Tag Archives: crushers

Trollope Mining Services boosting southern African reputation with Metso hybrid crushers and screens

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

Amid growing demand for its crushing and screening services, Trollope Mining Services, one of the largest open-pit mining contractors in Africa, has continued to increase its fleet of Metso machines from Pilot Crushtec, the South Africa-based company says.

With nearly 500 pieces of equipment in its fleet, Trollope has over the years established itself as the go-to contractor in the open-pit mining sector in southern Africa, it says. Currently operating in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, the company has also previously executed projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea. The company operates across commodities including but not limited to coal, platinum, copper, andalusite, gold, phosphate, lithium, iron ore, manganese, diamonds and limestone.

To establish itself as a total solutions provider in the mining contracting fraternity, Trollope Mining Services added a crushing and screening division to its business in 2016. Managing Director, Guy Hopkins, says that in the past three years the division has seen exponential growth on the back of some major projects, necessitating an expansion of the crushing and screening fleet.

Following the fleet expansion program, Trollope Mining Services now operates a total of 15 machines. Of note is that the whole fleet is made up of only Metso machines.

“We prefer Metso machines because of our experience with the equipment,” Hopkins says. “Fundamentally, the design and build quality of these machines are unmatched. Our buying decision is also influenced by the technological evolution of the Metso offering, which allows us to run ‘hands off’ operations. Apart from improved efficiencies, technology paves the way for improved safety on mining sites.”

Of its 15 Metso machines, six are dual-powered units, making Trollope Mining Services the biggest operator of Metso hybrid crushers and screens in southern Africa, confirms Charl Marais, Sales Manager at Pilot Crushtec. The dual-power fleet comprises two Lokotrack® LT120E™ jaw crushers, a Lokotrack LT330D™ cone crusher and three Lokotrack ST2.8E™ scalping screens. These were expressly purchased for a project in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.

With their ability to have both electricity and diesel as power sources, Marais says dual-power solutions provide the best of both worlds – significant fuel savings and a marked reduction in carbon emissions. “Significant cost reduction is achieved when the machines are connected to the grid,” he explains.

Hopkins added: “Given the high cost of diesel, dual-powered solutions help reduce operating costs for our customers. In our experience, the cost of running bi-power machines off the grid is 1/20 the cost of running them off a diesel engine. There is therefore a major cost benefit for our customers’ operations.”

Apart from the Metso build quality, Hopkins says the aftermarket support from Pilot Crushtec is crucial to ensuring high uptime.

“In all our buying decisions, having a partner that we can trust for the long term is fundamental,” he said. “Pilot Crushtec plays a crucial role in supporting us with all the necessary spares and technical expertise to keep our Metso machines running.”

Minera Arqueros to use Metso equipment for copper sulphide concentrator

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Minera Arqueros S.A. has awarded Metso an order to deliver the key equipment for its greenfield copper sulphide concentrator plant project in Coquimbo, Chile.

The value of the order exceeds €10 million ($6.6 million), with the scope of delivery covering the equipment from crushing to flotation, including, for example, feeders and vibrating screens, primary, secondary and tertiary crushers, a ball mill, as well as several TankCell® and ColumnCell™flotation cells.

The grinding mill and TankCell flotation cells are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, thanks to their energy and water efficiency, Metso says.

Antti Rinne, Vice President, Flotation at Metso, said: “Minera Arqueros partnered with Metso already in the early stages of the project. We conducted test work for the flotation technology in our R&D Center in Pori, Finland, and supported Arqueros in the flowsheet design for the plant. We have had continuous cooperation since the start of the project, and we look forward to continuing to work with Arqueros.”

Superior Industries acquires VSI originator CEMCO

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , ,

Superior Industries, Inc., a Minnesota-based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and handling systems, has announced the acquisition of CEMCO, Inc. of Belen, New Mexico.

CEMCO is a 60-year-old manufacturing company and originator of the modern Vertical Shaft Impact (VSI) Crusher, which, CEMCO says, revolutionised production of high quality road-making material.

Today, CEMCO is recognised as a premier designer and manufacturer of VSI’s as it serves customers in the aggregates, recycling, mining and energy markets worldwide. In addition to its crushers, the company is well-known for outstanding customer service, high quality manufacturing, and incredible devotion to its employees.

CEMCO’s original VSI is still in service today in New Mexico, according to the company.

“We’re honoured that the Hise family has trusted us to carry on an incredible legacy they worked very hard to create,” Jason Adams, President of Superior Industries, said. “Our care for employees, customers, and the Belen community will continue to be strong.”

