IM 2016 June 2016 | Page 82

HEAVY ENGINEERING_proof 25/05/2016 10:46 Page 3 HEAVY ENGINEERING Moly-Cop clarifies position One of ME Elecmetal’s new car bottom heat treatment furnaces “Before liner tooling is made, sophisticated CAD systems are used to generate liner models. These models will be used to create an assembly drawing to assure all castings fit. The model is also used by pattern makers on the equipment. In addition, the models will be used to study solidification patterns that develop when large castings cool. This helps determine how molten metal will be fed into the mould cavity, and where critical risers need to be located to assure that the liner is internally sound and free of voids.” On the other hand, grinding media can be seen as the ‘partners’ of liners inside the mill. ME Elecmetal’s grinding media offering includes forged steel balls and rods for SAG, ball and rod grinding mills. ME’s forged steel balls can be made up to 6.5 in diameter, with its products “suitable for the aggressive environment found inside large SAG mills where high energy impacts are very common.” This partnership between large liners and large grinding media is described as the key to improved milling operations. “All these huge parts we make are supported by our ME FIT System service offering, which includes 3D laser scanning, DEM and FEM simulations; reline simulations; and ME Grinding Apps.” As mentioned, ME Elecmetal recently officially inaugurated the Rancagua foundry modernisation project which will increase its production capacity to 36,000 t. The project includes a new special steel foundry; an advanced laboratory for grinding media