Tag Archives: Wear parts

Metso to keep its crushers working for longer with O-Series liners

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

Metso says it is expanding its crusher wear part offering by launching a new range of OEM crusher liners.

Available for selected markets from September, the new Metso O-Series offers the right balance between performance, affordability and reliability, the company said.

Olli Heinonen, Head of O-Series development at Metso, said: “The Metso O-Series offers a value-priced alternative that is ideal when you need to focus on optimising daily operations, while our premium crusher wears range ensures additional durability, performance and maximum return on investment.”

The Metso O-Series range is now available for Metso Nordberg® HP Series™ and GP Series™ cone crushers as well as C Series™ jaw crushers, Metso said. In the first phase, the new range will be sold through Metso sales offices, and the accredited Metso distributors in China, Mexico, Central America, and Asia Pacific.

Heinonen concluded: “The Metso O-Series was created in close cooperation and dialogue with our customers to especially meet the business requirements in rapidly developing markets. We are excited about this new range and the new opportunities to help our customers get better control of their operations without compromising on quality. Going forward, we’re looking into bringing further crusher models to the range as well as introducing it to additional markets.”

Metso places rubber, poly-met wear parts facilities under review

Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , ,

Metso, as part of its Minerals Consumables business area review of manufacturing capabilities in the EMEA region, says it is starting “personnel negotiations” to review the implications at rubber and poly-met wear part production units in Ersmark and Trelleborg, Sweden.

The negotiations concern the potential closure of the factory in Ersmark and the restructuring of the manufacturing operation in Trelleborg, according to the company, and could affect manufacturing related functions and some 150 positions.

Metso confirmed other operations in Sweden are not in the scope of these negotiations.

The Ersmark and Trelleborg units produce rubber and poly-met wear parts used in the mining industry. Today, Metso is a leading player in the rubber and poly-met mill lining business, with a strong service network in all the main mining markets, it said. In addition to Ersmark and Trelleborg, Metso operates nine factories manufacturing synthetic solutions globally.

Sami Takaluoma, President, Minerals Consumables business area, said: “Our target is to utilise the full potential of the most efficient manufacturing methods and optimise sourcing opportunities and logistics. By developing our supply capabilities at the regional and global levels, we are actively responding to changes in the competitive environment, as well as improving our flexibility in fulfilling customers’ needs.”

FLSmidth FerroCer wear panels ready to be proven in Africa mines

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

FLSmidth says it is gearing up for trials of its new FerroCer® modular impact wear panels in Africa, following successful tests in countries such as Australia, Peru and India.

The trials, to be conducted on sites in Zambia and Mozambique, are intended to demonstrate significant increases in wear life, a trait seen during other previous tests.

According to Zwerus Voges, Ceramic & Wear Solutions Specialist at FLSmidth, the innovative FerroCer panels represent a significant breakthrough in materials technology.

“The cost effective solution provides much better wear life than conventional panels and also delivers safety benefits to mine operators,” FLSmidth says.

Voges said: “The design of the panel takes advantage of the wear characteristics of multiple materials, and its matrix combines the strength and malleability of steel with the abrasion resistance of ceramics.”

Each panel weighs only 5 kg and can easily be handled by one person, meeting all the safety regulations for size and weight. The compact shape also makes the panels safe and easy to install using standard hand tools.

Voges says the panels have delivered longer wear life in various applications which has meant increased uptime for customer operations.

“FerroCer impact wear panels are particularly suited to high impact wear locations in a process plant, and these include chutes, hoppers, bins, feed boxes and vibrating screen boxes as well as reclaimer and loader buckets,” the company said.

The panels have excelled in nickel, gold, copper and zinc applications, according to FLSmidth, and Voges cites an example where FerroCer impact wear panels provided a solution in a tripper chute application. At this mining operation, the previous panels in use were having to be replaced every three to four weeks, resulting in increased unplanned shutdowns with associated costs.

“Since the FerroCer panels were installed over a year ago, not a single panel has had to be replaced in that application,” he says.

Based on the success of the original FerroCer panel design, FLSmidth recently developed the FerroCer 22 product for lighter applications where the material size is smaller. The larger ceramic surface area coverage on the panel reduces wear on the steel matrix. These panels weight only 2.8 kg.