With the addition of the CEMCO’s VSI, a 140,000-sq.ft manufacturing facility in New Mexico, and dozens of experienced employees, Superior takes another step in its goal of providing more opportunities for dealers and a diverse portfolio of proven products for producers, Superior says. The CEMCO VSI is a much proven, highly trusted crusher with capacity rates up to 1,500 t/h and models ranging from 75-1,000 hp in single or dual drive packages.

Orica’s hardware and software platforms converging for Mining 4.0

Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica’s corporate vision of “mobilising Earth’s resources in a sustainable way” is being further realised through a host of developments from its Digital Solutions and Blasting Technologies divisions, IM reports.

Those involved in charging operations could soon benefit from the launch of Orica and Epiroc’s Avatel™ solution, which, in combination with the WebGen™ wireless initiation platform, offers the ability to remotely blast a development face.

At the same time, the company is busy with the sustainable production of emulsion, the integration of geological orebody information to optimise energy use for blasting, and the expansion of downstream mineral processing tools.

Avatel

Avatel is a combination of state-of-the-art hardware and software solutions designed to mechanise the blasting process.

It includes Orica’s HandiLoader™ emulsion process body, Epiroc’s M2C carrier integrating an RCS 5 control system with Orica’s LOADPlus™ control system, a WebGen 200 wireless initiation system and an automated WebGen magazine. Epiroc has also incorporated onboard dewatering and lifter debris clearing capability, while Orica’s SHOTPlus™ intelligent blast design software is leveraged to deliver superior blasting outcomes, Orica says.

Orica and Epiroc’s advanced technologies integrated into the Avatel system

These components help eliminate the need for personnel exposure at the development face throughout the charging stage of the mining cycle, keeping personnel out of the line of fire, by substituting inherently high hazard manual tasks with a mechanised development charging solution.

A prototype Avatel unit is set to commence operations at Agnico Eagle Mining’s Kittilä gold mine in Finland in the next few months. This follows “alpha trialling” of the complete prototype unit at Epiroc’s Nacka test mine in Stockholm, Sweden.

Adam Mooney, Vice President of Blasting Technology for Orica, said: “Our goal for Kittilä is to expose Avatel to a real mining environment, putting the unit through its paces in an active mine where safety, productivity and reliability are core requirements for success.

“We will gain a practical understanding of how Avatel will fit in with and benefit the entire mining cycle, while also taking the opportunity to measure the blasting improvements possible through the combined use of electronic initiation timing and the precise blast energy control available with Avatel.”

A separate unit, meanwhile, will head to Newcrest Mining’s Cadia copper-gold mine in New South Wales, Australia, later this year, for the first commercial deployment. This is currently undergoing pre-delivery commissioning at Epiroc’s customer centre in Burnie, Tasmania.

Cyclo

Not too far away in Papua New Guinea, Orica has successfully commissioned a Cyclo™ emulsion technology unit, which has been running at a customer site for around two months, according to Mooney. The unit in question has treated in excess of 100,000 litres of used oil, he said.

Cyclo combines the company’s emulsion technology with used oil processing technology to transform mine-site used oil for application in explosives. To provide the tight quality control and regular testing required to manufacture emulsions with such inputs, Orica has partnered with CreatEnergy to develop a standalone, on-site solution to treat used oil.

Orica initially scheduled Cyclo for market introduction in late 2022, but it scaled and sped up development and production plans to support customers’ operations and curtail material disruptions brought about by COVID-19.

The first automated containerised used oil recycling system was commissioned in Ghana late in 2021, with the Papua New Guinea unit being the latest deployment.

Cyclo – containerised, automated used oil recycling service at a customer site in Ghana, Africa

A Senegal Cyclo debut is on track for July given the unit is already in country and connected into the emulsion plant on site, Mooney explained.

The company also plans to bring to market a Cyclo unit suitable for Arctic conditions by the end of this year, with the solution already under construction.

Data to insights to intelligence

Aside from hardware and sustainable emulsion solutions, Orica has recently signed an agreement with Microsoft Azure predicated on creating data-rich and artificial intelligence-infused tools that enable productivity, safety and sustainability benefits on site, with Raj Mathiravedu, Vice President of Digital Solutions, saying such a tie-up enables the company to think of the blasting value chain in a much more holistic manner.

“Orica Digital Solutions’ purpose is to develop and deliver a suite of integrated workflow tools to enable the corporate vision of mobilising Earth’s resources in a sustainable way,” he said. “A key attribute to delivering this workflow is the journey that we need to incorporate from data to insights to intelligence.”

