Metso has introduced three next-generation cone crushers to its Nordberg HPe series.
The new HP600e, HP800e and HP900e units maintain the trusted Metso HPe features that customers have come to rely on while extending the series to larger crushing capacities for both aggregates production and high-demand mining applications.
“The evolution of Metso’s cone crusher technology brings multiple benefits and presents a true step change in terms of performance, uptime, serviceability and application coverage,” Metso product manager of HP cones Ilkka Somero said.
“We are excited to expand the Nordberg HPe series and bring to market a wider offering of these high-performance crushers fit for different production purposes.”
The HP600e and HP900e are an evolution to the existing range and have been built and based on class-leading proven technology.
HP800e features as a new addition to the series with a crushing size option of 600 kilowatts/800 horsepower. All three units come with two modern automation platform options: IC70C and MCP.
“Efficiency is the key to meeting the industry’s needs,” Metso director of gyratory and large cone crushers Nicolas Gallay said. “With the robust new HPe units, we can offer performance, longer lifetime and higher cost efficiency to our customers.”
Metso also provides the installation and commissioning, inspections, refurbishment and shutdown support for its products, executing all upgrades and services to its high standards.
The company’s distribution network offers an additional layer of support and services by providing localised expertise, rapid response times and tailored service solutions.
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Ernst Bekker, Product Specialist – Cyclones, for the Multotec Group, talks to MechChem Africa about hydrocyclones and dense medium cyclones: how they work, their different applications and some of things to look at and to avoid for best possible separation, production and recovery efficiencies.
“Cyclones are divided into two main categories: hydrocyclones and dense medium cyclones, which are fundamentally different in terms of the principles that apply, and the mineral separation processes they can be used for,” begins Multotec’s Ernst Bekker.
Hydrocyclones use water as the transport medium. The solids that require separation are mixed with water to form a slurry, before being pumped into the cyclone near the top and at a tangent to initiate spiralling flow. A strong vortex forms at the centre of the cyclone, with an air core through its centre passing from the spigot at the bottom to the vortex finder at the top.
“Centrifugal forces from the spiralling flow tend to throw particles to the outside, while drag forces from the water being pulled towards the air core at the vortex pull particles in the opposite direction. So a balance of the forces emerges,” says Bekker. “The coarser particles tend to be thrown to the stream spiralling downwards on the outside, while the finer particles tend to migrate into water surrounding the air core, which is being forced upwards by the vortex. The water closest to the air core takes the finer particles up and out of the overflow at the top, while the coarse particles continue to flow down the outside of the spiral, passing through the spigot at the bottom as underflow,” he explains.
It is this balance of the forces that dictates the cut size of a hydrocyclone. “It is important to remember that a hydrocyclone predominantly separates the mineral particles in the slurry based on size, with larger coarse particles reporting to the underflow while smaller or finer particles are taken up and through the overflow,” Bekker informs MechChem Africa.
Ideally, he says that Multotec recommends a ratio of solids to water of about 20% solids by volume in 80% water. “Sometimes people try to push more solids into the cyclone to raise the throughput of the plant, or tonnes/m2 of processing footprint. But this will tend to inhibit the performance of the hydrocyclone, so we never like to exceed 30% solids by volume,” he advises, adding that higher solid volumes tend to result in lower separation efficiency and poorer recoveries and/or increased product circulation.
“When multi-density particles enter the mix, then a hydrocyclone, in essence, separates based on mass. With homogeneous ores, mass and size are directly related, because bigger particles always have bigger mass, so we can still use the term cut-size to describe the separation process. But when the densities are different, this is not the case. In a multi-density classification application, a larger fraction of the high-density material will report to the underflow compared to a mineral that has a lower particle density. This is a challenge for hydrocyclones in a multi-density environment,” he says.
Bekker cites an example in the PGM industry. “The UG2 ore body consists of silicates, which are platinum bearing and are generally lower density mineral ores. But chrome, which has a significantly higher density, is also present.
“If the hydrocyclone is being used in a closed-loop milling application, the chrome should leave the cyclone at the same particle size as the silicates, but due to its higher density, the chrome keeps reporting to the underflow as oversized material and is sent back to the mill for further grinding. This leads to overgrinding of the chrome ore, which comes out so fine that it contaminates the platinum concentration process downstream,” he explains.
“In this case, the use of an ultra-fine screen might be introduced, but this is expensive, so a lot of operations decide to continue to use hydrocyclones, while understanding its limitations,” Bekker says.
Hydrocyclone applications
“Hydrocyclones are quite versatile. In some cases, we can even use them for dewatering instead of using dewatering screens, which are sometimes expensive, and they have a larger footprint,” he says. Similarly, desliming is also common, where 98% of the solids are taken out at the spigot, with relatively clean water being taken from the overflow.
