Tag Archives: OEM

Liebherr-Australia prepares for zero emission tech developments with Perth facility expansion

Automation, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Liebherr-Australia has expanded its Perth mining facility, adding 47,000 sq.m of workshop, office and build space to the complex, strengthening the company’s ability to deliver accelerated zero emission solutions to the wider market.

Perth is Liebherr-Australia’s second largest branch after the company’s head office in Adelaide, South Australia.

Liebherr says the company’s growing involvement in the development and implementation of zero emission technology with Australian customers illustrates the necessity for this investment in infrastructure, and signifies Liebherr’s commitment to these industry-leading projects.

The Redcliffe-based branch purchased the land and buildings adjacent to the current location, increasing the Liebherr complex from 34,000 sq.m to 81,000 sq.m. The new acquisition includes two workshops and a three-storey office building, adding to Liebherr’s existing 3,000 sq.m service workshop, 5,000 sq.m parts warehouse, along with an administration building and build area.

Liebherr-Australia Managing Director, Trent Wehr, said: “This is our largest investment in infrastructure here in Australia in many years, and this signifies how vital this facility is for our current and future business. Liebherr’s developments in zero emission technology, and the projects we are working on with industry partners and customers, are progressing every day and will deliver tangible solutions for the wider industry well before 2030.

“The team at Liebherr-Australia is making important contributions to the decarbonisation of the mining industry, and we’re committed to resourcing this momentous work for both our long-term success and the benefit of the whole industry.”

The newly acquired office and workshop buildings will form the central hub for Liebherr’s mining zero emission, autonomy and other technology development and implementation projects in Australia.

The workshop and additional hardstand areas will facilitate these development projects, as well as new equipment builds for the growing number of machine orders in Western Australia. The additional office space will house the growing teams working on these industry-leading projects.

One can expect some of the work associated with integrating the zero emission power system technologies being developed by Fortescue Future Industries and Williams Advanced Engineering into Liebherr’s 240-t-class T 264 haul truck as part of an agreement with Fortescue Metals Group to be carried out at these expanded facilities.

Liebherr-Australia’s Regional Manager WA, Paul Hyham, says the company’s decarbonisation and technology focus has ramped up quickly over the past year.

“We’re building a really critical team here in Perth to support new technology development, which will employ everyone from engineers to on-site technicians,” he said. “We’re excited to be bringing across some of our best international talent, as well as recruiting talent locally, and upskilling our own workforce over the next 12 months. We currently have around 200 permanent employees here in Perth and we forecast an increase steadily over the next few years.”

This expansion will have significant impact on the Liebherr Mining business both locally and globally.

Hyham continued: “It’s exciting to have the forefront of this technology development and deployment right here in our backyard. Across the business there’s a feeling of excitement that we’re making real progress. Announcements like this facility expansion really show our employees, customers and our wider network that we’re on the cusp of meaningful change.”

Alongside this expansion, the Perth complex will continue to be the main mining facility for all services in Western Australia, and support its satellite network of branches in the state’s regional mining hubs including Newman and the recently-established branch in Kalgoorlie.

Duratray trialling SmartTray 4.0 tech at Chile and Australia mines

IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, , , , , ,

With the purpose of not only diversifying its line of products but also walking towards technological advancements that transform the way mining operations work, Duratray International is trialling its latest product, the Smart Tray 4.0, across Chile and Australia.

The main goal of all Duratray’s products has been to maximise customers’ mining performance through high technological solutions. The design of the company’s staple product, the Suspended Dump Body (SDB), offers just that by reducing carry back, increasing payload and reducing maintenance cost, the company says. However, Duratray is committed to take the truck and tray’s performance even further.

Duratray says it has developed the first Smart Tray on the market, the Smart Tray 4.0, which allows customers to make decisions in real-time via data monitoring and alerts, as well as plan maintenance based on analysis of historical data and advanced and automated analytics that can predict failures.

“We achieved this by using modern technologies such as digital sensors, cloud storage, wireless connectivity and our own platform and infrastructure that glues all the modules of the system together,” Pablo Rossi, Project Leader of the Smart Tray 4.0, says.

The Smart Tray 4.0 technologies are independent of the truck manufacturer and, as such, can be deployed on hybrid fleets, allowing the customer to access their whole fleet from a single system for a fraction of the cost, according to Duratray.

