Italian company MB Crusher has a rich history when it comes to screener bucket solutions for quarrying customers.
The firm’s latest offer is the new MB-HDS523 shafts screener bucket, the largest in its MB-HDS range and suitable for 30- to 45-tonne excavators.
The Italian manufacturer says the new 3.35-tonne shafts screener bucket is suitable for quarries and large construction sites, in addition to other applications.
It adds that the bucket is designed for sectors where power and sturdiness are essential and this includes quarries where there is a need to treat large quantities of material such as coal and phosphate.
It is also suitable for use where there is a requirement to move, sift, and aerate many tonnes of earth, such as excavating, earthmoving, and large trenching projects. MB Crusher says that the new bucket “only has one goal: a high productivity rate”.
The MB-HDS523 is the only unit in the MB-HDS range with five shafts positioned to ensure a greater production rate and processing speed. The “V Shaft System” is designed to create a simultaneous dual screening effect and increase production.
The bucket’s concealed comb is designed to allow the material to enter and flow through the rotors without jamming.
The unit comes with a removable front upper casing to give the unit a greater closing angle and increase production.
The MB-HDS523 shafts screener is powered by two motors to ensure consistent and quick performance. The parts that are subject to wear are protected by reinforced Hardox steel slab, and the bracket and frame are also thicker than in earlier models.
The screener features a centralised greasing system designed to simplify and speed up maintenance operations.
The company comments: “Much like the others in the range, the shafts are easily switched out: they can be replaced on-site and in a few minutes. The patented system firmly holds the rotating system, and the rotors can be easily extracted and repositioned.”
In the world of road maintenance and paving, as well as construction, the issue of recovering material deriving from demolition and scarification is becoming increasingly urgent, with the dual objective of combining environmental protection with economic savings. Those who work in the sector are aware of the huge costs of transporting and disposing of asphalt and material from demolition, as well as the costs of the purchase and transport of new raw materials to the site.
Given the above, Simex has chosen to focus on a new specific bucket for the recovery of bituminous conglomerate granulate/RAP – reclaimed asphalt pavement and other construction site aggregates.
Simex’s R&D department has combined the concept of milling drums with rotor crusher bucket technology, creating two CBA asphalt granulator buckets: the CBA 30 for 18- to 28-tonne excavators, and CBA 40 for the 25- to 40-tonne range. The equipment features a cylindrical drum consisting of interchangeable teeth, driven by large displacement radial piston hydraulic motors, in direct drive. The rear grid determines the grain size of the material output and is available in several configurations.
Cutting down the time and costs related to transport, minimizing the purchase of new raw materials, means optimizing the logistical and economic dynamics of your site, while keeping a watchful eye on the issue of environmental impact and the recovery of those materials which, subject to specific local regulations, could be considered a resource and no longer waste.
Available in four models, for excavators from eight to 45 tonnes, Simex VSE screening buckets are specifically designed for separating different-sized materials directly on the job site. VSE buckets were already unique thanks to the ability to rapidly adjust their output size from the excavator operator cabin. Now they also feature a new screening tool system, FIT (Five Independent Tools).
FIT has three important features:
- Each element is composed of five independent parts, designed to easily interlock with each other with no weldings. They are easily replaceable without difficult operations and without the need to unstrap shafts. This means 75% lower maintenance costs since it is possible to replace even just one single disc or blade.
- The screening elements that make up the shafts are composed of discs and blades of different diameters which perfectly match to each other producing a high swirl of the material to be screened, even in the presence of wet material.
- The system allows multiple configurations depending on the materials to be screened. Simex provides three different configurations, but many other configurations are possible.
Thanks to the specific design of the screening tools and the high swirl produced, even the wet and muddy material is easily screened, and does not stick to the bucket elements as often happens with traditional screening systems. FIT gives operators a fully configurable screening system, effective in any condition with a wide range of materials and soils, with lower maintenance costs.
Of FIT’s many possible configurations, these are the three key ones:
- RECYCLING configuration is indicated for screening mixed material such as dry clay, gravel, silt and peat. Profitably used for padding and bedding in pipelines
- DISGREGATION configuration grants high performance with soil, peat, clay and vegetal waste. Often used for topsoil selection in the horticulture industry and landscaping
- MIXED configuration is designed for humid and wet soil, mixed with stones, gravel and clay. Particularly effective for volumetric reduction, light crushing and topsoil screening in the horticultural and agricultural field
Finnish screening bucket manufacturer Allu is expanding operations In Africa by investing in a dedicated sales manager for the continent.
Alexandre Martineau’s appointment is said to be a very important part of ALLU’s global growth strategy.
Welcoming Martineau, Jeroen Hinnen Allu vice president of Global Sales, said: “We have been waiting for the right moment to expand our operations across the region and are delighted that Alexandre Martineau has joined Allu.
“Alexandre has years of experience working in domestic and export sales with dealers with a focus on francophone Africa, while also having a good grasp of the local market. We have a clear strategy and are continuously developing our products and always looking at improving to help customers’ requirements. Alexandre will now work to establish and lay the foundations for a well-performing [Africa] dealer network for the future.”
In Q1 2021, Allu launched a new range of crusher buckets for 10- to 38-tonne machines that can be used in the process of recycling demolition waste into aggregates.