“In applications where the quality of the clean water produced is less important, hydrocyclones can also be used for mine water processing in place of thickeners. And there is also now a focus on hydrocyclones being used for tailings dam management, depositing sand on the dam walls while recovering as much water as possible for reuse back in the process,” says Bekker.
On chrome mines, hydrocyclones called stacker cyclones sit on booms, discharging the product underflow into a heap. After leaving the material to dry further for a couple of days, this product will be taken away by trucks for further processing.
While in the minerals sands industry, where beaches are often mined for heavy minerals such as zircon and rutile, hydrocyclones are used to separate ultra-fine material before spirals and to dewater the product. The sand containing no valuable material anymore is returned onto the beach. Compared to using a screen for separation, a hydrocyclone is far easier to move along the beach as mining progresses, the sand being redeposited behind the operation.
A most common application, is for hydrocyclone clusters to be used as part of the mill circuit to classify right-sized material and to send the oversized fraction back to the mill for further grinding. Here, the cut size needs to be optimised to best match the downstream recovery process. “It is important for operators to remember that there is a limited amount of grinding energy from a mill, so raising throughput should be undertaken with care. Unless mill capacity can be increased in some way, any increase in throughput will result in more oversized material returning to the mill, which can cause the spigot to choke-up, a condition known as roping in the cyclone fraternity,” he warns.
“To get a finer product for processing at a higher production rate, the milling energy must also be raised and the cyclone re-optimised to match the new operating point,” suggests Ernst Bekker.
Dense medium separation (DMS)
Instead of using pure water as the slurry medium, dense medium separation uses a combination of water mixed with very fine particles of either magnetite or ferro-silicon. This creates a higher density separation medium than water, so that when the ore is added, the slurry is better able to separate based on the different densities of the particles in the mix.
“If you took a truck load of ore and dumped it into a pool of water, everything would sink to the bottom. But if you replaced the water with a magnetite- or ferro-silicon-based dense medium with an elevated density relative to water of, say, 1.6 then lower density ores will float and any of the particles that do sink will have a density of above 1.6,” he says.
“With a dense medium cyclone, low density materials, called floats, can’t break into the medium and so they remain in the centre of the cyclone and are drawn to the cyclone’s vortex and leave through the overflow. Dense minerals sink inside the spiralling dense medium flow and are propelled towards the outside of the cyclone. They leave through the underflow. So, separation is largely based on low density and high-density minerals, irrespective of particles size.
“To control the cut density on a DMC (Dense Medium Cyclone), we have to adjust the density of the media being used, based on the densities of the ores being separated. The density of the medium governs separation and there is very little we can change in the cyclone itself to improve separation performance,” Bekker points out.
Reverting back to hydrocyclones, he says that the diameter of the vortex finder is the principal cut-point adjustment, with a smaller vortex finder diameter providing a finer cut point and vice versa. Feed conditions such as pressure or flowrate and feed solids concentration can also be used to manipulate the cut size of items reporting to the overflow and underflow of a hydrocyclone. “This is not the case for dense medium cyclones, however. The operating pressure or head remain constant in dense medium separation, and the separation efficiency of the unit cannot be changed by adjusting the size of the vortex finder or the spigot,” he adds.
The supplier designs the DMC based on the ore body densities and the separation requirements, selecting a dense medium that delivers the low-density material to the overflow and the high densities to the underflow. “Unless there are significant changes to tonnages or the densiometric profile of the ore body, there should not be any need to change the DMC units themselves. Any adjustments should be made externally, to the dense medium and the feed parameters, for example,” Bekker suggests.
Dense medium cyclones and coal quality changes
“South Africa’s coal quality used to be very good. When using a dense medium cyclone in the early years, this resulted in easy separation, typically with 70% being coal at the overflow and only 30% being rejected as waste rock to the underflow. But we are now dealing with much lower grade coal ore, so the ratio is more or less the other way around, 70% being rejected as waste material through the spigot and only 30% being separated out as coal at the vortex finder in some cases,” Bekker notes.
“This causes capacity issues at the spigot in handling the larger volumes of waste materials and a decision has to be made as to whether to make the spigot bigger or to replace the dense medium cyclone with a bigger one,” he adds.
He says that certain design ratios apply between the cyclone diameter, the vortex finder, the spigot and the inlet diameter. If the cyclone diameter is D, for example, then the vortex finder is normally 0.43×D and the spigot can be anything between 50% and 70% of the vortex finder diameter. The standard inlet opening of a dense medium cyclone is normally 20% of the cyclone diameter.
“If the inlet opening is made bigger, more volume can be introduced into the unit, but this reduces the residence time inside the cyclone, which results in more misplacement of waste in the overflow and/or coal in the underflow, particularly of the case where the near density materials (NDM) is high. Near density material is defined as the amount of material present around the expected cut density in a band of +/- 0.1 RD units e.g. If the cut density is RD1.6, then the material present in the density range of RD1.5 to RD1.7 would be classified as near density material.
