Modern Mining March 2016

COVER STORY

Above: The Cat 6020B in a typical application. The swing system includes a triple-race swing roller bearing with inter- nal gearing connected to an automatic lubrication system. Top right: The Cat 6020B’s large windshield and side win- dows optimise safe machine positioning and truck loading. Centre right: The compact power module houses the engine, the engine radiator, the hydraulic oil cooling unit and the pumps. Right: The Cat 6020B’s automatic track tensioning system is a simplified design that requires no manual adjustment. senior product manager: Cat mining shovels at Barloworld Equipment. Research on the Cat 6020B started before the Bucyrus acqui- sition, with Caterpillar then taking over the programme. (Barloworld Equipment is the Cat dealer for Southern Africa.) Prior to every new Cat model introduction, a specified number of validation hours – recorded through rigorous in-field testing – is required before a machine can be signed-off as ready for manufacture. The past few years have been spent refining the Cat 6020B. Four pilot units were deployed as part of Caterpillar’s R&D ini- tiative: three at global mine sites in Suriname (gold), Finland (phosphate), and Canada (iron ore, Arctic Circle) respectively, and the fourth at Caterpillar’s proving grounds at Tinaja Hills

in Tucson, Arizona. The end result is a machine that is geared towards achieving lowest cost per tonne production in its class in direct response to global customer requirements. “The simplicity of the Cat 6020B’s design is what makes it so remarkable,” adds Kraan. “It’s not complicated. It’s not over-engineered, and it’s not difficult to assemble, operate or maintain.” Key features that set the Cat 6020B apart

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