March 2019

Coating PIC 2 BHP Pulley Rhino Tuff Stuff

Coating conveyor pulleys for protection and longevity

Australia’s resources and agricultural industries are significant components of the country’s strong economy. In particular, minerals and grains are commodities that earn many millions of dollars of export income every year. Iron ore, bauxite, coal and grain are transported by ship to overseas markets, but to get the material to the ship they are all transported at some stage by conveyor belt. A continuous belt is just one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys or drums with a loop of a material of some kind—rubber, polyester, wire mesh—that rotates about them. Depending on the length of the conveyor belt, one or more of the pulleys may be powered so that the belt and the material on it move forward. A powered pulley is called a drive pulley, while an unpowered pulley is called an idler pulley. There are two main types of industrial conveyors: those in general material handling such as ones used to move boxes or components inside a factory and for bulk material handling such as those used to transport large volumes of resources and agricultural materials, such as grain, salt, coal, ore, sand, overburden and more. The enormous conveyors and their supporting infrastructure represent many millions of dollars of investment by companies over many years, so they need to be protected as much as possible Massive stresses and strains are placed on the equipment being used when moving many thousands of tonnes of a material every hour along a conveyor belt system. These forces are in constant play at mine sites, bulk handling facilities and shipping terminals where material is moved from trucks and trains via in-loading circuits to stockpiles and then to ships via out-loading circuits. The longest single loop belt in the world is associated […]

A year to bring about positive change

There are two crucial areas business needs to address this year. You know what these are: Climate Change and Productivity. Sceptics say that Climate Change doesn’t exist. They either don’t know any better or they may be right. But for the good of us all we still need to look at current business practices and determine what changes can be made to address the situation. What are we emitting into the atmosphere? What source of energy do we use that may be causing an environmental problem and what can be done to rectify the situation? What is our individual role in climate change? When we hear that ice are melting, water levels rising and temperatures increasing then we do indeed have a problem. Productivity is harder to measure because there are a lot of people in society who contribute a lot without the financial reward. Their efforts are not on payrolls or widely known about. There are reasons for this of course: homemakers don’t have the same esteem as a bank manager, nor the salary that goes with just as much (if not more) hard work. Productivity and a living wage or a fair wage, not just a scrapping by wage is a difficult subject. Companies don’t want to raise wages and salaries unless they really need to. They want to make a profit for shareholders and no more was this apparent than at the recent Davos gathering. Someone owns the oil and someone else owns the property and the workers gather around for a share of the crumbs. Productivity keeps the wheels turning, to making the goods for market and positioning our country as an export earner on the world stage. The highest percentage of what we manufacturer comes from the land. Not that what we make in a […]

Australia manufactures secondary mine ventilation for massive cost savings and compliance

A new technological solution engineered and manufactured in Australia offers power savings and control not yet seen in the underground mining industry. Minetek’s patented secondary mine ventilation system based on a high output Axial Fan system uses a patented Mine Air Control (MAC) system to maximise return from its Performance on Demand (POD) units which automatically sense how much air is needed in any one heading at any time. Each solution is engineered and manufactured in Australia specific for the end user. Whilst these secondary underground fans strategically optimise air flow, they eliminate much of the power traditionally wasted in such applications while performing across a very large operating range and meeting broad regulatory compliance parameters. Compared to the common standard twin stage axial fan ventilation systems found on the market, the Minetek High Output axial fan system is modular and provides: Vastly reduced energy costs. Adequate air at the face. High levels of control. Sensor tracking to automatically adjust to real-time demand. High volume compliance Blast dust removal rapidly. Reduced noise output. According to Minetek’s Engineering Manager, Mr Remy Bourcier, the company’s High Output Axial Fan has been designed and manufactured in Australia completely with the underground mining industry in mind and the MAC control system brings the mine’s fan system together with complete automation. “Until now, the market has to a certain limit used high maintenance Variable Speed Drives to provide some level of control to the air flow in secondary ventilation systems,” said Mr Bourcier. “But our patented system works on high pressure, steel fabricated impeller technology allowing operation at temperatures and conditions previously thought impractical for an axial fan – and we achieve this in seriously harsh environments. “It’s in the area of energy costs where the real savings are found, and this is very tangible […]

Hypertherm introduces new consumable kits for XPR cutting systems

Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is shipping consumable kits for its XPR X-Definition Plasma systems. These new consumable starter kits are available with or without a torch for mild steel and non-ferrous cutting applications. The kits include a variety of consumables to allow for cutting at different amperages, using all of the gas process types supported by the XPR170 and XPR300 systems. The consumables contain several patent pending technologies to improve consumable life and cut quality. Examples include Cool nozzle and Arc response technology, the latter of which protects consumables from the negative impact of ramp down errors, a regular occurrence in real-life cutting. By reducing the impact of ramp down errors, XPR consumables can last up to three times longer than those on older generation systems. In addition, XPR consumables are designed with ease of use in mind. An EasyConnect feature allows operators to quickly plug the torch lead into the torch connect console without the use of tools, while a patent pending QuickLock electrode delivers easy quarter turn tightening to further reduce setup time. Another new design feature is a quick change torch that enables an operator to rapidly change torches with just one hand. “Whether you are cutting mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, these new starter kits will make it easy for XPR customers to get all of the consumables they need in one convenient kit,” said Martin Geheran, product manager for plasma torches and consumables. “We think customers will also enjoy the convenience of the kits that come with a torch as it will give them the option of having a second torch, or even multiple torches, pre-loaded with consumables for even faster change-outs.” Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such […]