If the percentage of NDMs is very high, let’s say above 65%, then separation is difficult. Easy separation has anything between 20 to 25% NDMs and for medium density cyclones treating very good quality coal, NDM percentages can be as little as 2% in some of Multotec’s overseas operations.
“But here in South Africa, we use a lot of low-grade coal and it is quite difficult to distinguish clearly between the good coal and the waste. There are operations that can have up to 90% of the ore coming into the dense medium cyclone that is classified as near density material, making separation very difficult,” Bekker tells MechChem Africa, adding that cyclones for these applications need to be sized correctly, with very accurate feed conditions.
Diamonds and pre-concentration prior to milling
Alongside coal, Bekker says that dense medium cyclones are widely used as part of diamond pre-processing from run-of-mine ore prior to sorting. “Here only 1 to 2% of the inflow is diamond bearing and this passes through the spigot. The rest all goes out through the overflow. And if the underflow ratio goes up to just 4 or 5%, it becomes a problem because of the very accurate diamond sorting processes that must take place downstream of the cyclone, which can easily become overloaded,” says Bekker.
In a similar way, he adds that dense medium cyclones are now being looked at to pre-concentrate iron ore; manganese; and for some PGM and copper applications. “The idea is to remove waste rock before sending the product to the grinding mill, so that all the milling energy is focused only on the valuable target material, which is an interesting cost saving and productivity increasing concept,” he adds.
“While a small percentage of the valuable material is likely to be lost to the DMC, if you can recover, 90 to 95% of the valuables from 30% of the total ore mass, then the savings and productivity improvements from reduced milling can far outweigh this loss,” he points out.
“At Multotec we are process specialists who offer a variety of different minerals processing solutions and combinations. We spend time with the clients, building trust and sharing knowledge, regardless of any associated order or monetary value. And because we are an OEM supplier of several different technologies, we are able to steer our clients towards the right combination of technologies, whether those involve hydrocyclones, dense medium cyclones or combinations of several technologies.
“Every system we design and build is customised for specific client needs to be fit-for-purpose – and we take responsibility for ensuring this is the case,” Ernst Bekker concludes.
For Australia’s discrete manufacturers, inventory management is pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation of production processes, maintaining product quality, and achieving sustainable growth.
Efficient inventory management helps manufacturers save resources, cut costs, and avoid disruptions. This is especially relevant to Australia’s discrete manufacturers.
According to the data, strong inventory management has helped Australian manufacturers to maintain their competitive edge. The Grant Thornton 2024 Manufacturing Benchmarking report found that manufacturers with strong inventory turnover ratios averaged 8.5. This figure highlights the importance of effectively managing stock levels to meet customer demand without overproducing.
By improving inventory turnover, manufacturers can free up money. You can use this money for other parts of the business, like research and development or training workers.
Technology plays a crucial role in modern inventory management. Advanced software solutions enable real-time tracking of inventory levels, automate reordering processes, and provide valuable insights through data analytics.
These tools help manufacturers forecast demand more accurately, reducing the risk of stockouts or overstock situations. As a result, businesses can operate more efficiently and make informed decisions based on current market trends.
The significance of inventory management for discrete manufacturers
Inventory management is not just about storing goods. It strategically manages the movement of materials and components to support production goals while minimising associated costs. For discrete manufacturers, effective inventory management is crucial for several reasons:
Ensuring production flow: Maintaining adequate inventory levels of raw materials and components is essential to prevent production disruptions and delays. Stockouts can lead to downtime, missed deadlines, and potential losses in revenue.
Maintaining product quality: Consistent product quality relies on the availability of the right components at the right time. Inventory management ensures that production lines have the necessary materials to produce high-quality products consistently.
Optimising resource use: Allocate resources efficiently to avoid overstocking and under-stocking. This reduces carrying costs, such as storage expenses and insurance premiums and minimises the risk of obsolescence.
Enhancing customer satisfaction: Promptly fulfilling customer orders and maintaining product availability is essential for customer satisfaction. Inventory management is critical in preventing stockouts that lead to backorders and unhappy customers.
Inventory management challenges in discrete manufacturing
Inventory management in discrete manufacturing presents a unique set of challenges.
Discrete manufacturers often deal with products that have intricate bills of materials (BOMs). These require the tracking and management of numerous components and subassemblies. This complexity increases the risk of stockouts or excess inventory if not carefully managed.
Additionally, components may have different lead times, meaning some may take longer to procure than others. Managing inventory with varied lead times requires careful planning and coordination to ensure materials are available when needed.
Australian manufacturers are particularly vulnerable, with events like the COVID-19 pandemic exposing Australia’s supply chain weaknesses and reliance on imports. Supply chain management can make or break Australian manufacturers. Poor inventory planning can leave manufacturers without essential materials and components.
