Plant Equipment and Hire October 2019 | Page 9

INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE Rebuilding equipment makes economic sense. When this work is carried out by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), the rebuild can incorporate the latest parts and technology upgrades, ensuring that the equipment provides the best possible production during its second life. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology’s Service Business line manager for Southern Africa, David Hickson, says the OEM rebuilds are much more than simply stripping, sandblasting, lubing and reassembling a machine with new parts. Rather, today’s work is performed with the primary objective of ensuring the equipment’s performance during its second life is as close as possible to its design potential. Sandvik’s rebuild programme offers various solutions ranging from scoped rebuilds where equipment is inspected by certified specialists and work done in line with the customer’s requirements; or more advanced solutions where pre-engineered kits are prepared in the Sandvik factory and fitted to the machine to either return it to its original condition, or to upgrade the machine to the latest available technical and safety specifications. “Our life extension programmes can be tailored to requirements using a flexible, modular approach that depends on the condition of the machine and the systems that are required to be rebuilt, or it may involve a full scope rebuild that is completed at a fixed price. What the customer opts for typically depends on what endurance and productive capacity is New life for old equipment Sandvik’s rebuild programme offers various solutions, including scoped rebuilds where equipment is inspected by certified specialists and work done in line with the customer’s requirements. required from the machine’s second life,” he says. “A Sandvik full scope rebuild is covered with the same warranty as a new machine, giving customers complete peace-of-mind around machine performance, reliability and durability during the subsequent life. In this way, we can prolong the economic lifespan of a customer’s assets, giving them the best possible return on investment and the lowest total cost of production.” “Experienced miners know that wear and tear is unavoidable, and that critical components and systems will deteriorate over time, often undetected. If such wear is not systematically eliminated, it will inevitably result in excessive unplanned machine downtime and unnecessary collateral damage and cost. Identifying the optimal rebuild interval and scheduling rebuilds accordingly is a strategically smart approach – you preserve productivity, extend operational life and reduce running costs. In one intervention, a full rebuild will remove all unknown risk from the machine and will significantly improve the reliability and operating cost,” says Hickson. Sandvik has rebuild offerings for all its major products – underground drill rigs and bolters; underground loaders and trucks; mechanical cutting machines; surface drill rigs, and crushers. Bio chisel paste prolongs the life of hydraulic breakers www.equipmentandhire.co.za As part of Epiroc’s aim to help protect the environment, all new Epiroc hydraulic breakers are now delivered with Epiroc Bio Chisel paste. The formulation is approved by the European commission for use in environmentally sensitive applications. Used to grease the wear bushings in the breakers, Epiroc Bio Chisel paste is based on special synthetic esters that are easily biodegradable. The paste helps prevent bushing wear and prolong working tool life. Inside a hydraulic breaker, the ambient working temperature reaches up to 1 100°C under extreme load. In these conditions the standard greases available on the market will liquefy and disappear. Tailor-made for hydraulic breakers, Epiroc Bio Chisel paste gives excellent performance across a wide range of temperatures, from –30°C up to 1 100°C. The paste has high load carrying characteristics with very good separation capacity. It helps lower breaker operating costs by reducing bushing wear and working tool breakage. High water resistance makes Epiroc Bio Chisel paste suitable for underwater applications, and the paste offers a high level of corrosion protection. Epiroc hydraulic breakers are now delivered with Epiroc Bio Chisel paste. OCTOBER 2019 7