Mathiravedu says the company is looking to go beyond the traditional solutions pairing software and IoT devices for a discrete product to – with the help of Microsoft Azure capabilities – building “answer products” focused on improving workflows.

“These workflows can benefit from understanding how geology within the orebody intelligence space can help us determine the optimised energy required for blasting in a real-time production workflow,” he said. “We have started this journey and are already delivering value to our customers by integrating workflows from orebody to processing.”

One example of this is the company’s FRAGTrack™ suite of solutions, devised to provide blast fragmentation data with auto-analysis capability.

Delivered as part of the company’s BlastIQ Digital Optimisation Platform, FRAGTrack is able to capture real-time fragmentation measurement data for optimising drill and blast operations, improving downstream productivity and tracking of operational performance.

Originally developed for measurements on both face shovels and conveyors, the solution was expanded earlier this year with the launch of FRAGTrack Crusher for automated pre-crusher fragmentation measurements.

FRAGTrack Crusher installation at Stevenson Aggregates

There are several vendors offering fragmentation measurement tools throughout the industry, but Mathiravedu says Orica’s solution can carry out such analysis consistently and accurately – day or night – in extremely dusty and dynamic environments like mining.

“The FRAGTrack image processing technology can handle extremely dusty and lighting-affected conditions beyond any solutions in the industry,” Mathiravedu said. “It is also able to learn and adapt to specific operational environments like the dumping habits of different truck operators using artificial intelligence technology. Together with the integration with fleet management systems, it can provide a fully autonomous and integrated measurement solution.”

On conveyors, the FRAGTrack solution can reliably measure fines with increased accuracy compared with conventional systems that leverage curve-fit algorithms, according to Mathiravedu, with the advanced image and 3D processing techniques providing the ability to measure fragments down to 5 mm in size.

The combination of FRAGTrack Conveyor and Orica’s ORETrack™ solution can provide not only particle size distribution information, but also critical information on ore grade and hardness for the milling operations in real time.

“The FRAGTrack platform architecture has been designed to be scalable to incorporate different sensor inputs along with its high-performance GPU compute capabilities,” Mathiravedu said, explaining that there could be further analysis solutions down the line.

TerraSource to highlight high-performance crushing and feeding equipment at MINExpo

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TerraSource Global and its three flagship equipment brands – Gundlach, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher – are gearing up to showcase new products at MINExpo International that, TerraSource says, are helping the company remain an innovation leader in durable, high-performance crushing and feeding equipment for the mining industry.

The company’s products are known to many in the sector, with a list of crushing and feeding solutions that include roll crushers, jaw crushers, hammer mills, impactors, cage mills, vibratory feeders and centroload feeders.

At MINExpo in Las Vegas – September 13-15, 2021 – TerraSource’s booth highlights will include the EnduraHog™ hammer mill, which takes the best of its Jeffrey Rader hammer mills and hogs for a new industry standard of flexible, durable, and low-maintenance crushing equipment; and its EnduraHog Flextooth® crushers, which couple unique hammer designs with patented Slant-Flow® screen grates – designed to facilitate more uniform sizing capabilities, faster material evacuation and longer wear than other types of grates.

“Not only are these machines designed for durability, high performance and energy efficiency, but our new EZ-Access™ housing design also makes these machines safer and easier to maintain than competitor models,” TerraSource said.

Also on show will be the company’s line of premium-performance Duralife® hammers and Brute Armor™ wear-resistant screen grates.

“Many of our mining customers have presented us with particularly challenging material sizing applications that require specialised hammers and striking surfaces with enhanced performance characteristics and wear resistance,” the company said. “TerraSource has met these challenges with our Duralife and Brute Armor premium OEM parts offerings, the result of years-long investment in patented chemistry and material compositions, advanced design features, and proprietary production processes to provide the highest-performing wear parts options – up to four times longer life than third-party offerings – for customers with the toughest material sizing requirements.”

And new Jeffrey Rader NFE vibratory feeders will also be displayed.

The Jeffrey Radar NFE provides additional size configurations along with the most-requested design upgrades to ensure even more precise feeding capabilities coupled with simpler and safer maintenance features, greater energy efficiency, and lower overall cost of ownership, the company claimed.

Finally, the redesigned Gundlach Cage-Paktor® maintenance cage mill (pictured) for finer grind, higher volume and fewer fines applications will be shown off to attendees. The redesigned Gundlach Cage-Paktor is equipped with, among other elements, thicker, more wear-resistant materials over the entire cage; improved resistance to breakage from tramp; and no-wear liners and bolted-on components for easier, faster and less-expensive maintenance.