Production schedule changes, common in discrete manufacturing, can also disrupt inventory plans, leading to stock shortages or excess inventory. This highlights the need for flexibility in inventory management practices.
Discrete manufacturers operating multiple facilities or warehouses need a centralised inventory management system to track and manage stock across different locations. This centralised approach ensures visibility and control over inventory movement, preventing discrepancies and optimising resource use.
ERP system benefits the backbone of inventory management
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have emerged as powerful tools for Australian discrete manufacturers to manage inventory. These integrated systems provide a centralised platform to streamline inventory processes, from demand forecasting and procurement to inventory tracking and replenishment.
Key features of ERP systems that support effective inventory management include:
Demand Forecasting: ERP systems utilise historical sales data, market trends, and external factors to predict future demand, enabling informed inventory replenishment decisions.
Material Requirements Planning (MRP): These modules create schedules for buying and receiving materials based on production and inventory.
Inventory Tracking and Replenishment: ERP systems provide real-time visibility into inventory levels across all locations, enabling proactive replenishment to maintain adequate stock levels.
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Integration: ERP systems can integrate with specialised WMS software to optimise warehouse operations, improve picking efficiency, and reduce inventory discrepancies.
Benefits of manufacturing ERP for inventory management
Implementing ERP-driven inventory management strategies can bring significant benefits to discrete manufacturers:
Reduced production downtime: ERP systems minimise production disruptions and downtime by ensuring timely availability of materials and components.
Improved product quality: The timely availability of the right components and materials ensures consistent product quality.
Enhanced customer satisfaction: Prompt order fulfilment and reduce the risk of stockouts, leading to improved customer satisfaction.
Improved cash flow: Optimised inventory levels free up capital, improving cash flow and financial flexibility.
Enhanced decision-making: ERP systems provide real-time data and insights into inventory performance, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Managing inventory across multiple facilities
ERP software plays a crucial role in managing inventory across multiple facilities or warehouses. These systems provide a centralised platform to track and manage stock levels across different locations. This ensures visibility and control over inventory movement.
These ERP features can also streamline inter-facility transfers, optimising the movement of goods between locations. This helps to minimise transportation costs and ensure timely availability of materials at the right production facility.
By centralising inventory management, ERP software enhances operational efficiency, reduces stock shortages or sell outs, prevents overstocking, and improves decision-making. This approach is easy to use. It reduces delays and lowers costs. It also ensures that each facility has the materials it needs to meet demand.
Utilising powerful inventory tools
Inventory management is essential to Australia’s manufacturing success, ensuring production flow, maintaining product quality, and optimising resource use.
Harnessing the power of technology is key to Australian manufacturers improving inventory management.
ERP systems have emerged as powerful tools for managing inventory effectively. They provide centralised control, data-driven insights, and streamlined processes.
Utilising powerful inventory tools through ERP systems is crucial for Australian manufacturers to optimise stock levels, reduce waste, and improve production efficiency. These systems enable real-time tracking, enhance decision-making, and ensure seamless inventory control, ultimately boosting productivity and profitability across operations.
Choosing a solution that works
M1 ERP from ECI Solutions stands out as a powerful choice for inventory management for Australia’s discrete manufacturers. It offers a comprehensive suite of features and capabilities that empower manufacturers to optimise inventory processes and achieve sustainable growth.
This cloud-based ERP software has an integrated material requirements planning (MRP) module. It generates detailed schedules for purchasing and receiving materials based on production plans and inventory levels. This automated approach procures materials in the right quantities and times. This supports production schedules, preventing disruptions and delays.
In addition to its MRP capabilities, M1 provides real-time visibility into inventory levels across all locations. It enables manufacturers to make informed decisions about inventory replenishment and distribution. Centralised control keeps stock levels balanced, reducing costs and preventing outdated inventory.
With M1 ERP, Australia’s discrete manufacturers can streamline inventory management processes, enhance decision-making, and achieve significant benefits. This includes reduced costs, improved efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Horizontal slurry pumps are indispensable in moving abrasive and corrosive liquids efficiently. These pumps are designed to handle liquids containing solid particles, making them the right choice in various industries such as mining, construction, and wastewater treatment. Here below you’ll find all the Pemo horizontal slurry pumps, while in the news section we go deeper into the definition, types, uses, and advantages of horizontal slurry pumps.
Pemo horizontal slurry pumps
Pemo’s horizontal slurry pumps are specifically designed for specific industry and purpose, we can build it in the V-Belt and Direct Transmission versions. All the Pemo horizontal pumps have the sealing system that consists of mechanical seals, with faces that are made of Tungsten Carbide (widia) or of Silicium Carbide. Lubrication of the mechanical seals, when there is a pair per pump, can be made with flushing water at a determined pressure, depending on the version, or with water/glicole by means of different closed circuits with natural or forced circulation. Instead, lubrication of the bearings is made with grease or oil.
