Tag Archives: Screening

Three-machine train Metso mobile crusher ups productivity at chrome mining project

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

A newly acquired Metso Lokotrack® LT200HPS™ is winning the day for Zizwe Opencast Mining at one of its strategic chrome mining projects in Steelpoort, Limpopo, according to the leading South African mining contractor.

With productivity high on the agenda in a highly abrasive chrome-processing application, a three-machine train of Metso mobiles – comprising a Lokotrack LT120™ jaw crusher, a Nordtrack® S2.11 scalping screen and a Lokotrack LT200HPS™ cone crusher – is making light work of the 200 t/h production target.

Joe de Beer, Crushing and Screening Plant Manager at Zizwe Opencast Mining, has been impressed in particular by the new Lokotrack LT200HPS cone crusher, equipped with a hanging screen. By featuring a detachable screen and return conveyor on one tracked chassis, he says, the LT200HPS is basically ‘two machines in one’, thus eliminating double-handling on site.

“The fact that the LT200HPS does the job for two machines was central to our purchasing decision,” De Beer says. “It features a detachable screen and return conveyor which guides screened oversize material back to the cone crusher. It is essentially a cone crusher, a screen and a conveyor on one tracked chassis.”

Yeshen Achary, Sales Engineer at Pilot Crushtec, said: “Traditionally, we have always brought the LT200HP in a standard configuration. Because cone crushers by their nature are not 100% efficient, the added benefit of having a screen post the crushing chamber is that it allows for recirculation of any oversize material back to the cone crusher.”

This, explains Achary, eliminates the need for another machine to work in closed circuit with the cone crusher. Having a single machine doing the job of two machines offers significant cost benefits for the customer.

Achary says: “Apart from the obvious capital cost benefit, having the cone and screen on a single chassis means that the machine is powered by a single engine, making one less machine to maintain. Having a closed loop on a single chassis also makes it easy to transport the machine between sites.”

Francois Marais, Sales and Marketing Director at Pilot Crushtec, explains that the LT200HP now comes in three different configurations. Apart from the standard cone crusher configuration, it is now available with a pre-screen called the HPX™, which is placed just before the crushing chamber or alternatively with an overhanging screen called the HPS, located post the crushing chamber.

He said: “In traditional operations, you would need two machines – a cone crusher and a screen – to do the same job done by this single machine. In addition, you would probably have to deploy a minimum of two to three conveyor belts to recirculate oversize material from the screen back to the cone crusher.”

Schenck Process Mining to become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia

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

The next step in the integration of SP Mining – the mining-related business of Schenck Process acquired by global, high-tech engineering group Sandvik – will see SP mining entities change their names to reflect their new ownership.

On October 1, Schenck Process Australia Pty Limited, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandvik in November last year, will become Sandvik Rock Processing Australia Pty Limited. The Australian entity is the largest part of SP Mining’s global business, employing around 450 industry professionals.

Since the acquisition, Sandvik has been focused on bringing together its expertise in crushing with the screening, feeding, weighing and loading know-how of Schenck Process Mining.

According to the company’s President Asia Pacific, Terese Withington, this move is part of an integration process that will eventually see SP Mining become a seamless part of the Sandvik organisation.

“In Australia, we are bringing together our sales and back-office teams with those of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions to allow our customers to access our combined expertise in crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading,” she said. “Together we aim to deliver even better digitalisation, sustainability and productivity solutions to our industry.

“The end goal of our integration is to allow our customers to place combined crushing, screening, feeding, weighing and loading orders with our new legal entity.”

Withington says the scale of Sandvik’s operations and commercial reach will help to accelerate the combined innovation portfolio of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions and SP Mining.

She concluded: “We look forward to continuing to service the business needs of our customers and remain fully focused on the delivery of high-quality equipment, consumables, OEM spare parts and services to help them achieve their business objectives.”

Metso Outotec makes screening media production changes in North, Central America

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

Metso Outotec says it is developing its global supply chain operations by reorganising its screening media production in North and Central America, with the opening of new capacity in Mexico and the discontinuing of operations in Missouri, USA.

The new screening media production capacity in Irapuato, Mexico, is planned to significantly increase supply and delivery capabilities for mining and aggregates customers in the region. The new factory in Mexico will start operations gradually during the first half of 2023 and, once fully operational during the September quarter, is expected to double the total production capacity by 2024 compared with the current level.

The new screening media center is expected to employ around 46 people.

