Tag Archives: RME

Mill relining system major RME celebrates 20 years in South America

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

OEM RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT (RME) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in South America, highlighting its ongoing deep connection and commitment to the region.

RME says it is seizing the milestone to express its gratitude to the team members, customers and suppliers who made RME the region’s most trusted OEM of mill relining technologies.

RME’s history in South America dates to 1996 with the export of the first RUSSELL Mill Relining Machine (MRM) to the region. With a steady stream of technology installations in the years that followed, RME established a direct presence in the region in 2004 to better serve its growing customer base.

Today, RME has five dedicated RME Regional Service Centres in Latin America and its equipment operates on 77 Latin American mine sites across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

RME Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Engineer, Dr John Russell, described South America as a cornerstone of RME’s operations.

Dr Russell said: “From the arrival of the first RUSSELL MRM on the continent in 1996, the opening of our regional service centre in Chile in 2004, and the opening of offices in Peru and Brazil in 2021 and 2022, respectively, RME has invested, and continues to invest in building our capacity and customer delivery capabilities in the region.

“Latin America is home to some of RME’s oldest and most loyal customers, with well-maintained RUSSELL MRMs routinely exceeding 20 years of field operation. An unwavering dedication to precision engineering and quality manufacturing ensures our mill relining systems perform optimally, translating to a lower total cost of ownership and higher return on investment for our customers across Latin America and beyond.

“With more than 100 RME employees in Latin America, the region is also home to RME’s largest cohort of specialised local technical staff, outside Australia. We are committed to transferring our knowledge and skills to benefit career development of local employees, as well as their families and communities, while ultimately improving the safety of our customers’ reline crews and mill relining productivity. As we celebrate 20 years in South America, and also approach 40 years since RME was founded, we look to the future and remain deeply committed to expanding our business in Latin America.”

The first commercial adoption of THUNDERBOLT SKYWAY, RME’s technology that roboticises the operation of THUNDERBOLT Recoilless Hammer for safer and faster worn liner knock-in, was in Panama.

Securing this initial site in 2019 was an important step in commercialising RME’s advanced relining methods and technologies. Not only did the company gain valuable insights for its innovation program, but this installation demonstrated to industry that it’s possible to eliminate fatal risk and move workers out of the line of fire during mill relining operations, RME says.

Dr Russell said: “RME’s Latin American customers have been early adopters of products from our world-first, award-winning RME Advanced Technology Mill Relining System that ultimately allows mill operators to relocate crews to work outside the mill during liner exchange and achieve step-change improvements in safety and relining speed.

“Thanks to their safety leadership, over 30 relines globally, utilising various products from the RME Advanced Technology Mill Relining System, have demonstrated the system’s broad applicability to diverse mine sites, especially in Latin America which operates some of the world’s largest mills, long-life mines and high-altitude sites.

“The region continues to work at the forefront of advanced safety and automation technology adoption with growing interest and investment in the world’s best safety technologies.”

RME to bring Masterblasters into mill relining machine supply fold

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

Mill relining systems OEM, RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT (RME) has entered into an agreement to acquire industrial blasting and protective coatings business, Masterblasters.

Under the agreement, RME will acquire Masterblasters’ assets and operations. Masterblasters’ owner, Tim Hamblin, and Business Manager, Liz Hamblin, will also join RME, and all roles will be retained under this agreement.

Founded in Toowoomba, Queensland, in 2006 by Tim Hamblin, Masterblasters is a leader in abrasive blasting and industrial coatings. It delivers high performance surface protection for structures and equipment in challenging environments, including mining, oil and gas, utilities, defence, agriculture, transport, construction and manufacturing.

For more than 15 years, Masterblasters has been a key, high-performing and reliable supplier to RME.

RME Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Engineer, Dr John Russell, described the acquisition as an opportunity to strengthen RME’s position as the most trusted OEM of mill relining technologies.

“RME’s commitment to quality manufacturing and machine longevity extends throughout the manufacturing process, including superior finished treatments with protective coatings,” he said.

RUSSELL Mill Relining Machines are used in mineral concentrators where acidic process waters and airborne contaminants present significant corrosion hazards and risk.

As such, abrasive blasting and industrial coatings are critical steps to ensure the durability and longevity of its equipment. All RME’s fabricated components are free from weld splatter, grit-blasted and painted independently, prior to machine assembly.

