HEAVY ENGINEERING AND WEAR PARTS
Wearing well
The world of heavy engineering and mining consumables continues to evolve with the pairing of software and carbon consciousness, Dan Gleeson reports
Having bolted on software and sensors to its ground engaging tool( GET) offering two-and-a-half years ago at bauma 2022, in Munich, Germany, MTG used the latest iteration of the world’ s biggest construction show to showcase its latest in-house software innovations.
Now branded DIGGING INSIGHTS™, this ecosystem represents its new family of innovative digital products and services that can be combined with its GET systems to offer increased safety, efficiency and productivity, the company says.
“ As GET specialists, we provide a wide portfolio of high-quality GET designed to withstand the toughest digging conditions, ensuring our customers achieve optimal performance in their operations,” MTG explained.“ With our latest digital innovations, MTG transforms GET steel components into intelligent, next-generation components that enable data-driven decision making and in-depth performance analysis.”
The first series of the DIGGING INSIGHTS ecosystem is GET DETECTION, a system that provides real-time GET monitoring and data-driven analysis on cast( TWINMET + PROMET) and plate lip( VEEMET + PROMET) excavators, plus VEEMET rope shovels.
The DIGGING INSIGHTS ecosystem represents MTG’ s new family of innovative digital products and services that can be combined with its GET systems to offer increased safety, efficiency and productivity
Launched at bauma 2022, GET DETECTION detects GET detachments within three seconds, preventing components from entering crushers and avoiding costly repairs, the company claims. The system autonomously tracks GET change-outs, consumption trends and detachment incidents, enabling indepth performance analysis and improved forecasting. The sensors within the GET are both reusable and removable, reducing electronic waste and allowing recycling.
GET DETECTION has now been rolled out across operating mine sites.
MTG also said more digital solutions were in development, explaining that a new type of sensor-and-software combination under the DIGGING INSIGHTS portfolio will be launched next year.
Placed on top of the bucket itself, this new package is“ agnostic” and available for placement on any commercial units, according to MTG.
Feedback from several trial sites with prototype sensors has shown the ability to track digging cycle analytics for all shovels. When combined with GET DETECTION detachment data and location data, for instance, operations can track the average working hours of a shovel prior to GET detachment, allowing them to build up a picture of where in the mine excessive GET consumption is being observed. In the future, the company also sees it integrating with other software platforms within a mine site’ s ecosystem to further optimise GET changeouts and the like.
MTG said:“ All MTG digital solutions are developed in-house to achieve the perfect symbiosis between tough and smart digging. Cast lip, plate lip and rope shovel lip configurations can be equipped with DIGGING INSIGHTS.”
‘ Unparalleled thickness control’
The Munich show was also an opportunity for NLMK Clabecq to reaffirm its position
as a leading innovator in wear-resistant and high-strength steels, with the company showcasing cutting-edge advancements in steel rolling technology and product development.
NLMK Clabecq introduced its latest breakthrough: INTHINITY, a new standard in rolling technology that, it says, ensures unparalleled thickness control. Alongside this advancement, the company presented two major product innovations: QUARD PRO, a new-generation wear-resistant steel, and QUEND 1300, a high-strength structural steel designed for lifting applications.
Additionally, NLMK Clabecq presented the Q Calculator, a tool designed to help manufacturers determine the optimal processing parameters for cutting, welding, bending and machining QUARD and QUEND steel grades.
INTHINITY rolling technology“ guarantees unparalleled thickness precision” for all steel plates under 15 mm, the company says. The breakthrough is made possible by a modernised four-stand finishing mill, equipped with advanced hydraulic thickness control and state-of-the-art sensors.
NLMK Clabecq said:“ With INTHINITY now the standard rolling method for all plates below 15 mm, manufacturers in construction and mining benefit from superior consistency and tighter tolerances, ensuring improved forming, welding and overall performance. For the most demanding applications, INTHINITY + takes precision even further, offering ultra-strict tolerances – an essential requirement for critical components such as telescopic crane booms.”
QUARD PRO is a next-generation wearresistant steel that combines the ultimate balance of extreme wear resistance and outstanding impact toughness, according to NLMK Clabecq
QUARD PRO, meanwhile, is a nextgeneration wear-resistant steel that combines the ultimate balance of extreme wear resistance and outstanding impact toughness, according to the company. It delivers superior durability compared with traditional 450 Brinell plates while exceeding
International Mining | JUNE 2025