The system that supports the Smart Tray 4.0. is modular and customisable so it can be designed to support any type of mine or quarry in the world, and has the capability to integrate existing sensors on the trucks.

“The interoperability and universality of the system allows the comparison of performance across different trucks, different materials being transported, different loaders, different climates, etc, enabling us to identify and share best practices for the mining and construction industries,” Rossi added.

Currently, the Smart Tray technology is operational at mine sites in the north of Chile and Western Australia, the company concluded.

(photo courtesy of De Beers Group)

Metso adds crushing & screening flexibility to the process flowsheet with My Plant Planner

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, IoT, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Metso is looking to increase access to and improve the visualisation of mining process flowsheets with a new tool that could ultimately see more of its equipment end up at mine sites.

My Plant Planner offers engineering customers and mining end users the ability to model a flowsheet after inputting certain key parameters of their orebodies. They can then also visualise this plant layout in a platform that is free to use.

Metso, along with other OEMs, has provided visualisation tools to the industry for many years.

The company’s Bruno simulation software has over 7,000 users and has been helping customers select the right equipment for their mines since 1994. This software includes all the necessary Metso equipment, such as feeders, crushers and screens, and shows outputs for different end products, providing users with the data they need to make informed decisions on the right equipment.

My Plant Planner utilises this simulation expertise, but does so at a much earlier stage of the equipment selection process.

With the tool, customers can pick and choose different types of crushers, screens and conveyors to get the perfect balance for the circuit and identify bottlenecks to understand where extra capacity is needed, according to Metso.

Important factors, such as capacity, load, and power draw, are updated in real time as the circuit is designed and the parameters updated. At any point, it is possible to download a report that gathers together all the details about the plant being designed. It includes details on the chosen crushers, screens, conveyors and their parameters, including power consumption.

“We decided to develop this tool as we were seeing different types of requirements from our customers and EPCMs (engineering procurement and construction management) at the time around prefeasibility studies and we wanted to be more reactive to this,” Guillaume Lambert, Vice President of Metso’s Crushing Systems business line, explained to IM.

Prior to using such a tool, these EPCM firms were developing flowsheets for economic studies – the type of documents investors use to gauge the potential profitability of a mine development – over a matter of months or years in tandem with OEMs, before moving onto obtaining quotes based on their mining customers’ budgets.

As time has gone on, these firms have been asked by their mining customers to factor in more requirements into these studies. One may require a reduced plant footprint due to the proximity of indigenous communities; another may request that energy consumption is reduced in line with existing available power infrastructure in the region.

The requests vary depending on the size of company, the location of the project, the commodity and many other elements.

This is where the three-dimensional aspect of My Plant Planner is very important, according to Lambert, providing customers with not only a visualisation of the flowsheet, but also a gauge of the physical constraints that cannot be represented in 2D form.

This means companies assessing brownfield assessments can factor in height and width restrictions of existing infrastructure against capital expenditure requirements.

The turnaround time for the type of analysis being carried out by My Plant Planner is also a key selling point, allowing companies to generate results in a matter of hours, as opposed to waiting two to three weeks for a flowsheet assessment.

This speed could allow customers to explore multiple processing flowsheets in a simplified form as part of their due diligence process – for example weighing up a three stage conventional crushing and screening flowsheet against a HPGR circuit.

So far, the crushing and screening portion of the process flowsheet will be covered with the launch of My Plant Planner, but, based on customer feedback, the company plans to expand to the filtration process and other downstream elements.

As to why the company started with crushing and screening, the answer is an obvious one, according to Lambert.

Metso already has Bruno and VPS software (mine to mill assessments) in place – “we don’t have to reinvent the wheel in this regard”, Lambert said – and it is the area of the flowsheet that tends to come with the most equipment options.

“You can have three crushers in parallel, or one big one; a large screen in close circuit, or a smaller one in open circuit, etc,” he said.

It is this flexibility that miners require today. New projects coming to the table are very rarely 20-plus year developments that require a uniform comminution process over their lifetime.

Capex-conscious miners and their investors are instead bankrolling developments that tend to come with less than 10 years of life and are conservative when it comes to throughput. This is with the idea that they will fund the mine life extensions and expansions from existing cash flow when the operation is at full tilt.