Today, Metso Outotec has approximately 370 employees in its rubber and Poly-Met operations in Mexico. In 2022, Metso Outotec announced it would invest in establishing its first polymer filter plate production unit in Mexico.

The screening media production in Warrenton, Missouri, will be ramped down by the end of 2023, with the closure expected to affect approximately 40 employees in total.

Heikki Metsälä, President, Consumables Business Area, said: “We will serve customers with shorter lead times and faster deliveries by utilising a production site optimised for screening media products. The new factory is located close to our rubber and Poly-Met factory in Irapuato, and it further strengthens Mexico’s position as a centre of expertise for producing high-quality consumables.

“Our global supply footprint is under continuous development to ensure sustainable and profitable growth and to serve our customers’ growing needs. Closing a factory is a hard but necessary decision to make. We will support our employees throughout the transition.”

Metso Outotec expands its Metrics monitoring system portfolio to screening equipment

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

Metso Outotec says it is growing the applications for its cloud-based Metrics monitoring system portfolio, expanding to cover the tools, sensors and dashboard access for monitoring customers’ stationary screening equipment.

Metrics is one of the company’s key digital solutions for customers, providing 24/7 online monitoring capabilities. It, the company says, offers improved safety, increased uptime and throughput, and reduced unplanned maintenance. Metrics enables operators, controllers and service professionals to see real-time analysis of vibrating screen performance and bearing condition.

The platform is also designed for intuitive operation, according to the company, with an easy-to-read screen dashboard with OEM insights making it possible to quickly detect potential issues and take corrective action in time.

In June, Metso Outotec announced a global cooperation agreement with Dynamox, which offers an innovative condition monitoring platform. Metrics for screens is the first solution using Dynamox’s easy-to-install instrumentation that can be complemented with comprehensive value-added services and remote monitoring capabilities in the customer’s value chain, Metso Outotec said.

Jan Wirth, Technology Director with Metso Outotec’s Screening Solutions business, said: “The customer feedback received has helped us to offer a solution focused on customer centricity and sustainability. Metrics for screens helps customers to optimise their process, as they can easily see how the changes implemented have impacted their screening operations. In addition, continuous monitoring helps in the avoidance of several potential breakdowns. It also has a positive impact on sustainability, as running the screen in an optimal way enables increased uptime and less consumption of media, spare parts, oil and energy.

“Our strong development roadmap will enable us to release more data-driven and value-added services soon.”

Sandvik completes acquisition of Schenck Process Group

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

Sandvik says it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the mining related business of Schenck Process Group (SP Mining).

SP Mining is one of the market leaders in screening, feeding, screening media and train loading solutions in the industry, according to Sandvik. It also has a strong aftermarket business, which includes application support, screen refurbishment, product engineering design and manufacturing and digital support services.

It will be reported in Stationary Crushing and Screening, a division in Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions (SRP).

The two companies already had a global partnership agreement in place dating from 2016 that brought together Sandvik’s high productivity cone crushers and Schenck Process’ high capacity multislope screens.

In 2022, SP Mining expects revenues of about €200 million ($199 million) of which approximately 70% is aftermarket, and an EBITA margin accretive to Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions’ margin, Sandvik said.

Sandvik announced the planned acquisition of SP Mining back in May.

Kwatani looks to digital monitoring for improved screen uptime

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Close monitoring is the basis for keeping vibrating screens productive and achieving the lowest cost of ownership, according to Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers, Chief Operating Officer of South Africa-based vibrating screen specialist Kwatani.

Moving from paper systems to digital solutions is a vital step towards this goal, he added.

“Where machine data recording – combined with periodic inspections and regular maintenance – can be captured in the digital sphere, you can generate a complete picture of the equipment’s lifecycle,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “Real-time data monitoring is a game changer for screen reliability and performance.”

Wherever there are operational deviations from the prescribed norm, sensor-generated data can quickly alert the right people on the mine – giving them the ability to react timeously, he says. Importantly, this technology also allows patterns to be detected in the relationship between component life and throughput.

“By analysing these patterns, the mine can make well-informed decisions about its maintenance strategies, being aware of the optimal conditions for its equipment duty,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “It also gives us, as original equipment manufacturers, the opportunity to compare machine performance in detail across different customer sites – so that we can adapt and advise accordingly.”

Where Kwatani sees one customer getting longer life from their exciters, for instance, the relevant data is easily available to make comparisons and identify distinguishing factors. He explains that Kwatani can monitor its vibrating screens using industrial sensors and measurement technology which is readily available and supported worldwide. In other words, it is not so specialised that it becomes unaffordable; neither is it so complicated that customers cannot maintain it themselves, the company says.

