Modern Quarrying July-August 2016

EQUIPMENT & PRODUCTS MARKETPLACE

Maintenance short cuts are costly

The mining sector worldwide remains under pressure to reduce operating costs and this has seen a number of plants cut- ting back on essential maintenance in an effort to decrease what is perceived to be unnecessary expenditure. This stance is cause for concern as cutting back on maintenance will increase long term operational costs on a plant. Mark Baller, MD of Weba Chute Systems says this is particularly true when taking short cuts in maintaining material transfer chutes and systems. He explains that when cutting back on maintenance activities on transfer points the focus is almost always on reducing the cost of individual parts, components or tasks and not on the total cost of ownership. This can result in cutbacks in inappropri- ate areas leading to subsequent future additional costs. “While we understand this is a tough time for the mining sector, and opera- tions are under extreme cost pressure, the sourcing of cheaper alternatives will not

save costs over the medium to long term for the plant,” Baller says. He points to actual instances where damage caused through the installation of inferior components manifested itself within the first months of such a decision, and led to substantial unplanned expen- diture, both in terms of production and repair to the transfer point. An example would be where an existing chute is modified to accommo- date cheaper wearing parts. Weba Chute Systems are specifically engineered to control the direction, flow and velocity of material being transferred, and through this these transfer chutes and systems are able to achieve equipment plant availabil- ity as high as 90 to 95%. Modifying an existing engineered chute system will adversely affect the dynamics of material transfer which, in turn, affects the performance of the chute leading to issues such as increased fric- tion, blockages, spillage, higher rates of wear and inevitably unplanned downtime.

The optimisation of chute performance is a process of defining the geometry of the chute to reliably convey material fromone point to another.

“It is in the difficult times that OEM suppliers and customers must work hand-in-hand to ensure the sustainabil- ity of the operation, and we would urge customers to communicate with us as it is through this approach that maintenance programmes can be tailored to suit indi- vidual customer needs and budgets, and assist in ensuring that equipment is kept in optimal running condition,” Baller says. www.webachutes.com

Purpose-built for the robust applications typically found in Africa, Caterpillar’s B20, B30 and B35 top mount ham- mers (TM) are now available locally for diverse markets that include municipal, general construction, demolition, quarrying and mining. These units are designed for fitment across a broad spectrum of Cat carriers: the B20 TM is an ideal match for the Cat 320D2 L; the BM30 TM for Cat 323D2 L and Cat 329D2 L machines; and the B35 TM for Cat 336D2 L and Cat 340D2 L excavators. “A distinctive feature is their excellent power-to-weight ratio, outstanding impact output, and simplicity,” points out Barloworld Equipment product and application spe- cialist, Craig Christie, adding that the weld-free hydraulic kit mounting supplied is a standard feature. “This high pressure accumulator protects the carrier’s hydraulic cir- cuit by absorbing pulsation spikes created during the fir- ing stroke. “Every aspect of these hammers has been designed and tested to provide years of trouble-free daily operation,” he adds. www.barloworld-equipment.com Simplified breakers for high impact

The top-mount (rectangular) style increases impact power by keeping hammer and stick forces in line.

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MODERN QUARRYING

July - August 2016