“RME’s equipment is built to last, sustainably delivering decades of reliable service,” Russell added. “Lower asset lifecycle costs are assured for mill operators when equipment is genuinely built to last and properly maintained.

After identifying a gap in the market, Tim Hamblin started Masterblasters with a single paint and blast booth.

“From the beginning, our focus was on delivering the highest quality service for our Customers,” he said. “The first few years resulted in significant growth, confirming the demand. “Not long after starting, we identified RME as a customer, focused on quality and timely delivery. Within a couple of years, we went from protecting and finishing a few of their parts to protecting and finishing their industry-changing, RUSSELL Mill Relining Machines.

“Our customer roster continued to grow, as did the need for larger premises, more equipment, more staff and more training. Today, Masterblasters has become a trusted advisor to our customers. We adhere to the highest levels of comprehensive quality management and job testing.

“With some of the largest capacity blast and paint facilities in the region and an Association for Materials Protection and Performance certified employee, the business is also certified and fully compliant with the requirements of ISO quality, occupational health and safety, and environment management systems.

Russell continued, “We look forward to welcoming Tim, Liz and the whole Masterblasters team into our business.

“They are joining a global team of diverse and inclusive people who are working together to engineer innovative solutions that aspire to improve the human condition through responsible access to metals at lower cost. Forty years on, we remain steadfast in our aspiration as the world strives for a carbon-neutral future.

“RME is proud of the local jobs we have created, our contribution to Australia’s sovereign industrial capabilities, and our efforts to better the communities in which we operate.

“It has taken persistent innovation and enduring commitment from an exceptionally talented team at RME, forward-thinking Customers and reliable suppliers.

Settlement of the acquisition is expected to occur in the near future, following completion of customary transaction conditions.

RME supplies Northern Star’s Thunderbox mine with 500th Mill Relining Machine

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

In what it says is a major milestone, Russell Mineral Equipment (RME) has designed and completed production of its 500th Mill Relining Machine (MRM) for Australia-based gold producer Northern Star Resources Ltd.

This custom-made RUSSELL MRM will be accepted by Northern Star at a ceremony at RME’s global headquarters in Toowoomba, Queensland, this month. This MRM will service Northern Star’s new SAG mill at its Thunderbox project in the Goldfields of Western Australia.

RME and Northern Star began their relationship at the Kanowna Belle Operations, some 30 years ago with the purchase of RUSSELL MRM number five (MRM005). Northern Star owns six RUSSELL MRMs, including the 400th RUSSELL MRM, commissioned in 2018 at Kanowna Belle. Thismachine replaced a RUSSELL MRM that had been in operation at Kanowna Belle for 25 years.

The 500th RUSSELL MRM is a RUSSELL 7-axis, 6,000-kg capacity machine. The RUSSELL 7 is RME’s signature model sold globally, and this unit also comes with advanced RME INSIDEOUT™ technologies. These proprietary new technologies, developed by RME, enable placement and removal of grinding mill liners without any crew working on the charge inside the mill, greatly reducing exposure of personnel to significant hazards, the company says.

Since the introduction of the very first RUSSELL 7-axis MRM in 1992, traditional mill relining times have been quartered and many health and safety hazards have been eliminated, RME says.
Chief Customer Officer, Cherylyn Russell, says RME is a proud supplier to the hard-rock mining and mineral processing industry, primarily those processing gold and copper.

“This milestone is a chance to acknowledge the technology and safety advances of the RME Mill Relining System that enable giant grinding mills to get back to work quicker after regular relining,” she said. “Mill relining is the most specialised maintenance task in the mineral concentrator process and often dictates the length of shutdowns. RME’s innovative, customised, robust equipment helps increase mine site profitability, all while improving the safety of the working environment.”

RME announces THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Recoilless Hammer range release

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT (RME) says it is marking the official release of its fourth-generation recoilless hammer with a special introductory bundle offer for its customers – the ‘THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Precision Pack’.

This all-inclusive pack offers incredible value and includes both the THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM 2000 and THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM 1000 Recoilless Hammers (the latter included at no cost), the THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Power Pack (swappable between both models), the higher-reach THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Mobile Jib (useable across the entire THUNDERBOLT range), as well as a comprehensive set of ancillaries and spares, according to the company.

