HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS
with no debonding issues and adhesion levels higher than our traditional adhesives ,” he said .
“ We are now rolling out the training to our global service centres , which includes both practical and hands-on training . The product is ready where the training has taken place and we look forward to being able to transfer over to the new adhesive by the end of the year .”
Light Lifter boost
Reducing a mill ’ s internal weight , expanding its service life and enhancing wear performance are three of the aims behind ME Elecmetal ’ s new Light Lifter ® SAG mill liner design .
These aims – and the new liner – were recently put to the test at a major mine in Peru .
This mine was looking to increase its current mill throughput during the mill shell liner campaign while also preventing parts from breaking in order to meet service life expectations .
ME Elecmetal put forward design propositions to put an end to mill stoppages triggered by cracked shell liners , grates and bolts , etc , at the same time incorporating the Light Lifter design into the operation .
The Light Lifter design involves the manufacture of a lighter mill shell liner that can perform a “ light ” emptying in the back-up area , specifically in the sections showing less wear .
Light Lifter was installed at the mine in question in September 2019 , pledging to increase annualised mill throughput to 16 Mt with zero liner breakage : an increase on the 13- 14.5 Mt range the operation was previously achieving .
Once the solution was in place and the SAG mill liner campaign had concluded at the end of March 2020 , the shell section was processing 17.3 Mt ( annualised ), equal to 19 % more tonnes , and the mill had logged 191 days of actual operating time , marking a successful outcome for ME Elecmetal ’ s liners in terms of meeting sevice life recommendations , the company added .
ME Elecmetal was also able to do away with mill liner breakage and cracked bolts caused by critical ball impacts , with the SAG mill cylinder liners showing no sign of breakage .
“ This was made possible by providing our customer with simulations , data analysis and operational recommendations throughout the campaign ,” the company said .
By the end of the campaign in March 2020 , the removed Light Lifter liners still had an average remnant thickness of 25 mm and , in the most critical zone , not a single crack or break was observed .
ME Elecmetal concluded : “ As a result of these findings , ME Elecmetal is working on an ME FIT Grinding program to develop new designs , grates and generally meet the revised targets that the
ME Elecmetal continues to work with customers to analyse mill operating conditions and recommend new value-adding opportunities within the process plant
client is considering . There is no doubt whatsoever that Light Lifter marks the successful beginning of a suite of technological and integral solutions for our client .”
‘ Infinite ’ customisation options
“ Our business exists in both truck trays and buckets because we are able to offer a very high level of customisation to customers ,” David Singleton , CEO of Austin Engineering , a manufacturer of highly engineered truck trays and buckets , states .
Yet , within the realms of this customisation , there is room for both automation and advanced manufacturing practices that can lead to increased output , improved product quality and faster turnaround of orders .
This is all part of the “ Austin 2.0 journey ” the company is currently going through , according to Singleton .
Initially – in phase one – this journey was designed to create a leaner and more consolidated company structure with a stronger focus on new product delivery . Phase two – the phase the company is currently in – has seen Austin develop its major manufacturing sites , commencing in Batam , Indonesia , and then to Perth , Western Australia , where the automation and advanced manufacturing elements come in .
Phase three is looking at putting technology and innovation at the forefront of a significantly expanded Austin product range , elements of which are already in place at the Perth-based company .
Considering the company ’ s customisation prowess and past definitions of ‘ advanced manufacturing ’, Singleton was keen to outline what the term meant in a 2022 context .
“ I often say to people , we produce an almost infinite degree of customisation in our truck bodies ,” he said . “ Advanced manufacturing must help , not hinder that .
“ Advanced manufacturing in the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s in car plants was all about producing common equipment one-after-another with limited levels of customisation . What is happening in robotics and advanced manufacturing these days is much more oriented towards the sort of manufacturing we do . These robotic systems are much more flexible than they were in the early car plants ; they can be programmed and re-programmed with ease to carry out many different tasks , instead of just one that is repeated .”
And ‘ advanced manufacturing ’ isn ’ t simply about replacing people with robots . Being able to bring in just-in-time manufacturing and line side storage of components eases the assembly process for many of Austin ’ s products , allowing it to speed up the turnaround time .
This is particularly important given the influx of orders Austin has seen of late .
In the three months to end-February 2022 , for instance , it registered A $ 82 million ($ 61 million ) of new orders across its business as demand for its specialist truck trays and buckets accelerated . This represented a 100 % increase in its order book level compared with the same period a year earlier .
Austin Engineering ’ s continual investment in R & D has allowed it to continuously improve its offering , with the ULTIMA truck tray one solution set for an upgrade
58 International Mining | JUNE 2022