Technofast EziTite fasteners secure place in comminution equipment setup

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, , , , , , , , , ,

A new way of securing vibrating screen and crusher motor bolts has been shown in service to save two-thirds of the time previously taken for the installation and maintenance of the drives of this comminution equipment, according to Australia-based Technofast.

Technofast EziTite® Hydraulic Nuts are used to secure vibrating mechanisms and drive motors to sieves, screens and comminution equipment so as to avoid downtime and maintenance. They are actuated simultaneously to give accurate, even and simultaneous torquing across sets of bolts used in crusher screen applications such as mineral processing and the sorting of industrial materials.

The EziTite fasteners for vibrating and crusher applications incorporate a poly washer for extended service, eliminating problems such as hex nuts vibrating loose, lack of control of the bolt load, and physically demanding and hazardous use of flogging spanners, the company says.

Technofast Founder and CEO, John Bucknell, said: “One of the issues facing operators of this type of equipment is the propensity for bolts to loosen under the constant vibration and cyclic loading. We have alleviated this issue by incorporating a flexible poly washer to augment the outstanding performance of the EziTite fasteners in service.

“One typical quarry and mining application in Western Australia dramatically cut the installation time of the motor bolts from a six-hour operation needing two or three personnel, to a two-hour operation involving two people. The machine operator involved reported that using the poly washer as a shock-resistant component and tensioning them simultaneously with precise accuracy is a game changer.”

He added: “Not only did the application benefit from easy installation and safer handling, but also the simultaneous and precise tensioning of the EziTite nuts produced highly accurate bolt loadings without the ‘cross talk’ coming from individual torque tightening. This resulted in a safer, more secure and longer-lasting joint.”

Technofast has more than doubled the size of its Brisbane, Australia, premises in recent years as a result of expanded global demand for its products, which are typically used where rapid, simplified, and safe maintenance is important and secure and long-lasting joints are integral to safety. Applications range from the servicing of nuclear reactors and conventional turbines, through to partnerships with the likes of Framatome and Siemens in areas such as mineral processing, motors, crushers, dragline drums, cranes, mantle nuts and gearbox coupler.

Weir Minerals wins large comminution order from Nigeria iron ore mine

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

Two of the largest screens built by Weir Minerals Africa are being designed and manufactured in South Africa as part of a process solution for an iron ore mine in Nigeria.

According to Tiisetso Masekwameng, General Manager Comminution at Weir Minerals Africa, the flowsheet accepted by the customer includes equipment for screening, washing, and grinding supplied by Weir Minerals.

“Within our scope of work are the two largest Enduron® double-deck banana screens built by Weir Minerals,” Masekwameng says. “This is made possible by the depth of design expertise in our Separation Technology Group, an eight-strong team conducting research and development.”

Steven Hunter, Separation Technology Group Leader at Weir Minerals Africa, says the two 51 t Enduron double-deck banana (DBHG 43/97) screens (one pictured) for this project were built upon the designs of the existing Weir Minerals screens range. These large machines measure 4.3 m wide and 9.7 m long and can process 1,750 t/h.

“The customer’s production requirements demanded this considerable size, so we optimised the design by minimising mass without compromising structural integrity,” Hunter says. “We conducted extensive finite element analysis on the whole machine but focused on the main structural elements, ensuring that the units were fit-for-purpose while still being light enough to be driven by the exciters.”

The size of the units still demanded the design and manufacture of Weir Minerals Africa’s largest exciter yet – the Enduron LTX 10. With 120 t of excitation force (at maximum setting), these units will drive the screens at a stroke of 9.4 mm and a gravitational force of 4.6 G.

Hunter said the screens are ready to be fitted with Weir’s IIoT platform, Synertrex. “This allows the machines to be monitored remotely; the system can measure the machine’s performance and any deviations arising that may require proactive attention,” he explained.

The order for Nigeria also includes two Trio® jaw crushers, two Trio cone crushers, two large 2 m by 8 m Trio apron feeders, two Trio pan feeders, eight Enduron vibrating screens and an Enduron HPGR.

For the clay washing circuit, Weir Minerals Africa will supply the mine with a Trio twin-shaft blade mill and Trio twin-shaft coarse washers as well as Warman® slurry pumps.

ME Elecmetal looks for sales, service boost with Road Machinery & Supplies Co partnership

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

ME Elecmetal has selected Road Machinery & Supplies Co (RMS) as a manufacturers’ representative for its line of crusher wear product solutions.

