A new diesel-electric-driven Metso Lokotrack LT330D has been received enthusiastically by Finnish crushing contractors.
Hämeen Moreenijaloste is one of the many crushing firms across Finland that have purchased the LT330D.
The 2014-launched Lokotrack model, which uses a cone crusher and a full three-deck screen, was used as the crusher for a 40,000tonne aggregate contract project carried out by Moreenijaloste on behalf of Etelä-Suomen Kiviaineskauppa in the Pennala logistics area in Orimattila, southern Finland.
“Although we are just getting to grips with the features of the new Lokotrack, we were pleased to beat our own record in manufacturing fine gravel. A seven-hour workday produced 1,860 tonnes of 0–6mm and 6–16mm end products,” says Hämeen Moreenijaloste’s site manager Jarkko Nieminen.
“Commissioning of the equipment has proceeded better than we expected, without any unexpected interruptions. In manufacturing fine gravel we have discovered that using the LT330D creates more gravel and less fines from the same volume of fed material,” he adds.
Lauri Mertsalmi, Hämeen Moreenijaloste’s managing director, is also pleased with the performance of
“We are obviously on the right track; we are able to produce a larger volume of material with the same number of units – at least that’s what it looks like at the moment. The savings in fuel consumption and equipment transfers will also increase our competitiveness,” Mertsalmi says.
“As I see it, the longer stroke of the LT330D’s GP330 cone crusher will also help us achieve a higher quality end product.”
The piles of aggregate in the Orimattila project’s logistics area are being completed in two shifts. Oversized rocks must first be broken up using a hydraulic hammer, after which they are crushed in two stages. In addition to fine gravel, the end products include the 0-16mm and 16-31mm grades. When using both diesel and electricity, the fuel consumption has settled at approximately 60litres. The GP330 cone crusher is set at 27mm.
For transporting the equipment only the side conveyors need to be detached as the screen lowers hydraulically into transport mode.
“We dismantle and lift the side conveyors using an excavator. The first transport took quite a lot of time but we believe that, in the future, it will only take about 30 minutes to set up the equipment,” says Crusher Operator Joni Kangas. “Thanks to the excellent height of the discharge conveyor, the wheeled loader operator isn’t tied to moving the end-product piles the entire time.”
Hämeen Moreenijaloste’s seven employees work in southern and central Finland. In 2014, they crushed some 650,000tonnes of aggregates.
