Tag Archives: Sandvik Rock Processing

Sandvik Digital Assistant finetuning crusher, screen operating and maintenance strategies

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

Among the attractions of the Sandvik Digital Assistant (SAM) is that it delivers value to everyone in the crushing and screening value chain, raising the game for forward-looking mines, the OEM says.

Recently launched into Africa at the Electra Mining Africa exhibition in Johannesburg, SAM’s reception among large and small players on the continent has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Ali Jumaa, Digital Product Manager for Sandvik Rock Processing.

“There is no doubt that the local market is ready for SAM, judging from the enthusiastic response we have had from customers,” Jumaa says. “Mines are looking to work smarter, and SAM provides this ability to operators, technicians, purchasing departments and managers alike.”

He notes that Sandvik Rock Processing has developed SAM in line with the concept of a proactive user journey, so it provides instant and valuable support for various steps in this customer-OEM relationship. SAM combines a wide range of tools, information and guidance in one place, acting as an always-on digital assistant for daily operations.

“For instance, maintenance and site managers can track their equipment’s performance in real-time from the convenience of a laptop, tablet or mobile phone,” Jumaa explains. “At the same time, the mine’s purchasing department can access the SAM web shop to find the correct part numbers, create shopping lists and submit orders.”

Service technicians use SAM to find up-to-date documentation and manuals on their equipment, while operators can find ways to increase operational uptime and availability. Extensive operating data from the crusher is collected by sensors and transmitted through a gateway into cloud storage, where it can be analysed in depth and utilised in a range of calculations, algorithms and models.

“The data and analysis allow customers to finetune their performance, while developing more effective predictive maintenance and ensuring no unplanned stoppages,” Jumaa says. “SAM provides customers with real-time insight into their operations supported by fact-based recommended actions that inform the most appropriate operating and maintenance strategies.”

A key benefit of the SAM system is the visual way that it represents data to the user, he explains. Customers can quickly visualise exactly how long the crusher has been operational or has been idling, for instance. The platform’s interface is also intuitive and user-friendly, he adds, so that customers do not need extensive training to learn how to use it. The platform even has features to guide customers on how to use it.

Sandvik Rock Processing HX900 wear protection plates to make a splash in Africa

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

Having demonstrated a step change in wear resistance on mines globally, Sandvik Rock Processing’s HX900 wear protection plates are now being launched in Africa.

The results achieved by the HX900 plates have been noteable, extending wear life by many multiples in real life mining applications, Sandvik says. The plates are mainly used in applications such as feeders, feed chutes, transfer chutes, skirt liners, rock box edge liners, load-haul equipment and buckets – in countries including Australia, Brazil, Peru, Sweden and the US.

“What makes our HX900 wear protection plate so effective is the unique combination of two different mechanical properties in a single piece,” Phumi Motsamai, Regional Manager Screening Media & Wear Protection Africa at Sandvik Rock Processing, says. “The nodular iron resists the high impact of material, while the cemented carbides provide outstanding resistance to abrasion.”

The performance of carbide, for instance, has been shown to last up to five times longer than white iron, and up to 20 times longer than quenched steel, Sandvik says. The longer wear life means extended replacement intervals and lower total cost of ownership, according to Motsamai. This brings a range of operational benefits including higher productivity through less downtime, and improved safety as maintenance technicians are less frequently in contact with equipment. There is also less need for high volumes of replacement inventory to be stored on site.

She explains that the nodular iron, also known as ductile iron, is a special type of cast iron with a characteristic microstructure that enhances its mechanical properties. It contains graphite in the form of nodules or spheroids, which impart ductility and toughness.

“Nodular iron has a higher tensile strength and can undergo significant deformation without failing,” she says. “It absorbs energy well and has good fatigue resistance, making it ideal for components that are subject to dynamic and cyclic loading conditions.”

The cemented carbides in HX900 consist of hard carbide particles bonded together by a metallic binder of primarily tungsten carbide. With a hardness of about nine on the Mohs scale, tungsten carbide is one of the hardest known materials, just behind diamonds and cubic boron nitride.

“This extreme hardness gives HX900 outstanding resistance to wear and abrasion,” Motsamai says. “Compared to quenched and tempered 500 HB steels, cast-in-carbides can last up to 10 times longer; this improvement can be up to 50 times longer compared to regular chromium carbide overlays and white iron.”

Motsamai cites a case study in which HX900 replaced Hardox 400 plates lining a transfer chute in a Brazilian gold mine. After the Hardox 400 plates had worn through after only two weeks and just 108,000 t of material throughput, the HX900 plates lasted 75 weeks – withstanding the passage of over 3.8 Mt of material. In a similar application, the HX900 replaced Hardox 500 wear plates – and extended wear life from 18 weeks to 52 weeks.