“All panels are secured by just one bolt and nut, and no scaffolding or cranage is required,” the company said. “This enhances the safety and health of workers during installation, while speeding up the process.”

The compact size of the FerroCer panels also makes it easier to replace just the worn panels. This is a major advantage, especially where wear patterns are uneven and not all the panels in an installation require replacement, according to FLSmidth.

Voges highlights that the cone shape of the ceramic inserts enhances their resilience. It also means the panel wears more slowly over time, as the surface area of ceramic insert widens as it wears.

“The much longer wear life being achieved by the FerroCer panels translates into reduced total cost of ownership, which is a primary driver across all commodity sectors,” Voges concludes.

Miners able to pick ‘n’ mix with latest FLSmidth mill lining components

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

FLSmidth says it has launched redesigned mill lining components engineered to suit the specific functions and differing operating environments of the mining industry with its.

The new PulpMax™ mill liners are designed to increase the throughput of semi-autogenous (SAG) mills and substantially boost the wear life of liners, the company said.

FLSmidth said: “Delivering on a promise to provide increased productivity to the mining industry, the composite design incorporated in FLSmidth’s new PulpMax mill liners ensure that users enjoy reduced downtime and maintenance, increased throughput and improved worker safety.”

With lighter weight mill liners, installation is faster and safer as each liner is easier to manipulate, according to the company. There are also fewer parts, and, hence, fewer movements are required to perform a reline, resulting in a significant decrease in scheduled downtime.

The composite nature of the liner reduces its weight by almost 50%, according to FLSmidth, which allows the plant to increase its ball charge level without increasing the total weight of the mill.

This higher ball charge further contributes to the higher throughput.

“The lighter weight of these liners has an important impact on size, design and installation time,” the company said. “Each liner can now be larger – subject to the size of the mill opening – and the mill can be lined with fewer of them, reducing the downtime required to conduct replacement.

A lighter liner means fewer bolts to hold it in place, a factor further reducing installation time, according to the company. This shorter downtime also means less time for contractors inside the mills, leading to a faster and safer liner changeout.

Another important benefit of the composite material used in many of FLSmidth’s redesigned liners is it is not necessary to torch the liners, as is sometimes required when removing old steel liners, the company said. “This torching process in the mill is best avoided, as it can cause costly damage to the mill shell,” FLSmidth explained.

Finally, there has also been the development of composite material shell liners bolted from the outside of the mill, once again, speeding up installation and reducing risk.

Jack Meegan, Product Line Manager for Comminution at FLSmidth, said: “As mines increasingly recognise the positive financial impact derived from just a few more percentage points in throughput improvement, many are looking beyond conventional steel cast liners for mills. FLSmidth’s innovations, based on combinations of steel, rubber and ceramic components, allow the liners to be thinner, resulting in a larger volume inside the mill, making higher charge levels possible.”

He continued: “Responding to the continuous assessment of customer needs, FLSmidth has launched a mill liner solution based on extensive data on mill operations, shutdowns, wear profiles and other factors. These have been used to develop a high-end technical and financial solution.”

Following installation, an ongoing measurement of actual wear, tonnage processed and estimated wear life is conducted so further recommendations can be made to improve performance, Meegan explained.

Element Six pits polycrystalline diamond against tungsten carbide at Bauma 2019

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Element Six is showcasing a live wear test using a grinding machine at the Bauma exhibition in Munich, this week.

The leader in supermaterials, and part of the De Beers Group, says this will demonstrate the difference in wear rate between polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and tungsten carbide, to showcase the extreme properties of synthetic diamond and the areas in which it can outperform tungsten carbide.

“The test will highlight the potential of PCD as a material to enhance the performance of tools and machines in the construction and mining industries,” the company said.

“The findings from the test will echo Bauma’s own key messages this year around efficiency and sustainability, by proving the ability to significantly improve the performance and safety of machinery.

“Synthetic diamond tools can exceed standard tungsten carbide tool life by 40 times for applications such as road milling, reducing downtime, fuel consumption and machining time, while improving quality and surface finish,” Element Six said.

Speaking at Bauma, Markus Bening, Global Sales Director, Road, Mining & Wear Parts at Element Six, said: “Based on our experience developing synthetic diamond tools for road milling and roof bolting applications, we see huge opportunities for original equipment manufacturers and toolmakers in construction and mining.