Pemo Pumps models
Pemo Pumps has three different series of horizontal sludge pumps:
AO-AO/AD Series are standard horizontal pumps with frontal inlet. Based on our standards, the maximum available pressure should never exceed 2 bar (29 psi). Since there is only one mechanical seals these models are used to pump only water like fluids with almost no abrasive particles.
AO/TD – AO/TD/AD Series are horizontal pumps with frontal inlet and double mechanical seals, flushing must be done at a pressure that must be about 1 bar (15 psi) higher than the slurry outlet pressure. They can be used to pump abrasive and/or acid liquids. Maximum outlet pressure should not exceed 3-4 bar (45 – 60 PSI). Designed for heavy duty slurry and/or acid applications, these pumps have capacities from 1 to 1500 m3/h (5 to 6613 gpm).
AO/AB – AO/AB/AD Series are one of the most popular and distinctive products of the Pemo Pumps range. Thanks to the side inlet, the maximum pressure that the mechanical seals see is the fluid inlet pressure, greatly increasing life expectancy. For this reason, flushing must be done at a pressure that must be about 1 bar (15 psi) higher than the slurry inlet pressure instead. When pumping acid liquids, the shaft and the mechanical seals chamber can be made of special alloys.
Designed for slurries and/or acid applications, these Pemo pumps are truly unique! Maximum particle size is 2 mm though this is dependent on the specific application, capacities are from 1 to 900 m3/h (5 to 3,968 gpm), and maximum discharge head is 90 m (295 ft) in the Hardalloy PEMO design.
Primary markets
These are the primary markets where Pemo horizontal slurry pumps are used, we also can provide to our clients references and case studies.
Mining, Quarries, and Mineral Extraction Aggregate Industry Chemical Industry Food Industry Industrial Wastewater Treatment.
AO/TI and AO/TD Series, main characteristics
Designed for heavy duty slurry and/or acid applications.
These are end suction slurry pumps with single or double mechanical seals.
Capacities from 1 to 1500 m3/h (5 to 6613 gpm).
Usually maximum discharge pressure should not exceed 3 bar or 43 psi.
AO/AB Series, main characteristics
Designed for slurries and/or acid applications.
The heart of the PEMO product line, the AO/AB Series pumps are truly unique. Due to the side inlet, the maximum pressure the mechanical seal will see is the fluid inlet pressure, greatly increasing life of the seal.
When pumping acid liquids, the shaft and the mechanical seal housing can be made of special alloys.
Maximum particle size is 2 mm though this is dependent on the specific application.
Capacities from 1 to 900 m3/h (5 to 3,968 gpm).
Maximum discharge head is 90 m (295 ft) in the Hardalloy PEMO design.
Pemo Pumps is an Italian excellence in the custom pumps market. With a production 100% made in Italy, 50% of Pemo Pumps revenues comes from direct sales worldwide. Just one third of our sales are to Italian companies for direct use and for selling worldwide. Pemo Pumps has subsidiaries, representatives, and agents in 20 Countries and has more than 4,000 customers in the World.
Contact today our consultants to learn more about the complete range of Pemo Pumps.
Minprovise, a leading supplier in the mining and quarrying industries, has recently expanded its product range to include a variety of wear parts and liners.
This new offering includes high-quality manganese crusher liners, apron feeder pans and jaw crusher wear parts. The new range of high-performance crusher liners can also be supplied with tungsten inserts (TIC) offering unmatched toughness and extended service life, increasing plant availability and reducing costly downtime.
By offering a comprehensive range of wear parts and liners, Minprovise aims to provide reliable and high-quality alternatives to expensive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, helping clients reduce costs and improve operational performance.
Further to that, Minprovise has recently introduced bi-metal wear plates and composite white iron wear bars (chocky blocks) into their suite of wear products.
Image: Minprovise
To assist clients with reliable supply and the shortest possible lead time, Minprovise hold considerable stock of various sized chocky blocks to suit the majority of more common wear applications.
From a quality standpoint, Minprovise’s commitment is evident in its rigorous selection, auditing and qualification process for all suppliers. Independent metallurgical test reports from both Australian and international laboratories are available on request for the Minprovise range of wear products.
This dedication to excellence has made Minprovise a forward thinking and trusted partner for many mining and quarrying operations, with well established relationships with organisations such as Rio Tinto, BHP, FMG, AngloGold and Roy Hill to mention just a few.
Product range support
Minprovise boasts a dedicated technical team with decades of experience in both Australian and international mining and quarrying industries.
Where required, Minprovise technical experts work alongside client teams to analyse areas of high wear with the goal of developing and implementing custom wear solutions. These can generally be implemented quickly, drawing from the extensive stock on hand and utilising rapid turnaround fabrication via the Welshpool-based workshop facility.