“In a copper mine in Sweden, the wear life of Hardox 500 in an accelerator chute was just two weeks – or 600,000 t of production,” Motsamai says. “After they installed HX900 plates, the mine was able to achieve a wear life of 32 weeks or 9 Mt.”

This innovation also has important sustainability benefits for customers, she continues, as the carbide production makes a key contribution to the circular economy.

“Our HX900 plates embody high levels of good sustainability practice, as they utilise 99% recycled nodular iron and 100% recycled cemented carbides,” Motsamai says. “Research has shown that using recycled materials in this way consumes 70% less energy and cuts overall carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.”

Sandvik poised to complete SP Mining integration

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Following its acquisition of the Schenck Process mining related business in November 2022, Sandvik has been working hard behind the scenes to bring its new offering and capabilities to market, with the OEM poised to complete the integration.

In October last year, Sandvik reached a key milestone in the integration of Schenck Process Mining into its Rock Processing Solutions Business area, when the company changed the names of the legal entities that came with the Schenck Process acquisition. The newly acquired entities provide Sandvik Rock Processing with a much better global reach, particularly in geographies where it previously had little presence.

This is especially true in Australia, where Sandvik Rock Processing only had a small team, while SP Mining had the majority of its engineering and R&D teams as well as production and service facilities in Australia. Schenck Process Australia, which employed over 400 people, became Sandvik Rock Processing Australia, now a major hub for Sandvik’s global Screening Solutions Division.

Since the renaming of the legal entities, the integration of the SP Mining business around the world has been a key focus area for the company. Part of this work includes the rebranding of all aspects of the business. In parallel the SP Mining and Kwatani equipment offerings have been united under the Sandvik brand. The company says the result is an unparalleled range of vibrating screens, feeders, screening media and train loaders.

In early May, the company achieved another key integration milestone, shipping out the first Sandvik-branded SP Mining screen from its Jandakot production facility in Western Australia. Pleased with the result, Sandvik’s Global Head of Marketing – Screening Solutions, Peter Newfield, previously Head of Marketing APAC for SP Mining, said: “Apart from the change to the look, branding and Sandvik nomenclature, nothing else has changed. Our legendary reliability, technology and aftermarket support remains as our customers have come to expect.

“We are now better equipped than ever to help our customers to optimise their comminution and material handling operations for maximum performance, safety and efficiency.”

Commenting on the company’s new offer, Newfield says that combining the industry-leading screening, feeding and loading expertise of Schenck Process Mining and Kwatani with Sandvik’s mastery of crushing and wear protection, allows the company to bring an unrivalled equipment line-up to market.

“This unique offering is underpinned by the expert process knowledge of our teams, a full range of digital tools, high quality OEM spare parts, consumables and lifecycle services,” he added.

But the integration isn’t just limited to the equipment. Newfield says that it has been a major project that involves every part of the business. In essence, the acquired Schenck Process entities have become Sandvik Rock Processing entities, and so SP Mining staff had to embrace the Sandvik culture and learn the company’s systems and ways of working.

“Of course, a big part of the integration is making sure that our key stakeholders understand the benefits of us becoming a fully integrated part of Sandvik,” Newfield says. “It takes time for people to adjust to change, and they need to know what is happening throughout the process. We have worked hard to communicate the changes to all our key stakeholders including our customers and employees.

“We are now changing the branding of all our Australian facilities, our motor vehicles and the work clothes that our people wear on the job every day. Our website and other marketing collateral is also being changed to showcase our new product offerings and brand.”

Newfield says he expects the rebranding projects to be complete by the end of June, which is the final step in the integration process.

“Our new offering, along with the advances that our combined R&D teams are making, allow us to partner with our customers to address our industry’s biggest challenge – making mineral processing more eco-efficient.”

Sandvik’s first South Africa-manufactured screen destined for gold mine in northeast Africa

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Sandvik Rock Processing says it has marked a significant step in its expansion across Africa with the successful completion of its first South African-manufactured screen package.

This milestone project was undertaken at the company’s Spartan facility in Johannesburg, which already produces the Kwatani and Schenck products as part of Sandvik’s screening solutions offering. The capability to also produce the Sandvik original screen range signals a new phase in Sandvik’s African presence and growth, the OEM says.

Riaan Steinmann, Europe, Middle East and Africa Operation Director Screening Solutions at Sandvik Rock Processing, says the achievement is a testament to the facility’s local design and engineering prowess. He emphasises the South African facility’s capability to build high-quality vibrating screens from raw materials, which also includes a range of exciter gearboxes using locally procured castings.

This innovative approach enables the company to maintain strict quality control and facilitates shorter delivery times for its customers, thereby improving the customer experience significantly, Sandvik said.

The screen package that marks this milestone was specifically ordered by a gold mining client located in northeast Africa. It includes a vibrating grizzly screen with a motor-driven exciter, five feeders and two custom-engineered feed-in chutes.