These growth plans will inevitably come with the need to amend the process flowsheet down the line – which is where the plant footprint visualisation ability of My Plant Planner could come into play.

Flexibility such as this is also coming into Metso’s equipment line-up, with the company, only last week, launching its flexible FIT™ and smart Foresight™ crushing and screening stations for mining.

The FIT stations are designed with a focus on speed and flexibility, with two stations to choose from – Recrushing station and Jaw station – while the Foresight stations are equipped with smart automation technology including Metso Metrics™, VisioRock™, level sensors and crusher variable frequency drive.

These modular solutions are geared towards reducing capital expenditure and providing shorter lead times. In other words, they offer more flexibility.

It is tools such as My Plant Planner that will highlight just how important this flexibility could be over the life of mine of a chosen operation, providing users with the visibility to help navigate choppy commodity cycles and ensure their operations remain profitable over the long term.

You can find more details on My Plant Planner by clicking here.

Kwatani problem solving doubles diamond mine’s screening feed rate

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Kwatani says it has helped a South Africa diamond operation double the feed rate of its degrit screen through the use of one of its customised solutions.

The customer was operating several multi-slope screens to dewater product between 0.8 mm and 5 mm in size, before it was treated by dense medium separation (DMS). However, the screens were causing a severe carry-over of water onto the conveyor belt to the DMS, according to the South Africa-based OEM.

“The feed rate on each screen was being limited to about 250 t/h,” Kwatani CEO, Kim Schoepflin, said. “We tackled this by designing and manufacturing a customised multi-slope screening machine to fit the customer’s existing footprint.”

Schoepflin said Kwatani’s replacement was able to double the feed rate to about 500 t/h, with minimal water carry-over.

As a result of the success of this unit, the customer requested Kwatani to replace the whole bank of screens, it said.

In another contract, a customer asked for assistance with underperforming screens that could not deliver the original design parameters. They also wanted to increase the tonnage throughput by 17%, according to the company.

“We conducted a careful evaluation in collaboration with the customer, and came up with an innovative and economical solution,” Schoepflin said. “Simply replacing the existing screens with Kwatani’s new larger screens would have been costly and time consuming, so we decided instead to replace the screen’s existing gearboxes.”

The replacement gearboxes delivered greater vibration, but without exceeding the output torque the existing motors driving the gearboxes could provide.

“Drawing from our portfolio of locally designed and manufactured exciter gearboxes, we were able to implement this solution very quickly,” she said. “The two new exciter gearboxes were delivered to site and were in operation within two weeks – successfully and immediately increasing the screen’s throughput.”

The benefits to the customer did not stop there, according to Schoepflin. The newly optimised operating parameters meant the material bed depth was lower, so the drive motors drew a lower amperage and reduced the cost of power consumed.

“Our customised screening and feeding solutions – developed by our in-house team of experienced mechanical engineers and metallurgists – are based on consultation with each customer,” she explained. “The result is a design that delivers the optimal processing performance and tonnage at the lowest cost of ownership.”

Multotec renews power commitment in South Africa

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Mineral processing original equipment manufacturer Multotec says it has installed renewable power at one of its facilities in Spartan near Johannesburg, South Africa.

The investment saw 684 photovoltaic solar panels being installed in November 2019, creating a 223 kW generating system. It serves Multotec’s most energy-intensive works – its injection moulding facility – providing almost 20% of the daily electricity demand, the company says.

According to Multotec’s Group Manufacturing Executive, Werner Stessl, the impact of the system is both economic and environmental.

“Multotec is committed to environmental sustainability and we value the fact that this installation is likely to save about 30,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions each month,” Stessl said. “This is the equivalent of planting about 100 trees a month.”

He says the organisation has been carefully monitoring its rising electricity costs and sought a responsible solution that would leverage the latest renewable energy technology. In collaboration with solar power experts Energy Capital, a thorough investigation of its energy consumption and available opportunities was conducted.

“After months of planning and research, it was established that we could run a battery-less system which would valuably augment our current municipal supply,” Stessl said. “After some structural engineering to prepare our designated roof areas, the panels were efficiently placed and linked up by mid-November last year.”

To date, the system has more than met Multotec’s expectations, which were contractually guaranteed by the service provider, it said. The detailed upfront investigation showed that the installation could be repaid by energy savings within about four-and-a-half years. System performance – right down to the electricity generated by each PV solar panel – can be monitored daily on an online dashboard, he says.