The crusher buckets are adjustable for 13 different discharge sizes and can be used in tandem with Allu’s existing range of screening buckets.
The crusher buckets are for use on demolition sites to crush concrete waste. The purpose of the entire process is to recycle concrete waste at Allu into reusable stone aggregate, replacing the need to use virgin aggregate.
Allu says the advantage of using both solutions side by side is increased capacity and decreased wear and tear for sites, with five times the production rate.
The new crusher range was tested in Finland, with a customer testing the crusher and screener side by side at a demolition site. At this site, 85% percent was screened and also partially crushed through a screener crusher bucket (Allu Transformer DH 3-17 XHD) and only the excess very hard material was crushed with a crusher bucket (Allu Crusher AC 25-37). Allu says it would expect this percentage to be higher in less harsh environments.
Ilpo Ellonen, regional sales manager at Allu Finland, said the demolition concrete was treated after pulverisation with the two Allu buckets. The excess obtained from the screener crusher bucket visible at the front was crushed to a 90mm fraction with a crusher bucket. Thus, a total of about 5,000 tonnes passed through two buckets.
“The demolition of two two-storey (lower floor underground) residential buildings produced a total of about 5,000 tonnes of concrete,” said Ellonen. “The maximum fraction size achieved in the pulverisation was 400 millimetres, which is a maximum good input feed size for the Allu crusher bucket.”
The demolition phase of the yard site took a total of three weeks with the concrete waste being recycled by Allu into stone aggregate for reuse.
Engcon, the global market manufacturer of tiltrotators, has been best known in recent years for excavators in the weight class over six tonnes, enabling the coupling of hydraulic tools without the operator having to leave the cab.
The Sweden-headquartered company is continually improving the flexibility, efficiency and safety even for smaller excavators. With its latest innovation, Engcon’s automatic quick-hitch S40 covers the entire machine range from two to 40 tonnes. The new S40 solution will have the same safety features as the larger and earlier models in Engcon’s machine hitch programme.
To coincide with the launch of the new machine hitch, the EC206 tiltrotator has also been updated for excavators in the four-six tonne weight class with a new tilt top that is adapted for Engcon’s automatic quick-hitch system. This means that the driver can attach and detach the tiltrotator without leaving the cab.
“Being able to connect hydraulic tools without leaving the cab has recently become an increasing desire even for the smaller machines. The problem has been to fit all the smart technology in such small brackets, but we have now solved that in a good way”, says Fredrik Jonsson, development manager at Engcon Group.
Like Engcon’s larger tiltrotators, ground pressure is required to be able to open the bucket lock under the tiltrotator on the new S40 hitch. Built-in sensors sense that the bucket axles are in their correct position and if something goes wrong, the system warns with sound and light signals inside the cab and outside the machine.
“It is noticeable that safety around excavators is getting higher and higher on the agenda and especially with the problem of buckets that are dropped due to incorrect handling. With our machine hitches/quick hitches and our smart locking system, these problems are minimised,” says Jonsson.
EC-Oil automatic connection of hydraulic, electrical, and central lubrication is included as standard when purchasing a machine hitch, tiltrotator and Engcon’s control system. This makes it possible to connect the tiltrotator or other hydraulic tools to the machine hitch without the need to leave the cab. As an option, it is also possible to connect the ground-pressure function on the machine hitch and a locking function, which means that the machine’s swing function is blocked if the tool is connected incorrectly. The automatic coupling of oil, electricity and central lubrication on the machine hitch and on the upper part of the tiltrotator EC206 for four-six tonne machines was launched in June 2021. At the turn of the year 2021/2022, Engcon’s automatic quick hitch is planned to be available for the lower bracket on tiltrotator EC206.
Sandvik and Steelwrist have entered into a cooperation for fully automatic work tool adaptors for Rammer hydraulic hammers.
As the global demand for fully automatic coupler systems is rapidly increasing, Sandvik will start offering Steelwrist SQ-type adaptor plates directly from the factory during the third quarter of 2021. The deliveries from Sandvik will be compliant with the global Open-S standard.
Sandvik offers a complete range of demolition tools under the Rammer brand. The well-known Rammer hydraulic hammers are powerful, productive, and durable hydraulic attachments suitable for carriers in the 0.6 to 120 tonnes operating weight class.
The cooperation between the two companies aims to increase productivity and reduce downtime for end users as the breaker and adaptor plate interface is optimised for performance and compatibility.
“Rammer hammers are known for reliability, so we want to ensure best possible performance also when using fully automatic quick couplers. For that reason, we want to offer SQ system adapter kits engineered to fit our hammers perfectly. Together with Steelwrist, we will make sure that the use of Rammer hammers is even more effective”, says Jari Paajanen, product line manager at Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions.
Steelwrist SQ Auto Connection System is appreciated mainly for the increased safety and ability to change hydraulic-powered work tools in seconds without leaving the cabin. Steelwrist SQ products follow the global Open-S industrial standard for fully automatic couplers.
“Steelwrist SQ products together with Rammer hydraulic hammers create a perfect combination. Our QPlus technology enables higher hydraulic flows with less pressure drops than other systems on the market. Steelwrist and Sandvik product benefits combined together will surely be appreciated by our customers,” says Toni Ylitalo, SQ product line responsible at Steelwrist.