Steinmann praised the facility’s streamlined processes and the benefits of local procurement, which collectively allowed the project to be successfully completed within an impressive timeframe of three months.

“Manufacturing screens in South Africa represents the same standard as those produced in Europe or India,” Steinmann says, underscoring the global quality benchmark. He also notes the multiple benefits including reduced shipping times and costs due to Southern African Development Community trade agreements. Moreover, he highlights the positive impact on the local economy through exports and increased capacity, leading to job creation.

“Importantly, we aim to serve not only the African continent but also other regions within the Sandvik Rock Processing group,” Steinmann concludes. “The successful execution of this first Sandvik screen package has not only underscored our position as a world-class manufacturer but also underlines our ambition to become Africa’s preferred screening solution partner.”

Sandvik Rock Processing navigates choppy waters to deliver Africa’s first SmartPlant

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

A fluorite mine some 100 km outside Pretoria, South Africa, has become the first recipient of Sandvik Rock Processing’s first locally-manufactured SmartPlant™ in Africa.

Following its recent commissioning, the 300 t/h plant has already met process guarantees and reached nameplate capacity, according to the OEM.

To improve efficiency and productivity, a South Africa-based fluorspar producer went into the market for a new processing plant in 2020. The SmartPlant concept from Sandvik Rock Processing appealed to the customer for several reasons, but mainly because of the fast delivery time, flexibility and substantial cost savings it would offer the operation.

SmartPlant is a range of pre-defined Sandvik SmartStations that can be mixed and matched to meet individual customer needs for maximum productivity and performance, thus reducing wait time, maximising uptime and increasing profitability, according to Sandvik. Delivery generally takes about 22-30 weeks ex-works. Where there are peripheral design changes to the pre-defined SmartStations, lead times may be shorter than the standard 22-30 weeks.

According to Jaco Benade, Project Manager– Crushing and Screening at Sandvik, the deal was negotiated midway through the COVID-19 hard lockdown of 2020. The order was placed during Level 5 of the lockdown, with manufacturing commencing during Level 4. Despite the challenges brought about by the travel restrictions, compounded by the global supply chain disruptions, the plant was still delivered on time and within budget.

“A major talking point of the project was the short delivery time of 22 weeks ex-works at a favourable capital cost for the customer,” Benade says. “The SmartPlant concept allowed the customer to choose from the pre-defined SmartStations, combine and configure them to meet specific site and operational needs, with no extra design and engineering costs.”

While the designs are very much pre-defined, the SmartPlant still offered a great deal of flexibility for the customer, according to Glen Schoeman, Vice President – Sub-Sahara Africa at Sandvik Rock Processing.

“The modular approach of the SmartPlant meant that the customer could tweak design parameters such as height, capacity and liner profiles, amongst others, without much concern about cost deviations and time implications,” Schoeman said.

Regarding flexibility, Sandvik’s approach to the project was also a major plus for the customer. For example, based on its understanding of the customer’s budget and time constraints, Sandvik opted for the mine to commission a conveyor supplier of its choice, purely to shorten the time to production and reduce costs for the customer.

In line with Sandvik’s ‘safety first’ culture, the project was delivered with no lost time injuries, all the way from project inception to commissioning.

“Despite the arduous conditions on site, ranging from excessive heat to wet weather conditions, the project was completed with an impeccable zero harm safety record,” Schoeman says.

The new plant comprises a full suite of Sandvik equipment, including jaw and cone crushers, screens and feeders. Informed by customer needs, Sandvik opted for a much bigger front end of the plant, comprising a large tip area and bigger jaw crusher. The Sandvik CJ412 primary jaw crusher, which takes a 750 mm top size, is fed by a box bin and a grizzly feeder.

The plant also employs two Sandvik CH840i cone crushers for secondary and tertiary crushing, the very first units of the company’s 800i series range of cone crushers in Africa. Another first in Africa is the rotary feeder on top of the cone used to distribute material into the crusher.

“This is a fantastic approach,” Benade says. “The rotary feeder turns slowly, evenly distributing material around the edges of the crusher. This reduces pressure peaks in the crusher caused by uneven feed, a common challenge in crushing plants. The rotary feeder has passed with flying colours in terms of its performance at this particular site.”

The CH840i cone crushers come with Sandvik’s Automation and Connectivity System as standard. The system continuously monitors and optimises crusher performance and controls the complete lubrication system, increasing uptime and reliability. It can automatically adjust crusher settings to compensate for crushing chamber wear, ensuring consistent product size, according to Sandvik.

In addition, the SAM by Sandvik digital service supports operational excellence in the plant.

Benade concluded: “SAM by Sandvik brings people, activities and data together in an easy-to-use, seamless and collaborative way. It allows both client and OEM remote access to the plant. The system itself provides a holistic view of the plant, enabling the customer to make informed decisions and the OEM to respond proactively to any equipment health and performance issues.”