WEAR PARTS
This has already been tested out at Boliden’s
Aitik mine, in Gällivare, Sweden, which is currently
undergoing an expansion to 45 Mt/y throughput,
from 36 Mt/y previously.
The base metal mine already has Megaliner mill
liners on the shell and feed end of both of its
primary AG mills and has tested the new
Discharge End Megaliner over nine months at one
of these 38 ft (11.6 m) mills.
The Aitik trial has proven around 70% fewer
parts are required compared with the conventional
process. Relining has also been carried out much
quicker and safer, according to Poutanen.
This is not all Metso has been up to on the mill
lining side.
In May, the company announced it was
expanding the range, sizes and types of
consumable products it manufactures with the
help of an “innovative, mega-size compress
press”.
The press, installed at its Trelleborg factory in
Sweden, can produce products, such as mill lining
wear parts, that weigh up to 8 t, it said. This
includes bigger Megaliner parts.
Sami Takaluoma, President, Consumables
business, Metso, said: “We are continuously
developing our operations to improve our
flexibility in fulfilling our mining customers’ needs
globally.
“For our customers, the ability to acquire and
use larger, high-quality consumables in the
process enables a longer operating time and
reduces the time required for maintenance work.
The new press has been developed together with
the supplier, and it utilises unique, innovative
technology.”
Metso – and the Trelleborg unit – already
provides rubber and poly-met mill linings to the
mining sector.
Rubber reinforcement
Weir Minerals acquired Linatex in 2010 and has
since been making the most of its rubber lining
solutions.
Linatex premium rubber is a proprietary
vulcanised natural rubber produced through a
process that uses high quality natural latex,
according to Weir. “It has outstanding strength,
resilience and resistance to cutting and tearing –
with high performance in wet, abrasive
conditions,” the company said.
This year, Weir Minerals launched a new
product under this range – the Linatex ® ceramic
hose in the slurry transportation space – as well
as continued to pick up positive references from
mining operations.
The ceramic hose combines Weir Minerals’
Linacure ® rubber with high-quality, 92% alumina
ceramic tiles, providing an option for operators
dealing with abrasive minerals. The company says
the compound is suitable for sites handling hard
ores such as gold, coal, copper, lithium or iron ore.
In Africa, meanwhile, two mines have been
achieving increased production time and plant
availability after converting to rubber lining
solutions.
A mineral sands operation in Mozambique
approached Weir Minerals just over two years ago
after experiencing high wear on its pipe and
launders. This was leading to frequent
maintenance, leaks and downtime. The Weir
Minerals team observed that part of the challenge
was worn out and corroded metal work on the
mine’s wet concentrator plants due to the
proximity to the coast.
Access to reline the existing launders was
difficult and posed safety risks necessitating a
more effective solution, the company said.
The solution was to replace the competitors’
products – chemically-cured rubber – with Linatex
rubber and Linard ® 60 rubber. This was done
during the mine’s monthly shutdowns.
Whereas the competitors’ rubber lasted only
two to three months, the Linatex and Linard
linings were still in operation after 25 months,
according to the company.
The Linard 60 rubber lining solution was also
applied at a gold mine in South Africa’s North
West province. The mine’s maintenance team had
been replacing the rubber lining on mill feed
hoppers and spouts every 10 days, but the
mechanical foreman was looking for a more
resilient solution.
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