“What is key to the successful application of digital technology is that the raw data that we process must be analysed to become useful for decision making and planning,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “This means streaming it seamlessly to databases, and allowing our customers to visualise the information effectively.”

To do this, Kwatani partners with system integrators and works closely with its mining customers so that the end users get the most out of the information without spending time and money to process the raw data themselves.

This digital monitoring can also help to overcome a common challenge in many mining operations: working in silos. Paper systems do not easily lend themselves to sharing of data across different aspects of the operation. This, in turn, makes it difficult to improve equipment performance on a holistic basis. The availability of various streams of data on a single platform enhances transparency between service technicians, foreman, engineers and the OEM of equipment on site.

“This of course requires that we integrate our systems with our customers’ existing infrastructure, which is an important focus for us,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “Whether greenfields or brownfields project, it is important that information be compatible and seamlessly shared.”

He highlights that the data generated is valuable not only for reflecting a machine’s current status, but because it can store an entire life cycle history. Digital systems can keep track of the equipment’s inspections, maintenance and operational performance over its lifespan.

“The insights gained from this can lead to improvements in the design, or in the way that it is operated,” Mayhew-Ridgers says. “This can result in better efficiencies, improved production or other benefits.”

In 2021, Sandvik Group acquired Kwatani with its more than 45 year legacy as an OEM, and its South African manufacturing facilities are set to become the global engineering and manufacturing base for vibrating screens and feeders for both local and international customers.

The company is a Level 2 B-BBEE organisation. The Kwatani brand will continue to be used across Africa while products sold internationally will be sold through the Sandvik sales channels under the Kwatani product name.

Kwatani wins major screening order from Central Asia copper mine

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

Competing with leading OEMs from around the world, vibrating screen specialist OEM Kwatani says it has snatched a mammoth export order for over 70 screens from a mining operation in Central Asia.

The order was signed in April with a large copper mine in the region, which boasts a production rate of 35 Mt/y. According to Kwatani General Manager Sales and Service, Jan Schoepflin, the machines will be rolled out and delivered over a tight schedule of just eight months.

Kwatani, now part of the Sandvik group within the Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions division, is already hard at work manufacturing the large and medium-sized screens at its South Africa-based manufacturing facility.

“This is Kwatani’s largest order to date and is probably the largest single order for screens ever placed with a company in Africa,” Schoepflin says. “We are proud to have won such a prestigious bid in the face of intense competition, showing how our global reputation has been growing.”

The order is for large double-deck multi-slope screens, which feed high pressure grinding rolls, as well as for single-deck linear screens feeding concentrators. The screens in this order will be installed on isolation frames to minimise the extent to which dynamic loads affect the plant’s building structures, the company says.

Kwatani says it is well known for its design, manufacture and servicing of large, robust screens which are engineered for tonnage.

“As the largest OEM for vibrating screens and feeders in Africa, we have had great success on the continent and abroad with our large ‘banana’ screens,” Schoepflin says. “These and our other custom-engineered screens have been supplied to over 50 countries to date.”

The stringent and lengthy technical adjudication for this project was conducted for the mine by two leading international project engineering houses. The size and value of the order ensured all the mining industry’s foremost screen suppliers participated in the bid. Other indicators of the order’s scale are that the screens will consume around 700 t of steel, and will altogether be fitted with 21,000 screening panels.

Schoepflin notes that an important consideration for customers is not only the proven quality and performance of its screens, but Kwatani’s ability to deliver on time.

“Any large capital expenditure decision on a mine is taken with time-sensitive factors in mind,” he says. “For instance, the delayed delivery of critical equipment can prevent a mine from meeting its planned production targets. This undermines the financial basis for that decision – an eventuality that no mine can afford.”

The end-customer and the project houses, therefore, had to have full confidence in Kwatani’s capacity.

With growing demand from a buoyant mining sector, the company recently added another 3,000 sq.m to its existing 17,000 sq.m facility in Spartan, Johannesburg. Its design and manufacturing capabilities are ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring that the latest order to Asia will comply with the highest global standards, he says.

“We also pride ourselves on the quality and resilience of our supply chain, which underpins our ability to manufacture to demanding deadlines,” Schoepflin says. “We carefully select our supply partners – most of whom are local enterprises – and collaborate closely with them to build their sustainability and responsiveness.”

