CONVEYING
Bedeschi can offer the latest technologies for mining conveyor drives including gearless drives, ranging from small- to medium-sized permanent magnet motors to large externally excited synchronous machines. The highly energyefficient direct drives reduce maintenance costs and help avoid environmental hazards, such as gear lubricant spills. Permanentexcited magnet motors provide relatively light and compact drive arrangements with minimal cooling requirements, making them ideal for confined spaces, underground applications, and retrofitting existing conveyors.
Bedeschi adds:“ The use of enclosed belt conveyors ensures that the material is handled within a completely sealed volume throughout the conveying path. The need for dedusting equipment is reduced to a minimum and possibly eliminated. This kind of conveyor allows for dust-free operations( the rubber belt completely seals the product), significantly reduced costs for supporting steel structures and galleries thanks to its reduced section and weight compared to a standard belt conveyor, and complete layout flexibility, as transfer towers are not necessary for changes in height or direction of the conveyor.”
PROK further expands presence in Brazil
PROK Brazil has expanded its manufacturing footprint with a dedicated facility in Vespasiano focused on the production and recycling of composite conveyor rollers. The facility is designed to increase local manufacturing capacity, improve regional supply responsiveness, and support circular material use within conveyor operations.
A notable aspect of PROK’ s manufacturing approach is the in-house extrusion of its conveyor roller tube. While most idler manufacturers source tubing from external suppliers, PROK extrudes its patented composite roller tube internally, retaining control over a critical component of the roller assembly. The company says PROK is the only conveyor idler OEM globally to own and operate an in-house extrusion process for this patented dual layer composite roller tube technology, enabling closer control over material consistency, production quality and continuous technology advancements at a large scale.
The Brazil facility represents the latest stage in PROK’ s recent manufacturing expansion, following the opening of six new conveyor equipment manufacturing sites globally over the past three years as the company continues to prioritise customer service and local supply in key mining regions.
Located within PROK’ s existing Brazilian operations, the new 40,000 sq ft facility supports both the manufacture of lightweight HDPE tube, rollers and the recycling of end-of-life rollers returned from customer sites. According to PROK, the layout enables increased production volumes, expanded recycling capability, and reduced lead times for customers in the region.
HDPE rollers offer several operational advantages over steel alternatives, including a 35-45 % reduction in weight, non-corrosive and non-magnetic properties, lower noise levels, and fire-resistant performance to UL94-V0 standards. These characteristics have driven increased adoption in applications where safety, reduced maintenance, and energy efficiency are priorities.
Under PROK’ s recycling programme, used HDPE rollers can be returned to the facility for reprocessing into new rollers containing a proportion of recycled material. The company estimates the initiative delivers a reduction in raw material consumption and an annual carbon reduction equivalent of approximately 42,431 kg CO₂e. Participating customers may also receive documentation to support ESG and sustainability reporting.
Groundbreaking conveyor belting from Sempertrans for Warrior Met Coal
Sempertrans was selected to provide what it says is a groundbreaking conveyor belt solution for Warrior Met Coal’ s Blue Creek Mining Project in Alabama, USA. This state-of-the-art longwall mine is expected to be among the lowest cost producers in the world, with a highly efficient facility and an anticipated annual production capacity of approximately 6 million short tons of premium hard coking coal.
The project involved the provision of the strongest conveyor belt in North America, and significantly, the strongest conveyor belt ever produced by Sempertrans to date, addressing critical high-tension requirements within this high-volume slope belt application. The conveyor itself was delivered by BEUMER Group.
Warrior is a large-scale, low-cost producer and exporter of premium quality metcoal, also known as hard-coking coal( HCC), operating highly efficient longwall operations in its underground mines based in Alabama. The HCC that Warrior produces from the Blue Creek coal seam contains very low sulphur and has strong coking properties. The premium nature of Warrior’ s HCC makes it ideally suited as a base feed coal for steelmakers.
The miner needed a conveyor belt that could endure extreme slope tension and throughput; operate under long-term, highcapacity loads; reduce downtime, carryback, and spillage; plus meet strict MSHA fireresistance standards. Sempertrans delivered a custom Sempercord™ ST7500 belt and
International Mining | FEBRUARY 2025