With the THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM 1000 HAMMER included at no cost, the ‘THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Precision Pack’ represents 20% off the standard price of the individual equipment purchased separately, RMW says. This exclusive offer is available immediately on all orders placed before December 31, 2021, with a delivery date prior to June 30, 2022.

Christian Kramer, THUNDERBOLT Product Manager, RME, says: “We know from 35-plus years partnering with customers on mill relines, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to worn liner bolt knock-in. In fact, industry benchmark operations will use the hardest hitting hammers for difficult-to-dislodge bolts at discharge end and breaking-in on the first inch, then swap to a high repetition hammer for ploughing through shell lifter liners.

“This is why we’re excited about the new THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Precision Pack. Not only do MAGNUMs hit harder and faster than the previous range, but also, when paired together, they provide four selectable levels of power for an even greater ability to select precisely the right level of power for the specific knock-in application. Combined they’ll reduce mission-critical relining knock-in hours, especially on high-wear relines, which means higher mill availability.”

In developing the new THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Recoilless Hammers, RME applied 10,000-plus hours of research and development using customer-led design principles, to deliver quantifiable upgrades in strike energy, speed, serviceability and operator safety. The range sports two ergonomically designed hammers with each offering customers a unique advantage to shorten the mill reline knock-in phase, it says.

Designed specifically for large and medium SAG and AG mills, the THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM 2000 delivers an incredible 2,000 joules per blow 70 times a minute to plough through the toughest of knock-in phases, such as tough, stuck and deeply-wedged liner bolt bolts at a mill’s discharge end or breaking-in shell liners on the first inch, with ease, RME says. In initial commercial trials, the MAGNUM 2000 has even demonstrated the ability to knock-in peened liners without resorting to dangerous and time consuming lancing, the company claims.

“The THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM 1000 will excel in any reline environment across SAG, AG and ball mills small, medium and large,” the company says. “Its accelerated strike rate up to 1,000 joules 140 times a minute outperforms every other liner removal tool when it comes to work-rate speed and safety.”

John Russell, Founder and Executive Chairman, RME, says: “When the first-generation THUNDERBOLT was released in 1997, it was a game changer for the minerals processing industry. As the world’s only true recoilless hammer, it replaced hazardous manual methods and unfit-for-purpose tools which seriously jeopardise reline efficiency and operator safety. The fourth-generation THUNDERBOLT MAGNUMs not only build on RME’s fundamental fast-reliable-safe principles, they improve on them in every way. We’re so pleased to give our customers early and exclusive access to this incredible time-saving mill relining technology through the new THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Precision Pack.”

Additional feature highlights exclusive to the THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM range, RME says, include:

  • Intelligent programmable power for precision performance – THUNDERBOLT MAGNUMs usher in a new ‘MAGNUM Mode’ which allows operators to program strike energy and speed for greater safety, precision and control. This selectable power also reduces the risk of high-velocity bolt projectiles, which can damage mill relining equipment and put crew at-risk, at the end of liner bolt knock-in.
  • Extended service intervals – Service intervals on the new MAGNUMs have increased by 150% to 100,000 blows through engineering and the highest manufacturing standards. Longer life components, improved component accessibility, smarter diagnostics and improved shock absorption reduces maintenance requirements for greater equipment uptime and reliabilit.
  • Smarter condition monitoring – New THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Power Packs feature new sensors and diagnostic controls for improved performance monitoring and maintenance optimisation. Optimal tuning and blow data is now stored within the hammer for accurate operational insights and better lifecycle decision making. The new MAGNUM Power Pack is swappable between the MAGNUM 1000 and MAGNUM 2000 Hammers for efficient total cost of ownership.
  • Designed to provide the most comfortable, and safest operator experience – Improved ergonomics and a 90% reduction in recoil dry fire shock minimises both machine stress and reline crew fatigue. Hydraulic systems have also been redesigned for improved operational safety and use. A dual-action contact trigger safety mechanism eliminates risk of accidental firing. Streamlined operator inputs and improved mechanical and electrical controls protect crew working around the hammer and enhance the safety of mill reline operations.
  • Safer steadier suspension – With this product launch comes a new higher-reach THUNDERBOLT MAGNUM Mobile Jib with greater clearances, upgraded stability and a safety brake. This higher reach means access to more rows of liner bolts and can reduce the number of inching movements and inching time per reline. The MAGNUM jib can also be used across the entire hydraulic THUNDERBOLT Recoilless Hammer range.