To keep the project’s schedule on track, dedicated in-house project managers and procurement specialists meet regularly with supply partners to ensure a smooth and streamlined process. This has required alignment of all local and global procurement, including motors, drives and steel. The company’s agility allowed contracts and prices to be tied down for timeous delivery, despite the global supply chain disruption that lingers from the COVID-19 lockdowns, Kwatani says.

Kwatani will conduct training of the mine staff in maintenance and troubleshooting, so that they can fulfil these essential duties independently. The mine will be able to source all the necessary spares from Kwatani, who will also send an engineer or technician to site to supervise and sign off on certain major tasks.

Meeting delivery deadlines and avoiding penalties will require detailed logistical planning for the completed units, Schoepflin notes. The screens will be delivered in batches to a South African port, and shipped as break bulk due to their size. Production of the screens is expected to be complete by early 2023.

Haver & Boecker launches next-gen Niagara T-Class vibrating screen

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

Haver & Boecker Niagara has announced the next-generation Niagara T-Class vibrating screen, which, the company says, retains the technical benefits the original concentric technology is known for while improving screening uptime and performance with new features.

The T-Class provides producers with a cost-effective, maintenance-friendly solution to process a wide range of materials within the aggregates, mining, industrial minerals, recycling industries and more, it said.

The T-Class deck frame is now primarily lockbolted rather than welded to provide optimum strength, reliability and safety. Lockbolts are proven to be more effective than welding in the demanding, load-bearing, high-vibration operation of a vibrating screen to ensure the machine’s structural integrity, the company said. The robustness of the machine also permits cross beams to be positioned and lockbolted every four feet (1.2 m) instead of every two feet, allowing for better clearance and easier maintenance.

The new design allows producers to upgrade their vibrating screen with Haver & Boecker Niagara’s new Drop Guard system, further minimising maintenance. The innovative liners provide 100% cross beam protection, both reducing wear and extending the life of the vibrating screen, according to the company. The system simply drops over the cross beam with no adhesive or tools required, making installation quick and easy, it says.

Additionally, Haver & Boecker Niagara redesigned the flat deck frames of the new T-Class vibrating screen for simplified maintenance. The pin & anchor deck frame is adaptable to virtually any pin-style modular screen media. It features polyurethane anchors that are easy to replace and prevent premature wear on the deck frame. Additionally, the open design of the modular deck prevents material build-up on the bar rails. The cap & slide deck frame, meanwhile, is adaptable to virtually any groove style modular screen media and features full rail protection.

The T-Class can also be manufactured for side-tensioned or bottom deck end-tensioned screen media. Each new side-tensioned machine comes with Haver & Boecker Niagara’s signature Ty-Rail™ quick-tensioning system, which cuts screen change-out times in half, the company claims.

Duncan High, the product manager behind Haver & Boecker Niagara’s new T-Class design, said: “The new, more robust T-Class was designed specifically to offer more strength in the middle of the machine, where it’s needed most. Each update was engineered with ease of maintenance in mind, to keep downtime low while providing cost efficiency.”

All Haver & Boecker Niagara vibrating screens undergo extensive testing, inspection and Pulse Vibration Analysis prior to shipping to ensure correct balance and smooth operation, the company concluded.

Sandvik offers up enhanced three-deck Doublescreen solution

Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Sandvik Mobile Crushers and Screens, part of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions, has announced what it says is a new first-of-its-kind, three-deck tracked mobile plant with independent screen angle adjustment and hydraulic screen separation in the form of its QA452.

The latest evolution of the Sandvik QA Series products and three-deck Doublescreen technology, the QA452 features two triple deck inline screen boxes with equal size screen decks, each providing 9 cu.m of screening area

Sandvik Doublescreen technology typically outperforms traditional screens by up to 30%, offering a tailored rock processing solution for quarry, recycling and mining industries, Sandvik says.

Screen enhancements on the equipment include an 11% longer bottom screen deck to extract more fines.

“Featuring independent screen angle adjustment, the primary screen can be independently adjusted from the secondary screen, allowing operators to optimise their throughput, screening efficiency and product gradations,” the company said. “The primary screen performs as a fines extractor, whilst the secondary screen performs as a grader. Two processes on one plant, offering exceptional flexibility, excellent separation, accurate grading and massive throughput.”

Sandvik offers hybrid ‘e’ drive with electric plug-in on this solution, meaning operators can choose the most economical and efficient energy source. The QA452 provides a lower environmental impact due to reduced fuel consumption, and the latest powerpack on-board offers less operating noise and low emissions, according to the company. In addition, the hydraulic system has been enhanced to reduce energy wastage, and its hydraulic oil change intervals have been extended from 2,000 hours to 4,000 hours meaning up to 50% less hydraulic oil is consumed over 10,000 hours of machine usage (subject to oil sampling).