The local municipality has also begun to benefit from Multotec’s initiative, as there is usually ‘overflow’ power generated at weekends the moulding facility does not need. This excess electricity is now channelled back into the main grid by Multotec, at no cost to the municipality.

WesTrac gets flexible with used, refurbished and as-new parts division

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Caterpillar dealer WesTrac is spinning out its FlexiParts™ & Mining Services business to focus on sourcing and selling cost-effective parts, components and attachment solutions from its global network.

The new division will provide clients with access to a broad range of used, refurbished and as-new parts, it said.

A new website at www.flexiparts.com.au with an extensive online inventory is supporting the business online.

“The newly-branded business has operated as a division within WesTrac for some time and is now being established as a separate entity focused on sourcing and selling cost-effective parts, components and attachment solutions from their global network,” WesTrac said.

FlexiParts & Mining Services also allows customers to sell unwanted machinery and parts and will purchase and dismantle machines to ensure there is a large range and diverse inventory on hand, the company said. As well as Cat parts and equipment, the business sources and sells a broad range from other OEM brands. Exchange and outright purchasing options are also available for non-powertrain products, it added.

Travis Cargill, WesTrac General Manager Mining & FlexiParts, said the service was being ramped up in response to customer demand for more flexible solutions, differentiated price points and faster delivery times, which are not always possible when waiting for new parts and components.

“The major advantage of FlexiParts & Mining Services is that it provides customers with cost-effective options, sourced specifically for their needs, from anywhere in the world,” Cargill said.

“That often reduces wait times that can occur when purchasing new parts and provides customers with significant savings.

“It’s also important to note that while the business is evolving into a standalone entity, it will continue to maintain its close ties with other divisions within WesTrac and retain in-depth familiarity of customer sites and requirements.”

Another major benefit provided to FlexiParts & Mining Services customers is the provision of transport frames, specifically designed to allow safe transportation of a broad range of items, the company said.

Danielle Bull, WesTrac General Manager Product Support, said WesTrac has a duty of care under the Chain of Responsibility legislation to ensure safe transportation of bulky items, which is a key concern for customers.

“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on ensuring we can provide fit-for-purpose transport frames for a large range of parts, so customers know they not only have access to well-priced parts, but delivery to site will be a seamless process.”

Kwatani screens and feeders tackle manganese ore in South Africa

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

As a vital aspect of a plant expansion at a manganese mine in the Northern Cape of South Africa, Kwatani says it is supplying four heavy duty vibrating screens and 10 feeders to help boost throughput.

According to Kwatani CEO, Kim Schoepflin, this large-scale equipment is custom-designed and engineered for tonnage to meet the mine’s challenging operational requirements.

“Manganese ore is very demanding on vibrating screens as it has a high specific gravity and is also very abrasive,” Schoepflin says. “Our machines are engineered to perform the application’s duty requirement while being robust enough to deliver maximum uptime.”

The units being supplied include a 3.6 m double-deck scalping screen, a 3 m double-deck screen, a 2.4 m screen and a 1.8 m dewatering screen. A local OEM that has designed and engineered vibrating screens for over four decades, Kwatani has built a reputation for world-class expertise and capability, it says.

“Customers choose us for our engineering track record – developing technology that can manage the tonnages they require,” Schoepflin says. “This means understanding each mine’s specific conditions, and then building a design to meet a range of complex mechanical and metallurgical factors.”

The order to the mine is being rolled out on time and on specification to the customer’s satisfaction, according to Kwatani COO, Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers.

“The efficiency and quality of our work process allows us to design, manufacture and deliver custom-designed screens in the same timeframes that other OEMs deliver standard models,” Mayhew-Ridgers said.

This is particularly demanding as custom-designed equipment undergo an intensive design process after being verified by rigorous finite element analysis in-house, Kwatani says. Prior to dispatch, all units endure intensive testing before being commissioned on a customer’s site. For this reason, Kwatani boasts its own in-house advanced testing facilities at its Kempton Park facility, in South Africa. Aligned to ISO 9001 standards, the testing protocols have been developed in-house with decades of experience. This allows full testing similar to cold commissioning, even before delivery to site.