“Feedback from end-users in Sweden, where synthetic diamond is today’s standard for road milling jobs, has consistently shown that the benefits can be game-changing in terms of increased machining speeds and productivity.”

He added: “As companies look to embrace forward-thinking concepts like smart drilling and smart mining, longer-lasting tools are at the forefront of their minds. At our booth, we’ll be demonstrating how synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide tools can deliver incredible results in industries seeking the best performance.”

The Element Six booth is located in Hall C3, Booth 536.

Austin Engineering after safety and service life boost with two-piece excavator bucket

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

Austin Engineering has designed and manufactured a new two-piece excavator bucket that, it says, can both improve safety and service life.

The bucket assembly features well-defined reusable upper and consumable lower structures, designed for quick and safe bucket change-outs during scheduled maintenance intervals, the company said.

The bucket has been structurally verified for the nominated fatigue life using both ANSYS FEA software and EDEM simulation, according to Austin. This showed the new bucket assembly will achieve the theoretical target payload at the nominated fill factor. Meanwhile, the upper and lower sections of the new bucket are fabricated with combinations of high-strength steel for maximum fatigue resistance and durability, Austin said.

“The design is focused on safety with extensive consideration given to the potential for ‘stored energy’ safety hazards to exist and these have been eliminated from the design wherever practical,” Austin said.

The reusable upper section maintains overall structural integrity of the bucket assembly for a predetermined service life through multiple change-outs of the lower, consumable, section, according to the company.

The typical baseline service life for the upper section service will be in the vicinity of 30,000 hours; around four-to-five years based on industry expectations of conventional one-piece buckets of similar size and capacities, Austin said.

“Designed to be mine site and application-specific, the upper section offers scope for customisation and benefits proportionate to minimising costs over the assembly’s operational life,” the company said.

The bucket is available as fully-lined or liner-less, while the consumable lower section features a simplified design to improve the change-out time of a complete lower section or the removal and replacement of worn individual components.

For fully liner-less, lower bucket assemblies, the resulting structure uses alternative high strength and wear resistant materials in key areas along with increased thickness of identified structural components, according to Austin.

“Components subject to high wear and impact, such as the main shell and side plates, are designed as modular inserts which can be customised to customer specific operations,” Austin said, adding that these can be easily removed and replaced if required ahead of planned change-out.

Replaced lower sections provide an option for remanufacturing and can be returned to site for storage and direct replacement as required.

Dillinger to put steel under the microscope in new research pact

Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Dillinger has agreed to continue a partnership with two Germany-based research institutes as it looks to enhance the modelling of microstructures and properties of special steels through microstructure-based material design.

The heavy plate producer has, once again, committed €1 million ($1.14 million) of funding for a three-year programme with the University of Saarland and the Material Engineering Center Saarland. This follows the end of a previous three-year pact that started in 2015.

Dillinger said: “The three participating departments at the University of Saarland are working to develop innovative analysis techniques, simulation methods and material models aimed at continuously advancing this insight into the internal structures. They are integrating these methods and models with each other as well as with Dillinger’s application-oriented research activities.”

Simulations are used to link process phases with the product in order to model the microstructure and, thus, the desired product properties, Dillinger said.

“The simulation can be achieved much faster in plate production than with real laboratory tests and, most importantly, can be exactly reproduced accordingly,” the company added.

Already, the findings of previous research, together with knowledge collected over many years and new insights gained through modelling and simulation, have resulted in previously “unimaginable leaps in development that enable Dillinger to respond to increasing customer requirements more precisely, flexibly and innovatively than ever before,” the company said.

This research could lead to a totally different way of developing new steels, according to Dillinger.

“Dillinger will, in the future, be able to precisely define the way a special steel microstructure needs to look to remain optimally prepared for applications under Arctic operating conditions, for instance.”

And, in turn, this could influence the production of heavy plate steel to be used in the mining sector, according to Dillinger’s research and development department.

“The development of wear-resistant steels with higher hardness leads to an improvement in abrasion resistance (development of DILLIDUR 550 or DILLIDUR 600) and longer tool life in the mining sector,” the department told IM.