The primary screen on the QA452 can also be hydraulically separated to gain better access for maintenance and screen media changes. The addition of a new oversize cross conveyor means greater oversize material extraction, while this cross conveyor can also be reversed to allow the plant to function like a two-deck screen with oversize and mid overs discharged together.

Each screen deck features end tension screen media using Sandvik’s unique mesh tensioning system. This means faster screen mesh tensioning and removal, reducing downtime. The company’s new range of Sandvik WX rubber media, meanwhile, combines the high accuracy of wire screens with the durability of rubber, offering up to 10 times longer wear life and up to 50% faster installation time compared with wire mesh, according to the company. Having equal size panels also means the screen media is interchangeable between decks.

On top of this, thee QA452 comes with Sandvik’s My Fleet telemetry system and seven-year data subscription as standard. This offers 24/7 fleet management, geo-fencing and remote support, according to Sandvik.

Several safety features are included as standard to improve operator and on-site protection. Dust suppression spray bars, on-board water pump, safety pull cords and lighting mast are now fitted as standard for extra peace of mind.

Kwatani customers set to benefit from Sandvik Rock Processing integration

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

Both local and foreign customers – as well as mineral processing OEMs looking for specialised solutions – are set to benefit from the recent acquisition of vibrating screen specialist Kwatani by global multinational Sandvik, according to the South Africa-based company.

The closing the transaction occurred late last year with Kwatani becoming part of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions. 

The deal highlights South Africa’s world class nodes of excellence in the engineering sector, according to Kim Schoepflin, CEO of Kwatani, who says the Sandvik collaboration is a milestone for local industry. It also contributes significantly to the government’s industrialisation strategy, to foster world-class industries that can compete globally and promote job creation locally.

“The acquisition will allow Kwatani greater access into foreign markets through Sandvik’s extensive distribution network,” she says. “Our modern Kwatani facilities in Kempton Park, accredited in terms of ISO 9001:2015, is now the global engineering and manufacturing base for vibrating screens and feeders for customers.”

She adds that an added benefit for customers is the support they will receive through the Sandvik service network of engineers and technicians in the field. The proven interface between Kwatani and Sandvik equipment – for instance, a Kwatani screen feeding into a Sandvik crusher – will, the company says, add considerable value to customer’s purchasing choices.

“Customers get the best of both worlds, and can feel confident of the efficient dovetailing of our product ranges,” Schoepflin says.

Sandvik brings state-of-the-art resources which further leverage the benefits to Kwatani customers, the company says. This includes access to monitoring and automation processes as well as a depth of research and development into the application of technology like simulators.

Kwatani continues to invest heavily in its resources at its Kempton Park facilities, Schoepflin says, which employ and develop local expertise while sustaining a strong supply chain of local players. Sandvik supports this model, and shares the vision that business sustainability must be based on effective engagement, investment and commitment to the local economy. Kwatani’s local empowerment strategy supports transformation and is compliant with the South African Mining Charter.

“We work closely with local supply partners in our value chain – many of them being small businesses – to embed quality systems and manufacturing capacity,” Schoepflin says. “Customers can therefore be assured of quality throughout our products’ construction, with a reliable, sustainable and cost effective local production base.”

With its cost base rooted largely in the South African economy, Kwatani can offer customers a consistent pricing regime that is not vulnerable to frequent exchange rate fluctuations, it says. This has added to the popularity of Kwatani’s products at home and abroad, with the company twice being recognised in the Exporter of the Year awards hosted by the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC).

“Our growth has allowed us to build our complement of competent staff, who are continuously upskilled to stay a step ahead of industry needs – with the help of our in-house training centre,” Schoepflin says.

An important indication of Kwatani’s depth of expertise and field experience is its ability to precision-engineer specific solutions for other OEMs in mineral processing. This extends to highly specialised equipment like sorters, which demand very precise feed characteristics and other protection.

“We are a partner of choice to OEMs whose equipment must operate within tight specifications, and which may have other specific requirements that a standard range of screens would not accommodate,” Schoepflin says.

Kwatani’s approach addresses the three key elements of vibrating screen performance: ore properties, screen design parameters and screening media. Its engineering solutions address all these priorities, Schoepflin says, giving customers optimal results at the lowest cost of ownership.