With this expansion, the company’s focus on innovation and safety first ensures that clients receive the best possible solutions for their needs. For more information about Minprovise’s new product range, including wear parts, liners, and chocky blocks, visit the Minprovise website.
The XPE1215 mobile jaw crusher is built to withstand tough mining conditions. Image: XCMG
XCMG’s new XPE1215 mobile jaw crusher is poised to change the game in crushing and screening.
When it comes to mining and construction machinery, XCMG is a name synonymous with innovation, durability, and excellence.
Leading the charge in the Australian market, XCMG has proudly introduced the XPE1215 mobile jaw crusher, a game-changer in the world of crushing and screening.
Designed for efficiency, reliability, and unmatched performance, the XPE1215 is here to redefine industry standards.
Built for power and precision
At its core, the XPE1215 is engineered to handle the toughest of tasks.
The XPE1215 mobile jaw crusher reduces energy consumption without compromising productivity. Image: XCMG
With its impressive jaw capacity, this mobile crusher is equipped to handle large-scale operations, processing substantial volumes of material with ease.
Whether it’s mining, construction debris, or quarrying, the XPE1215 tackles the job head-on, ensuring maximum productivity on every project.
Key specifications:
Jaw size: Optimised for high-capacity throughput, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency
Motor power: Enhanced motor systems ensure smooth operation, even under heavy load conditions
Mobility: Designed for rapid deployment and ease of transport, this crusher adapts seamlessly to diverse terrains and work sites.
Why the XPE1215 leads the pack
The XPE1215 isn’t just another mobile jaw crusher; it’s a class apart. Here’s why the XPE1215 is a premium option:
Innovative design: Incorporating advanced engineering, the XPE1215 boasts a user-friendly interface, making operations straightforward and efficient. Maintenance has never been easier, thanks to its accessible design and quick-service capabilities.
Energy efficiency: Sustainability is at the heart of XCMG’s innovations. The XPE1215 reduces energy consumption without compromising performance, helping operators achieve cost savings and meet environmental goals.
Durability under pressure: Built with high-quality materials, this crusher is made to withstand Australia’s harshest conditions. From searing heat to rugged terrains, the XPE1215 remains reliable, ensuring years of dependable service.
Precision and consistency: The crusher’s advanced jaw technology delivers uniform particle sizes, enhancing the quality of the output.
XCMG in 2025
While the XPE1215 takes centre stage, there’s much more to come from XCMG.
XCMG is gearing up to redefine the crushing and screening industry, with an expanded lineup of advanced machinery set to debut in 2025.
These forthcoming innovations are not only tailored to meet the specific demands of the Australian mining and construction landscape but are also engineered with global best practices in mind, ensuring they deliver superior performance, durability, and efficiency.
XCMG’s commitment to innovation means these new models will incorporate advanced automation, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced material handling capabilities to support operations of all sizes.
Whether tackling challenging terrain or increased throughput in high-demand environments, XCMG’s 2025 lineup promises to push boundaries and set new benchmarks in crushing and screening technology.
Crushing it with XCMG
The XCMG XPE1215 mobile jaw crusher is not just a piece of equipment – it’s a statement. It’s a declaration that XCMG is here to push the boundaries of what’s possible in mining and construction machinery.
As the industry look towards 2025, XCMG’s commitment to excellence ensures the future of crushing and screening is brighter than ever.
Metso has been working to reshape crushing and screening in the industry for over 100 years. Image: Metso
With decades of industry knowledge and a desire to make its customer’s lives easier, Metso is helping to revolutionise the crushing and screening industry.
A lot can happen in a century.
Industries rise and fall, cities transform, and companies like Metso help to reshape the mining industry as we know it.
During the past century, Metso has been at the forefront of crushing applications. From the primary crusher stage down to fine crushing and pebble applications, the company is renowned for its benchmark crushing solutions – and it has no plans of slowing down.
“Metso takes pride in the deep knowledge of our people and our strong customer service commitment,” Metso crusher technology manager –capital equipment Troy Barry told Australian Mining.
“In Australia for example, we have an impressive footprint of service locations and experts, including our recently opened Karratha Service Centre, Metso’s largest service centre globally.
“We also have a particularly strong team of crushing experts here in Australia, some with over 30 years of crushing expertise – working closely with our expert global design and engineering teams.”
Having been involved in the industry for as long as it has, Metso is no stranger to adapting with the times, especially when it comes to one of the industry’s favourite buzzwords: digitalisation.
The XM series Nordberg MP crusher. Image: Metso
“Metso includes a full digital offering for its XM crusher series, comprised of SmartCone, SmartStation and Mineral Crusher Pilot (MCP) automation,” Barry said.