“With increasing hardness, the toughness of the steel decreases, which makes it more wear-resistant but also very sensitive to collisions with stones, for example. This is why Dillinger develops steels that not only have a high hardness but also a good toughness.

“Compared to Dillinger’s competitors, Dillinger can offer these properties for plate thicknesses of up to 150 mm (development of DILLIDUR 400 to 150 mm and DILLIDUR 550 to 100 mm), which makes it possible to produce tools and construction machinery with sufficient reserves and, thus, long service lives even under extremely abrasive operating conditions.”

Dillinger produced 2 Mt of heavy plate and 2.5 Mt of crude steel last year.

Metso increases India foundry capacity on increased cast wear parts demand

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , ,

Metso is investing €25 million ($29 million) in expanding its foundry capacity in Vadodara, India, as it looks to respond to increase demand for cast wear parts from the aggregates and mining industry.

The initial investment includes the acquisition of the property and foundry assets of a privately-owned foundry project, Mega Cast.

Sami Takaluoma, President, Minerals Consumables business area at Metso, said: “This investment fully aligns with our profitable growth strategy. It further expands our global manufacturing footprint in foundry products, improving our operational capabilities and allowing us to meet our customers’ growing needs both in terms of availability as well as reduced lead times.”

Metso said the foundry development will begin as soon as the acquisition of the foundry assets has been completed, with the first product deliveries from the Vadodara foundry expected by the end of 2019. From thereon, the production will ramp up quickly in 2020.

Metso launched operations in India in 1992 and has since been developing a strong footprint in the market. With local headquarters in Gurgaon, Delhi, Metso has around 850 employees in the country. Alongside the Alwar facility, Metso’s Indian aggregate sector capabilities are supported by a foundry in Ahmedabad, service centres in Bangalore and Faridabad, and a countrywide network of distribution centres.

Sandvik’s Sleeve Saver to provide more uptime and improved productivity

Coal technology, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, , ,

The Sleeve Saver™ features an all-new design engineered to last longer than standard longwall picks, according to Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology.

It works to protect and extend the life of the sleeve and block through an advanced cutting tip and a full-sleeve retainer. A new washer system acts as a bearing, improving rotation and increasing wear life. This results in more uptime and better productivity, Sandvik said.

The Sleeve Saver also enhances safety, as improved wear life reduces the time miners are exposed to the longwall face to replace worn picks, sleeves and blocks. Its universal design fits grooved and ungrooved sleeves.

The product’s cap cemented carbide cutting tip is larger than standard tips, and its efficient low-energy profile design requires less energy to cut material, generating less dust and contributing to overall longer wear life.

A large, non-rotating, full-sleeve retainer protects the entire block bore, with a new washer system that acts as a sacrificial wear bearing, absorbing the wear associated with the pick’s collar that otherwise would be absorbed by the face of the sleeve. The washer also helps to keep abrasive fines from entering the sleeve.

The retainer design reduces likelihood of the drum ‘throwing’ the picks. Superior tool rotation contributes to even wear of the tip for a longer lifecycle.

Average downtime cost for block and sleeve repair is $400/min, according to Sandvik.

“The new Sleeve Saver longwall pick will not only save up to $24,000/h in downtime costs for maintenance, but because it lasts longer than a standard pick, it will reduce the amount of time miners are exposed to the unstable longwall face. Because it protects the entire block bore, it reduces the required frequency of welding on new blocks, which must be avoided in potentially gaseous underground coal environments,” the company said.

The Sleeve Saver is unlike any other longwall tool on the market, according to Sandvik, ultimately providing miners and mine owners with these benefits:

  • Increased productivity: less machine downtime for tool, sleeve and block change-outs means more uptime producing coal;
  • Increased safety: reduced dust generation and less exposure to the longwall for changeouts results in better safety;
  • Lower maintenance costs: Sleeve Saver minimises wear on the tool and the entire block bore, and;
  • Longer service life: the Sleeve Saver lasts twice as long as conventional tools in longwall applications, and provides up to 250% longer holder life, based on field and lab tests.

Sandvik’s patented carbide alloy tips mean its tools for multiple industries are the toughest there is.

“In all applications, it is the carbide tip that is the key to tool performance and wear life,” Sandvik said.