RMS is a distributor of construction and mining equipment with sales and support operations throughout the Upper Midwest of USA. It represents the best brands in the industry and backs them up with responsive, knowledgeable product support and technology solutions, enabling customers to complete their jobs safely and on time, according to ME Elecmetal.

As a distributor for ME Elecmetal, RMS will provide sales, parts, service, and other support capabilities to customers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

“As part of our effort to increase our market presence in this important region of the United States, we are pleased to begin our relationship with Road Machinery & Supplies,” George Schlemmer, Director of Crusher Products and Solutions for ME Elecmetal, said. “The years of experience in the states they will represent, as well as their highly skilled and knowledgeable sales and service teams, will be a great asset in providing our end customers with premium quality crushing and aggregate solutions.”

RMS Aggregate Division Manager, Ben Schmidtlein, said: “We feel our new partnership with ME Elecmetal will have a direct impact to our customers’ bottom lines. We are excited to combine top-quality wear materials to our great products and services.”

Metso wins plaudits in Chile with Phibrand supplier ranking

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining maintenance, , , , , , ,

Metso Outotec has received recognition as the leading supplier in the Mining Suppliers’ Ranking conducted by Phibrand in Chile.

In the winning categories, Metso Outotec was nominated under the name Metso, as the survey was initiated in May 2020, prior to the merger of Metso Minerals and Outotec on July 1, 2020.

These categories include Crushers, Mills and Plant Maintenance as well as the highest recognition in the ranking, the Best Performing International Supplier.

Eduardo Nilo, President of Metso Outotec’s South America market area (pictured in the middle), said: “This recognition makes us happy and this is truly a moment of pride for us, as the winners are nominated by the customers themselves in a very competitive, high-end market.

“We want to continue improving and delivering the best service to our customers by knowing their needs and innovating solutions.”

He added: “We are experiencing a historic year for several reasons – we have taken a new step of growth by becoming Metso Outotec, and the pandemic has led us to develop new, safer ways to operate in factories and service centres as well as in the field. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their exceptional work.”

The Mining Suppliers’ Ranking is a globally unique survey in the mining industry, according to Metsou Outotec, providing an outlook on how suppliers are positioned in the Chile market.

Metso Outotec has a strong presence in the whole South America market with six service centres, four factories, four distribution centres, a foundry and a performance centre established in 2019 to focus on remote monitoring.

Halbach & Braun to help modernise Turkey’s Zonguldak coal mining region

Bulk handling, Coal technology, Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , ,

A delegation from Turkey’s Zonguldak mining region has signed a cooperation contract with Halbach & Braun Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co that could see the hard coal operation double output and modernises its plant.

According to Halbach & Braun, Turkey’s current energy development plan, which aims to reduce its dependence on energy imports, involves the intensification of coal mining in the Zonguldak region of Turkey; a plan that requires investment in state-of-the-art mining technology.

Against this backdrop, the visit organised by Zonguldak eV Europa of a high-ranking delegation from the Zonguldak mining region and representatives of state politics – represented by Saadet Oruç, Chief Advisor to the President – to Halbach & Braun took place (pictured).

The mining equipment supplier from Hattingen has a strong market position in Turkey and, since last year, has been able to offer mine operators a considerably expanded range of products, it said.

Dr Dietrich Braun, Managing Partner of Halbach & Braun, said: “Our classic core competencies are crushing and conveying – underground and surface mining. Thanks to the participation of the Chinese Yangquan Coal Group in our company, we can now also offer complete range of longwall equipment including shields and shearer loaders.

“We adapt the basic design of the plants to our high-quality standards and to the individual requirements of our customers.”

Turkey’s state-owned mine operator TTK has enlisted the help of the company and, during the company tour in Hattingen, Muharrem Kiraz, Deputy Md of TTK, said: “Our goal is 100% mechanical extraction with modern and highly productive plants from Halbach & Braun.”

In the coming years Zonguldak is to be developed into an energy centre, according to the Germany-based company.

The Ruhr area of Germany could serve as a model here – with the difference that coal production will be expanded instead of discontinued, the company said.

Metin Demir, Chairman of the Regional Chamber of Industry and Commerce, confirmed this: “We have a 180-year mining tradition, and now we are shaping our future. Together with the players in business, associations and politics and also with the employee representatives, we have founded a development association for the region that expressly provides for cooperation with German companies under our cooperation partner Halbach & Braun. We would like to profit from their competence and also from the experiences of the Ruhr area.”