“We deliver intelligence from the simple connection of our IC (integrated control) system at a local level through to the full connection of the operator’s control suite, and all the way to expert global teams remotely monitoring and evaluating the crusher performance.”
The ability to remotely monitor and evaluate a crusher’s performance allows Metso’s teams to be in constant contact with the machine, able to recommend changes to optimise performance in real time.
“This advanced technology extends the time between maintenance intervals and allows for a more continuous operation,” Barry said.
Recognising that each customer has differing crusher requirements, Metso always adapts its approach to suit.
“Our end targets are always based on the customer’s requirements,” Metso senior manager, crusher technical support Neale Baigent told Australian Mining.
“With our chamber optimisation program for instance, each crushing process is unique and feed material properties change over time.
“Based on Metso’s extensive database of over 40,000 crushing installations, plus tools such as our unique simulation software and CrusherMapper scanning, we select optimal alloys, choose or design chamber geometry to maximise wear life and performance.”
The chamber optimisation program is an evolution borne from customer demand, as it’s now also available to non-Metso crushers.
“Based on our results from this program, customers wanted our chamber optimisation also across non-Metso crushers, which is what we now do,” Baigent said.
In terms of evolution, the new poly-cer product, part of Metso’s protective wears portfolio, gives up to four times better wearlife, reducing shutdown frequencies.
“Poly-Cer is a specially designed blend of rubber and high-quality ceramics, reinforced with steel. This ensures both strength and performance,” Baigent said.
“Installation of Poly-Cer is easy and safe, with plug-in, bolt-in installation for most crushers.”
As the company evolves, Metso’s crushing capabilities are always increasing, with the XM series a particular highlight for Barry.
“The entire premise of the XM series is giving the customer the highest performance equipment to achieve optimisation,” he said. “Our up to 25 years warranty protects the customer’s investment and is unheard of in the industry.”
Barry said Metso’s drive to change means it has been able to stay at the forefront of innovation.
“The recently launched XM crusher series combines resilient engineering, unmatched warranties and a new digital package,” he said. “It combines the toughest and most advanced mechanical parts with the latest in digital technologies and automation. And by using the most robust crushers available on the market, the XM series enhanced the Nordberg MP cone crusher and the Superior MKIII primary gyratory with the most extreme duty parts, increasing wear life.”
As Metso looks to the next century, it’s clear this crushing behemoth isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
“As we look to the future, we continue to develop our alloys, product offerings and services,” Baigent said.
“We are always looking to improve and innovate in anticipation of our customers’ needs– after all, the best new developments come from feedback and challenges faced by our customers.”
The sand-washing range from Precisionscreen is made for Australian conditions with options for all types of operators and contractors.
Demand for natural or manufactured sand is rising in the Australian market, so having the right equipment is essential.
Precisionscreen has developed its sand-washing equipment range over several years to ensure it could help the smallest of sand producers to the larger players in the sector.
Jonny McMurtry, chief operating officer at Precisionscreen, told Quarry he believed there would likely be continual strong demand for the material.
“There has been an increase in demand for sand washing equipment as I think there is increased demand for washed sand in the market,” he said.
“As the volume of infrastructure continues to be there and climb, the requirement for sand isn’t going to go away.”
The market for washed sand and manufactured sand is becoming more diverse as quarries explore how they can use the material to either expand their offering to the market or add new revenue streams.
Original equipment manufacturers like Brisbane-based Precisionscreen have developed a wide range of sand-washing equipment to suit specific applications and help customers take advantage of the growing demand. In one case, Precisionscreen worked with Victorian-based construction materials supplier site to create a sand-washing solution for their manufactured sand application. The company has employed the use of a sand screw from Precisionscreen to create a manufactured sand using washed crusher dust.
“Our sand washing equipment has been developed over a number of years and we offer different machines for different applications or customer price ranges or throughputs,” McMurtry said.
Precisionscreen has built out its range of sand washing equipment to provide solutions for customers from the first stage of washing to the final stage. The company manufactures all its sand washing equipment at its headquarters in Wacol, Brisbane which gives it the distinction of being Australian made.
The company’s adaptable wash kits have a range of customisable features to tailor the kit to the customer’s specific application. The Precisionscreen wash kit can range from single deck to two or three-deck kits which are built on the screen box.
Each deck has multiple spray bars with several spray nozzles to rinse the product being processed.
Operators can finely control the individual gate valves to each bar which provides enhanced control and excellent washing coverage.
“The wash kits as part of our screen boxes are probably the first step for sand washing,” McMurtry said.
“We sold quite a few of those this year, predominantly for sand washing but even washing pebbles or rinsing different products to remove dust has been in demand.”
Precisionscreen Sandscrew has also been in demand from customers across Australia due to its versatility. It can work alongside Precisionscreen’s wash kits or other wash plants to help dewater and classify sand products.
