HEAVY ENGINEERING & WEAR PARTS
Prepared for impact
The unsung heroes of the mining world , engineered products and wear parts continue to evolve in the face of changing market dynamics , Dan Gleeson reports
Aleader in the mineral processing sector , Weir ’ s foundries are the cornerstones of the company ’ s operations , according to Lee Jenkins , Director of Operations at Weir ’ s Todmordon foundry .
The manufacturer of Warman ® slurry pumps has six foundries , each supported by machine shops , strategically located in major mining regions , with , it says , unique capabilities to service the local markets .
Across these sites , Weir has an installed capacity in excess of 50,000 t / y , with the heaviest cast single piece produced weighing about 17 t , while the smallest is 2.8 kg .
In Latin America , there are foundries in Jundiai , Brazil , and Santiago , Chile . Weir is currently increasing the capacity at the Jundiai site , while the Santiago foundry recently completed a melting upgrade , which includes some manipulation in the post-cast operations for robotic fettling .
There are also two facilities in Africa : the heavy bay foundry in Port Elizabeth , South Africa , where a new sand distribution system was recently installed , including chromite separation and secondary reclamation USR technology , which , Weir says , provides unrivalled sand quality . The facility in Isando , Johannesburg , is focused on smaller Replicast components and has recently completed a major investment in the Replicast technology , which is supplied by a third party , as well as upgrading its melting units . The two largest facilities are located in Todmorden , UK , and Artarmon , Australia . Both share some common processes , including large , state-of-the-art shuttle-based moulding systems . The Artarmon site also has a team of applied materials engineers and technologists , allowing Weir to design and develop its own alloys .
“ These world-class laboratory systems
Metso recently celebrated a milestone delivery of its 100th truck body , with the body in question delivered to Boliden ’ s Kevitsa mine in the Sodankylä region of Finland
operate in parallel with the large manufacturing facility , allowing Weir to assess items in a production environment ,” Jenkins says .
The Todmorden facility has established the Digital Academy , which embraces Industry 4.0 through both the manufacturing and MRO ( maintenance , repair and operations ) cycles . It has incorporated the latest technologies – AI , machine learning , digital twins , advanced robotics and IIoT , among others – to train the workforce of tomorrow , provide solutions to its customers and remove the non-value-added elements from the process , Weir says .
Weir has six foundries , each supported by machine shops , strategically located in major mining regions , with , it says , unique capabilities to service the local markets
International Mining | JUNE 2024