Modern Mining May 2021

MMD is taking advantage of the situation: “We are developing products that use available technology to add value to our clients’ operations, for instance, the use of computer vision for wear component con- dition monitoring and the tracking of wear and/or damage. This will eventually lead to predictive wear, which is client specific and will empower our clients to optimise their maintenance and spares holding. “MMD will also be launching a complete online vibration monitoring system in the near future. This will monitor the condition of the sizers’ critical com- ponents and the overall health of the mineral sizer, providing early warnings of potential issues. “All of our R&D is driven to empower our clients to make decisions on up to date information. This is the way of the future.” MMD i s al so work ing on a Si zer Wear Standardisation project, which is headed up by senior mechanical engineer Jaco Koch. He explains that MMD Africa was looking at means to re-evaluate wear measurements and correlate these to MMD’s wear component selection. While the company has often referred to industry- standard metrics such as the Abrasion Index, UCS, Work Indexes and others, Koch notes that these are standardised tests and are therefore not ideal. “We have noticed that, because of the disparity in the physics involved in mineral sizing, and the way the standard tests are performed, these tests don’t always provide a true reflection, so we are looking to benchmark our own metrics to improve wear component selection as opposed to using

engineering perspective,” says Lombard. “People have had time to take a step back and see how they can optimise their operations.” While many mines have cut their production requirements for the 2020/21 season, others have been placed under care and maintenance and are using this opportunity to maintain and upgrade their equipment. “Some of our clients have shifted their focus from expansion to rather maintain or refurbish their equipment,” says Lombard. “We are well-diversified, from spares and repairs to design, manufacture and consultation.” He notes that projects are market-related and influenced by commodity prices. It is therefore in the nature of high-value projects to have a certain dura- tion. So, gold and coal projects, for instance, would have their own cycles which are not necessarily in the same phase. “We offset this cyclical nature with spares and repairs to even out the peaks and troughs,” says Lombard. Research & development Another ‘positive’ emerging from the pandemic was a boost to the company’s focus on research and development: “While we usually spend a lot of time on the execution of projects, we can now invest our resources in R&D, following the COVID-19 slow- down,” says Peeters. He says many of the company’s clients are exploring Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and

An MMD Africa static sizer station featuring a D7 apron plate feeder and an 1150 Series sizer.

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May 2021  MODERN MINING  27