An innovative crushing system from an ambitious global-selling OEM is proving to be a key introduction at a European gravel quarry, while another international market OEM is looking to make it big in the booming Indian aggregates sector. Guy Woodford reports - in our sister title Aggregates Business.
By using the patented Rockster Recycler (Rockster) Duplex system with jaw and impact crusher on one basic machine, the Casaccia gravel quarry (Casaccia) at the base of the ‘Maloja Pass’ in Graubünden, Switzerland, is said to be able to quickly and efficiently meet the diverse requirements of its customers.
Part of the Hartmann Group, Casaccia offers a wide range of gravel and sand types. Many construction companies from Graubünden and the neighbouring cantons rely on the certified products which include a variety of different sands, gravels and grain mixtures.
The increasing demand for recycled products such as concrete or mixed demolition granules is also taken into account at Casaccia, so they additionally recycle construction and demolition (C&D) waste and offer it as a valuable resource for base layers or road construction. Through constant controls and refinement of the reprocessing methods, the recycling product range is said to be of the highest quality, meeting all necessary standards. Including this segment, more than 100,000 tonnes of material are processed in the gravel quarry each year.
The Rockster Duplex plant R1200D/R1100DS jaw/impact crusher plays an important role in Casaccia’s flexibility. Equipped with the novel, patented Duplex system, the crusher can be quickly modified from jaw to impact crusher and vice versa. This allows Casaccia to react quickly to the different demands of its customers. With this flexibility, it is easy for Casaccia to supply a perfectly defined standard and specification-compliant final product for its customers and partners.
Lorenz Biedermann, Swiss distribution partner of Rockster, explains his customer’s reason for acquiring the Rockster Duplex crusher: “They primarily chose the Rockster plant because of the Duplex system. It allows them to define the final grain faster and better, thus improving the quality and providing a noticeable competitive advantage.”
For a 100% defined final grain, the optional screening system for the R1100DS/R1200D is used. Any oversize grain gets back into the feed hopper via the return belt. For primary crushing operations in natural stone processing or for a desired final grain with very low fines, the Rockster plant is used as a R1200D jaw crusher, while the R1100DS impact crusher is primarily used for finer crushing and recycling of concrete or demolition material.
C&D processing is not only done in the gravel quarry, but also directly on the construction sites of the Hartmann group. This requires mobility, says Biedermann: “Another advantage of the Rockster crusher is the low weight and compact transport dimensions. As a result, the crushing plant can be easily transported to a wide range of construction sites and put into operation quickly.”
Keestrack, the Belgian international specialist in mobile processing technology, is setting its sights on the Indian market with the aid of its newly established subsidiary, eTrack Crushers, headquartered in New Delhi.
eTrack Crushers (eTrack) is offering the Keestrack range of fully-hybrid and diesel-electric drive crushers and screens at a time of huge growth in demand across India for flexible, high capacity
aggregates, gravel and armour stones processing equipment, due to the country’s ambitious expansion of its road, rail, maritime and air traffic infrastructure.
“Our company name, eTrack, indicates where we see our strengths,” explains Topor Basu, eTrack’s new Keestrack area sales manager, who has been involved in the Indian processing market as a sales expert for over 20 years. “No other manufacturer [than Keestrack] has a similar broad and high-efficiency offering in the performance range above 200 tonnes per hour of partially and fully electrical crushing and screening solutions. This holds both globally and in the Indian market, where we are having to make our presence felt in the face of successful domestic suppliers and other global players which also have their own production and service operations here.”
eTrack is eager to make its mark among Indian customers through its offer of Keestrack’s hybrid and fully-hybrid machines, said by the OEM to be noted for their high uptime and high energy efficiency.
“Especially when setting up new fleets, short-and medium-term savings on operating costs are very important,” says Basu. “In terms of fuel consumption alone, our stand-alone machines or plant combinations are shown to be between 30 and 50% below that of our competitors – money that any operator appreciates still having in the till at the end of the shift.”
In the coming months, eTrack will be establishing in India efficient service and marketing support centres for its crushing and screening machines still currently being produced at Keestrack’s European sites. In the longer term, the relocation of production capacity is scheduled for own assembly locations and qualified suppliers, strengthening Keestrack’s presence on the Indian subcontinent.
RUBBLE MASTER, the Austrian global market crushing and screening equipment manufacturer, has become the majority owner of Maximus, the Northern Irish quarrying OEM.