Kwatani stresses importance of screen servicing

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

To ensure uptime on critical equipment, maintenance contracts are becoming an ever-more popular choice, according to vibrating equipment OEM, Kwatani.

The South Africa-based company should know, as it has customised contracts in place to service over 500 of its machines in the Northern Cape alone.

“Vibrating screens are critical to a mine’s material flow, which is its lifeblood,” Kwatani CEO Kim Schoepflin, says. “This requires OEMs to be experts, not just in design and manufacture, but in service support and maintenance.”

As a leading local OEM, Kwatani has seen mines gradually embrace the value of maintenance contracts to avoid costly downtime. One of its contracts covers about 400 screens on a single mining operation.

The range of its contracts extends to various commodities, from hard materials like iron ore and manganese to soft material such as coal. In one coal operation in Limpopo, Kwatani has contracted to service 160 of its machines.

Schoepflin highlights how regular, expert maintenance is vital for mines to achieve the lowest cost per tonne in their production process. However, she warns these contracts can only be conducted responsibly and effectively with the right level of knowledge and experience.

“With our depth of know-how gathered over more than 40 years, we understand exactly what inspections and critical replacement need to be done and when,” she says. “As importantly, we know how to conduct this work cost effectively.”

Accurate costing of maintenance contracts can only be based on a firm foundation of expertise, especially when contracts invoke penalties due to breakdowns. Kwatani’s experience in the field ensures the requirements of its maintenance contracts are met. This allows the company to offer a range of financial models to customers when they consider such contracts.

“We are so confident of the quality and reliability of our vibrating screens and feeders that some customers pay us a cost-per-tonne rate to maintain them,” she says. “We design, manufacture, install and commission according to their requirements, and then we take financial responsibility for keeping them fully operational.”

Long-term contracts often also include a commitment to improve and enhance the performance of the screens over time. To do this work professionally requires qualified service teams who are supported by solid engineering teams. Kwatani has developed these resources locally over more than four decades, and continuously develops skills in-house, alongside the various management systems to ensure such skills are available timeously to the customer.

“In addition to training and employing local people for a service role at our branches, we also collaborate with mining customers to empower their locally-based suppliers where this is feasible,” Schoepflin says.

She highlights Kwatani’s solution-orientated approach, combining the company’s expertise in its screening technology with the customer’s specific needs and resources.

Why the Pilbara leads the way in haul truck automation

Automation, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A presentation at last month’s AusIMM Iron Ore 2019 Conference, in Perth, Western Australia, made it clear that the state’s steel raw material miners are leading the way when it comes to applying autonomous haulage systems (AHS) in open-pit mining.

Richard Price, Manager of Projects for Mining Technicians Group Australia (MTGA), has been involved in this technology space for a number of years, having initially witnessed an automation trial involving two trucks at Alcoa’s Willowdale bauxite mine, in Pinjarra, all the way back in 1994.

At the conference, his paper set out the state of play in Pilbara when it comes to AHS, explaining: the first commercial scale trial in iron ore took place at Rio Tinto’s West Angelas operation in 2008, there are two original equipment manufacturer (OEM) AHS operating in the Pilbara – Caterpillar Command for Hauling and the Komatsu FrontRunner – and the three major iron ore miners (Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue Metals Group (FMG)) were leaders when it comes to using autonomous trucks.

FMG is the largest operator of autonomous trucks in the Pilbara – making it effectively the largest in the world – with 128 at the end of June (according to the miner’s June quarter results). Rio, meanwhile, had 96 up and running, with BHP having a total of 50, as per publicly released data.

“FMG has plans to automate all of their trucks, including the first non-OEM trucks on an alternate OEM system,” Price said, with him adding that the company has now automated a number of Komatsu 930E vehicles using the Caterpillar Command for Hauling AHS: a world first.

“Additionally, FMG is also operating multiple Caterpillar OEM trucks onsite, in another world first having three classes of truck on the one system at the same site (789D, 793F and 930E),” he said.

While Komatsu, historically, has more time in the field with commercial autonomous applications – it surpassed 2 billion tons of autonomous haulage in November – than Caterpillar, the Illinois-based OEM has received more global success, being able to point to AHS deployments in the oil sands of Canada, the coal mines of British Columbia and Vale’s iron ore operations in Brazil.

