such a solution was recently installed at the Mantos Blancos copper mine in Chile.

These new crushers also come with Sandvik’s service agreement, which, it says, provides customers with safer operations, low operating costs and long service life. This can increase productivity by up to 10%, according to the company.

Mats Dahlberg, Vice President Lifecycle Service, Stationary Crushing and Screening, said new, digital technologies will transform the way mines and quarries work.

“My Sandvik is the first major step in gaining insights into productivity and predictive maintenance that will drive our industry forward,” he said. “It’s great to offer our customers a service that will truly make a difference to their profitability.”