Founded in Northern Ireland in 2004 and currently employing 120 people, Maximus manufactures crushers, mobile tracked screens, scalpers, washing plants and conveyors. RUBBLE MASTER has stressed that both brands will continue to exist and complement each other. The Maximus employees in Northern Ireland, the management team, the manufacturing locations and the Maximus sales and service network will all remain as they are.
“We are convinced that this partnership is a great opportunity for both companies to meet the future challenges of the market,” says Gerald Hanisch, RUBBLE MASTER CEO.
“In addition to the advantages for our customers, this takeover opens up synergies in many other areas such as with shared suppliers, for example,” adds RUBBLE MASTER CFO, Günther Weissenberger.
The Maximus deal also allows RUBBLE MASTER to extend its group product range. The first outcome of the cooperation between the two companies is the new RM HS3500M compact screen. RUBBLE MASTER says the successful cooperation in developing new products is expected to intensify following the finalisation of the majority ownership deal.
Metso presented a variety of its innovative technologies for the aggregates industry during the 2018 Mawev exhibition in St. Pölten, Austria (14-17 March).
“At Mawev, we addressed the key trends and challenges in the aggregates industry by showcasing solutions that help our customers to maximise their profitability and operational flexibility,” says Franz Zingl, Metso sales manager for Crushing and Screening for Central and Eastern Europe.
Metso presented in Austria the Lokotrack LT1213S, a fully-equipped mobile impactor plant with a high-capacity, single-deck screen and return conveyor. The hydraulically-turned radial return conveyor makes the LT1213S easy to operate in closed and open circuits. The Lokotrack LT1213S has a brand-new, dual-slope screen to provide high onboard screening capacity. Both the LT1213S and the LT1213 models, available without screen or return conveyor, are designed to operate together with other Lokotrack mobile crushing and screening plants and can be fine-tuned for aggregates, quarry or recycling applications. An optimised hydraulic circuit with an independent fan and stand-by function provides up to 20% lower fuel consumption and more power for the crusher.
Also featured at Mawev was the Lokotrack LT96, Metso’s most compact mobile jaw crushing plant, said to offer great performance, especially in the recycling and contracting sectors. The Lokotrack LT96 is the solution for the most difficult transport conditions: it can be transported in an airplane, by a ski lift or on a low-bed trailer.
Metso also showcased the Lokotrack ST2.4, a tracked mobile screen that combines high capacity with clean, accurate end products from all feed materials. The unit is also said to offer the lowest cost per tonne produced in its size class through improved fuel economy, high capacity and low operating costs. The Lokotrack ST2.4 also sets a new standard in terms of set-up time.
The Nordberg GP100S cone crusher was also featured at the Mawev exhibition. The proven, heavy-duty design and the use of high-quality Metso components with optimised wear parts keep the Nordberg GP Series cone crusher’s production up and operating costs down.
The Nordberg GP series is specially designed for efficient secondary crushing or primary gravel-crushing applications.
Terex Finlay will showcase its new I-120 direct-drive horizontal shaft impact crusher at Hillhead 2018 exhibition near Buxton, Derbyshire, England (26-28 June).
Following hot on the heels of the recently launched I-120RS impact crusher, the second generation I-120 with redefined styling and advanced technological design incorporates the new Terex CR038 impact chamber. The chamber features hydraulic assist aprons, an inlet lid and hydraulic release chamber protection to assist in passing uncrushable material that enters the chamber. For efficient and safer onsite set up and tear down processes the hopper is hydraulically folded and locked from ground level.
The I-120 impactor has been rigorously tested in quarrying, demolition and recycling applications and is said to have proven the enhanced material flow design ethos that is now found across the range of Terex Finlay impact crushers. It sees each component increasing in width as the material passes through the machine.
An additional new feature that has been designed and incorporated into the plant is the curved corners on the feeder wear plate to minimise the chances of material building up in the corners when running in sticky material.
The I-120 has an advanced electronic control system that gives optimal operational efficiency while consistently giving high material reduction ratios and a consistent product shape.
A heavy duty vibrating grizzly feeder (VGF) with integrated prescreen removes dirt fines and sizes bypass material for reprocessing. An optional pre-screen can also be used with the I-120 when there is a large amount of fines in the feed material. It can be fitted with punch plate, mesh or grizzly bars.
For operators in recycling and demolition applications, the options of an underpan feeder and autoadjust on the chamber secondary apron are also available for the machine.