“With regards to the on-board AHS componentry, the Komatsu system is somewhat simpler than the Caterpillar system,” Price said. “The significant difference is that Caterpillar utilises a LiDAR (Velodyne 64-layer), with RADAR, whilst the Komatsu system uses RADAR only. However there are additional differences in the on-board controls – the Caterpillar system is known for having more significant vehicle on-board computing power, versus the Komatsu system which places greater reliance on the wireless network whilst performing most of the calculations on the server side.”

Even with the on-board computing power of Caterpillar’s system, the performance of these trucks only tends to be as good as the communications infrastructure they are tied to.

Presently, only the Komatsu system has announced successful trials of using 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network technology as the communications system which commands the trucks, with the Caterpillar system presently reliant on wireless networking technology, “of which all current implementations rely upon (globally)”, Price said.

One of the issues with such technologies is the trucks stop driving, or operating, if they lose communications, with the trucks communicating, via this network, their position to each other and directional heading and speed.

The way the trucks re-start their driving routine is, at present, via manual visual inspection, which can be a process that takes time.

And, according to Price, a significant problematic issue with trucks stopping driving across all the Pilbara sites is the triggering of a false positive object detection.

“These are often referred to as ‘ODs’ on the various sites which utilise AHS,” Price said, with many operators blaming undulations in the road, pot holes, or small rocks for these occurrences.

Again, manual inspection is normally required as part of an operation’s procedure for re-starting the autonomous trucks.

Out in front

Despite these communication and OD problems, Western Australia still leads the way when it comes to automation with the Pilbara hosting around 75% of the circa-370 trucks operating globally.
What is the reason for this? Price highlighted five bullet points in his speech:

  • High cost of operators – annual salaries for truck operations are, in general, over A$100,000 ($68,882);
  • Ease of implementation – “the Pilbara miners generally have open ground, and have had an opportunity to trial the technology in a dedicated work area prior to a site-wide implementation,” Price said, adding that the topography has also made it simpler to install the required communications systems;
  • Scale and longevity of operations – Previously cost-benefit analysis of AHS included an approximate cutoff point of 12 Mt/y total material movement, which equates to six to eight off-highway haul trucks, Price said. All operations exceed this, as well as having long mine lives;
  • The fact that all the sites which have presently deployed AHS are currently fly-in/fly-out mines which transport the staff to site from their point-of-hire, and;
  • Experience of technology and processes in the Pilbara – miners in the region have long-term familiarity with fleet management systems and technology adoption.

Price said: “Western Australia does not necessarily have any unique or special advantage, however, it has made sense for Pilbara iron ore operators to implement AHS for the reasons outlined above.”

The benefits

MTGA’s Price pointed to several quotes from the mining companies themselves to explain the benefits of automation.

Rio Tinto, in 2018, said: “On average, each autonomous truck was estimated to have operated about 700 hours more than conventional haul trucks during 2017 and around 15% lower load and haul unit costs.”

FMG, in the same year, said it was seeing 32% productivity improvements with autonomous trucking.

Vale, meanwhile, previously told Mining.com: “The adoption of autonomous trucks at Brucutu (iron ore mine, in Brazil) is expected to reduce fuel consumption by more than 10%. Maintenance costs, in turn, should fall by another 10% and off-road truck tyres, which cost up to $40,000, are expected to have 25% lower wear. The overall gains translate into a 15% increase in equipment life, reducing investments in new acquisitions and reducing carbon dioxide emissions at the same time.”

Price said: “There are clearly differing metrics being monitored by these three operators at present. However, irrespective of the metrics monitored, AHS obviously has had a significant impact on the operating environment.

“It appears that the increase in utilisation of the autonomous trucks is the most significant benefit that they provide. The decrease in costs is also helpful, but the increase in predictability of the truck fleet is what drives the actual benefit.

“A number of materially measurable but difficult to quantify benefits exist from the rendering of trucks autonomous as well. These include less maintenance, better tyre wear (or increased tyre life), reduced fuel costs (for the same tonnage output) and better overall truck performance.”

For instance, Komatsu has previously said the optimised automatic controls of AHS reduce sudden acceleration and abrupt steering, resulting in a 40% improvement in tyre life compared with conventional operations.

And, of course, there are the numerous safety benefits that come with using automated haul trucks.

