Plant Equipment and Hire September 2018 | Page 12

NEW EQUIPMENT NEWS Next generation demolition machines Lokotrack ST2.8 mobile scalping screen. The success of any mining operation depends on trust in equipment, especially when it involves the purchase of pieces of multimillion-rand capital equipment to achieve predetermined production goals. In 2017, an operator in Zimbabwe bought three Metso Lokotrack ® ST2.8 scalpers from its long-term supplier and Metso southern Africa distributor, Pilot Crushtec International. The customer was looking for a reliable and cost-effective solution for the mining of alluvial ore under testing conditions and, based on previous experience, readily accepted its supplier’s advice on product selection. This proved to be a fortuitous decision as the Lokotracks’ performances over the next few months demonstrated that they were indeed ideal for this application. So much so that the company decided to purchase an additional three units, swelling the size of the fleet to six. Ore deposits are found in thick clay above the bedrock, which varies in depths of between one and two metres 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 beneath the surface. Complete bush clearing is not an option, so surface and subsoil vegetation provide their own challenges, not to mention a rainy season and flash floods, so it is in this environment that the scalper comes into its own. An aggressive screen box with a 15mm throw (50% greater than any other comparative product) substantially reduces the chances of blinding and pegging, and the scalper can be fine- tuned to suit a variety of soil and surface conditions, including sand applications. The powerful box can be run at a relatively low 750 revs per minute, beneficial to the scalping process, while having the capacity to increase the operational life of the machine as there is less wear on the screen box. Current output on the project is more than 300 tonnes per hour, well within expectations, and is greatly assisted by the tines (fingers) mounted on the bottom deck, which serve to maintain production levels, even under the wettest conditions. Considering the material is abrasive, there has been no need to change the tines (bottom deck) or bofar bars (top deck) after 12 months. The Lokotrack ® range has a two-way split option. Should only two conveyors out of three be required for a specific application, the third conveyor can be removed for operations, thereby saving fuel, wear and tear, and — from a safety perspective — removing the possibility of unnecessary entanglement with non- productive moving parts. In addition to extracting ore, the customer operates a smelting operation on site where Pilot Crushtec International is also supplying a solution to process their slag and increase their material recovery. The Pilot Modular crushing and screening plant will be in constant use processing slag, which is waste material that contains lumbs (pieces) of metal. The crushing process enables the miner to recover the metal fragments, which adds significant value to the operation as a whole. Essential product information Lokotrack ® ST2.8 scalper: • Screen dimensions: 4 866mm × 1 524mm • Feed hopper: 4.5m³ • Engine: CAT ® 75kW • Weight: 26 000kg • The Lokotrack ® ST2.8 design incorporates easy access and working space to essential areas, including the engine compartment and screen box • Walkways, apron feeder cassette, and conveyors are all manufactured from galvanised steel. Standard options on the products supplied to southern African customers include: • Hot climate kit • Heavy-duty air filtration kit • Foldable 11m³ hopper extensions • Interlock cable to link with secondary unit • Light mast • 250-hour service kits. Pilot Modular Plant servicing smelting operation: • Pilot Modular GFH560 grizzly hopper • Pilot Modular BR0605 impact crusher • Pilot Modular DD2412 double-deck screen • Four MC13600 conveyors • MC1000 belt magnet.