The sand screw has a hydraulic drive and features a mobile-wheeled axle as well as an adjustable overflow weir. The Sandscrew can be operated off the Precisionscreen’s screening plant powerpack.
The spiral screw helps separate heavier particles as they sink to the bottom of the trough after being dragged through the trough by the spiral screw. Dewatering occurs throughout the trough until the finished product is discharged via a chute.
“Our Sandscrews have been quite a hit just due to the adaptability. It can work with existing screening plants or existing applications if needs be. We’re one of the few manufacturers that makes our sand screws semi-mobile so it can couple up with existing systems if needed,” McMurtry said.
“The sand screw is probably on the lower end with throughput and cleanliness of sand but it has performed very well [in creating] a manufactured sand where it is quite suitable and economical for that type of application.”
Precisionscreen has a wide range of sand washing solutions for customers. Image: Precisionscreen
Precisionscreen has also created a modular sand washing plant which combines a galvanised 10×5 two-deck wash screen with a SRD180 bucket wheel dewaterer and a fines recovery pod to create a one-stop solution for sand producers.
It allows operators to create up to three different sand fractions and accept material from a dry screening process via conveyor belt or cyclone mounted above the screen. The SRD180 bucket wheel dewaterer collects sand particles from slurry materials in a wet screening process with its primary responsibility being to pick up heavier particles of sand as they sink to the bottom of the tank. It can manufacture coarse and fine grade sands simultaneously. It features a submerged back screw which helps float off unwanted silts while its large water overflow area and polyurethane bucket inserts provide a sizeable dewatering capacity.
The FRP has a 250mm cyclone on-board, discharging heavy particle sand onto the high-frequency dewatering screen for draining. The screen helps remove unwanted materials, excess water or organic materials from the sand material. The cyclone and screen are hydraulically driven and designed to work with Precisionscreen’s washing plants.
McMurtry said the SRD and FRP had benefits even as standalone products for Australian operators.
“The SRD180 or the FRP gives a greater throughput and a cleanliness of the sand as well and that’s where it comes into its own.
“If you have a high silt content and you need to float off a lot of that bottom end product in that super fine sand, that’s when the likes of the SRD or FRP comes into its own,” he said.
“If a customer has water restrictions or low access to water that is where the FRP can allow any residual water to be taken off your sand product quite quickly and easily. Or it can use the cyclone to take out the super fine sand to recycle that water quickly.” •
The PumpDim™ software streamlines the complexities of accurately modeling how a slurry pump will perform in a system. The software takes into account particle size distribution, percent solids of the slurry, liquid viscosity, and the piping conditions around the slurry pump to accurately size the ideal pump for the given conditions.
✅ Are you working on a brand new plant or upgrade? PumpDim™ can be used to determine the best slurry pump. ✅ Have an existing plant with slurry pumps? PumpDim™ can model how the slurry pumps are performing. ✅ Curious to see the hydraulic performance curves of Metso’s slurry pumps? This can be found in PumpDim™ with the Performance curve viewer.
A Warman MCR 760 installed at a copper mine in Chile. Image: Weir
Weir will supply its Warman slurry pumps and Cavex hydrocyclones to Teck’s Highland Valley copper (HVC) mine in Canada in a new contract award.
Teck is completing its HVC mine life extension (MLE) project, aiming to extend the mine’s operational life through enhancing site infrastructure. The project is expected to yield around 1.95 million tonnes of additional copper over its lifespan.
The Warman MCR 760 pump is a cornerstone of the project, holding the title of the largest mill circuit pump in North America.
Designed to maximise wear life in arduous mill duties and facilitate easy and safe maintenance, the Warman MCR 760 pump addresses the global trend of declining ore grades that require increased throughput for economical mineral recovery.
Weir will also supply its Cavex 800CVX and 650CVX hydrocyclones for the MLE project. The solution was chosen thanks to its consistently high classification efficiency, capacity and low maintenance requirements.
A Warman MCR 760 slurry pump. Image: Weir
“Weir has a proven track record of supplying and supporting the largest, highest capacity mill pumps on the market,” Weir divisional senior product manager, pumps Quinton Sutherland said.
“Designing, manufacturing, and supporting pumps of this scale presents unique technical and engineering challenges, which is why Weir’s team of experts, drawing on decades of experience supporting customers across the globe, are the best choice when deciding who to trust with the most critical mill circuit operations.”
Weir director, capital sales North America Phil Blondin said the company priorities being close to its customers, wherever they are in the world.
“We have a service centre in Kamloops – a close drive to HVC – and a local team that can provide service and maintenance support, as well as an inventory program that encompasses the lifecycle of the products we supply,” Blondin said.
“This is the first mill pump this large in North America and, while Weir has manufactured and installed pumps this size in other parts of the world, we recognise that having a service network to support customers at every stage of the project is an essential part of what we’re offering.”
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