The future

While Price believes that mining will continue to become more autonomous, he said the mine of the future was likely to involve the automatic distribution of data files that trucks would work off without human involvement.

“For now, technologies such as LTE for better communications network coverage, the use of drones, long-range cameras or other autonomous ground vehicles to conduct the manual visual inspection and other autonomous equipment will be implemented,” he said.

He added: “It is likely that there will be a continuum of development over the next 20-30 years.

“Mining companies and OEMs will have a lot to learn from automotive vehicle automation. Obviously, there are more cars on the roads than there are off-highway haulage trucks on minesites. Therefore the general costs of automation kits will come down, and there will be an opportunity to conduct operations in a GPS-denied environment.

“Already, the costs of select items such as the LiDAR utilised by the Caterpillar system have halved in price since they were used a decade ago. Solid state LiDARs, as opposed to rotational, are being implemented in the automotive industry already.”

He pointed to MINExpo 2016, in Las Vegas, when Komatsu showcased its cabless, driverless truck as one development to look out for.

“It is predicted that in the longer-term future (ie 20-30 years’ time), cabs will be an additional and expensive option to add onto an off-highway heavy haulage truck,” he said.

“Whilst the future is autonomous, it will be technologically more advanced than the present technologies,” he concluded, adding that, given its head start, one would expect the Pilbara iron ore industry to deploy these technologies first.

MTGA’s Richard Price has also written a business case study on AHS, published by AusIMM – www.ausimmbulletin.com/feature/autonomous-haulage-systems-the-business-case/ – and, in partnership with Whittle Consulting’s Nick Redwood, put together an Autonomous Haulage Systems Financial Model Assessment – www.whittleconsulting.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Autonomous-Haulage-Study-Report-Rev-F.pdf

Kwatani makes manufacturing commitment on comminution equipment

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

Vibrating screen and feeder original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Kwatani, is promoting the need for high-quality engineering and the strictest tolerances for unbalanced motors and gearboxes to ensure components can run over the long term.

The harsh operating conditions that screens face in mining operations makes having these safeguards in place all the more important, it says.

According to Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers, Chief Operating Officer at Kwatani, local design and manufacture to the highest standard is a “non-negotiable”, with the OEM designing its own range of motors, as well as locally manufacturing the gearboxes for its vibrating screens.

“We design our own motors with local conditions in mind, giving the customer a high performance and long lasting product,” Mayhew-Ridgers says.

This includes optimal sealing arrangements for keeping electrical components dry and clean, Kwatani says. Power cables, for instance, must always enter from the underside to prevent water ingress, while the design must consider various orientations of the motor, depending on the angle of installation. Dusty conditions on mines also present a challenge that need to be addressed.

“Dust ingress can compromise the sealing configuration of the lid,” he says. “Our design is therefore like a top-hat, so the O-ring is not on a flat surface but rather on a cylindrical, vertical surface. There is even a double-sealing arrangement for the lid, which includes a gasket.”

Kwatani’s gearboxes are locally manufactured, with only the high quality bearings imported direct from leading global producers, it says. Gearboxes comprise two shafts, each with its own set of unbalanced weights linked to each other by a gear to achieve synchronised motion. Gears and shafts, meanwhile, are locally fabricated by selected suppliers, while the housing is cast by a local foundry and machined to exacting specifications.

“We have spent a great deal of effort on the sealing configuration, to ensure no oil leaks,” he says.

Mayhew-Ridgers says Kwatani is probably the only OEM that services its own gearboxes. This, he says, ensures adherence to strict tolerances, so that units have sustained performance and longevity.

He also highlights the massive centripetal forces exerted on the screening machine by the unbalanced motor and gearbox, which makes it vital to secure them well to the screen.

“To achieve this, we specify our own fabricated bolts, nuts and washers,” he says. “If sub-standard fasteners are used, components can come loose and cause extensive damage.”

Unbalanced motors usually have to be installed at an angle. Taking account of the weight of these components, there are rigging points all around the housing to manipulate the angle of installation. The feet of are normally larger in Kwatani installations than those of competitors, for a better contact surface, the company says.

“If there is the slightest imperfection in the flat surface of the join, this can cause costly damage to the drive and the screen,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “This is why OEMs like Kwatani have such detailed installation procedures on issues like torqueing of bolts. Installers and maintenance teams need to stick closely to these specifications.”