MechChem Africa November-December 2021

Afrisam upgrades crushing

technology with Metso C120

AfriSam will be installing a Metso C120 jaw crusher supplied by South African distributor Pilot Crushtec with the investment indicating the company’s confidence in the future, and its commitment to quality production standards.

A rendered CAD model of a complete Metso C120 primary jaw module complete with grizzly feeder, skid structure and take-out conveyor.

L everaging new-generation crushing technology to optimise uptime at its Pietermaritzburg quarry, AfriSam will be installing a Metso C120 jaw crusher supplied by SouthAfrican distributor Pilot Crushtec. According to Glenn Johnson, general manager for construction materials’ opera- tions at AfriSam, the investment indicates the company’s confidence in the future, and its commitment toqualityproduction standards. “Staying abreast of available technology is important in advancing our efforts to en- hanceour supply securityandproduct quality, while targeting certain aggregate products demandedby themarket,” says Johnson. “The C120 crusher is part of a broader technical investment at our Pietermaritzburg plant aimed at underpinning reliability of supply for customers.” AfriSam’s facility in Pietermaritzburg provides a diverse portfolio of aggregate products that are suitable for readymix, asphalt, the civils and road building sector as well as for concreteproductmanufacturers in the construction sector. Its output is currently vital to key infrastructural improvements in the area, such as the upgrades to the N3 highway south to Durban and north towards Johannesburg. He highlights that the high vibration im- pact of primary jaw crushers disseminated onto the associated designed fabricated sub-structures or concrete foundations have long been a significant structural integrity challenge for many aggregate quarries, and he expects the new C120 crusher’s design and dampening technology to help AfriSam

mitigate this risk.

engineering manager, says the advantage of the Metso C120 is that the current design of the crusher incorporates a retro-fitted self- dampening system that drastically reduces the associated effects of dynamic and static loading onto these structures and associated foundations. This reduces the effects and consequences of under-structure or founda- tion failures. “It further reduces the need for complex

“A key consider- ation in choosing the

Metso C120 was its proven self-dampening concept,” he says. “This will help us move away from the risks and challenges related to costly civil engineering works that were previously required to create a fixed base for the crusher.” Theolan Govender, AfriSam’s national

A new Metso C120 primary jaw crushing module installed with a retaining wall.

20 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2021