HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS
In July 2020 , Hofmann Engineering started up its North America operations with a 4,645 sq . m facility in Ontario , Canada compound provides a more stable friction coefficient , and the brake is equipped with a simple manual wear compensator system . The SHI disc brake is applied by spring force and hydraulically released .” manufacturing facility , built on this in 2018 with a factory opening in Peru and , in July 2020 , started up Hofmann Engineering North America with a plant in Ontario , Canada .
This 4,645 sq . m facility comes with 60 t of crane capacity ( two units ) and a 4,366 sq . m factory floor . From this North America hub – located close to Quebec and Ontario ’ s major gold mines and the oil sands of Alberta – the company can produce mill and kiln gears , mill and kiln pinions , gear boxes , and all major mechanical components for draglines from this base .
Hofmann Engineering North America also has the capacity to produce swing , propel , hoist and crowd transmissions for electric rope shovels that are fully interchangeable with OEM components , and complete undercarriage components for hydraulic excavators .
The Ontario facility leverages Hofmann ’ s global haul truck expertise , too , and is able to offer both mechanical and electrical final drive transmissions and associated components interchangeable with OEM products for vehicles such as Caterpillar ’ s 797 , 793 , 789 , 785 and 777 trucks , Komatsu ’ s 930E and 830E ultraclass vehicles , Hitachi ’ s EH4500-1 , EH4500-2 and EH5000 units and Liebherr ’ s T282B & T282C trucks .
On top of adding large dragline component contracts and capabilities for in-house testing of large vibrating screens in Australia to its offering over the past year , Hofmann has also put in place plans to build its eighth factory around the world in the iron ore rich Pilbara region of Western Australia .
China-based equipment OEM CITIC Heavy Industries Co Ltd ( CITIC HIC ) has also been expanding its international presence .
One of its products recently premiered at the Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ), majority-owned by Ivanhoe Mines ( 39.6 %) and Zijin Mining ( 39.6 %).
Two ball mills , transported in three shipments , have now been installed on site . The initial shipment for the first line included a 7,800 kW , 21 ft x 31.5 ft ( 6.4 m x 9.6 m ) primary ball mill and a secondary ball mill of the same power rating and size .
With the project owners having now signed off the long-lead items for an expanded 7.6 Mt / y operation , the plant will eventually include two modules , consisting of two of these lines ( each of the two 3.8 Mt / y grinding lines having a primary and secondary ball mill ) from CITIC HIC .
Brakes off
SIBRE Siegerland Bremsen GmbH ’ s more than 60 years of operating history has seen the company engaged in development and production of brake systems for multiple industries including mining .
In 2019 , SIBRE introduced its new generation of thruster disc brakes , the USB5 series , mainly used as service brakes .
The new design has led to a standardised functional principle for the brakes , available in five different sizes , designed for hoisting and conveyor applications . The brakes are a springapplied , fail-safe design intended as a calliper brake that is activated or closed by spring force .
For those customers used to SIBRE ’ s thruster disc brakes , the new series comes with identical conditions regarding installation , adjustment and maintenance . This is reinforced with full control and a status overview of the brakes via the company ’ s SSM – SIBRE Status Monitoring – system . This system allows the user to check the status of the brake from the comfort of their office .
Another new product in SIBRE ’ s offering is an upgraded design of its SHI series calliper brakes for emergency brake applications . The SHI features a piston design that , the company claims , is “ decoupled ” from radial forces to deliver an increased lifetime .
“ The new SHI has been redesigned for improved force distribution and reduced risk of leakage ,” SIBRE said . “ A new lining material
Fossil-free steel
Earlier this year , Volvo Group and SSAB signed a collaboration agreement on research , development , serial production and commercialisation of the world ’ s first vehicles to be made of fossil-free steel .
SSAB has already stated its aim of supplying the market with fossil-free steel using hydrogen at a commercial scale from 2026 in line with the framework of the HYBRIT initiative , which SSAB has been driving with LKAB and Vattenfall since 2016 . A HYBRIT pilot plant has been in place since August 2020 , which will soon start to produce smaller volumes of sponge iron made using hydrogen as an input .
It is the product from this pilot plant that will be used to make the steel for use in this collaboration with Volvo , with the OEM planning to start production of concept vehicles and components from this steel later in the year .
Plans for smaller-scale serial production will be made during 2022 and a gradual escalation towards mass production will follow . Volvo and SSAB will also work together in research and development to optimise the use of steel in Volvo ’ s products regarding weight and quality .
Together , the two companies will develop several products of fossil-free steel with the goal of reaching serial production within a few years .
Another potential customer for this fossil-free steel could be global mining equipment solutions provider , Austin Engineering .
SSAB already supplies Austin with Hardox ® 500 Tuf steel for its brands of Westech and JEC truck bodies , which are used across the globe at major mine sites due to their light weight and robust nature .
The Australia-based company recently branched out into Eastern Europe through a pact with Engineering Company Mining Technology LLC .
This partnership agreement covers key regions such as Belarus , Russia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , Ukraine , Poland , Serbia , Bulgaria , Bosnia and Herzegovina , with the appointment part of Austin ’ s strategy to form partnerships in new jurisdictions .
It will enable Austin to widen its networks into new and existing global markets , resulting in further potential sales opportunities , benefitting from a local partner ’ s customer relationships and local knowledge , Austin said .
Belarus-based Engineering Company Mining Technology LLC has developed a wealth of professional contacts with large OEMs , mining
62 International Mining | JUNE 2021