The mass production of 3D printed construction and quarrying equipment wear parts is not as far away as you may think. Such a norm could lead to a reduction in manufacturing costs for OEMs, and the greater and quicker availability of wear parts for customers.
The topic of 3D printing of wear parts was among a number that arose during two fascinating round-table discussions between senior
George Taylor, Caterpillar VP Marketing & Digital Division, emphasised the industry buzz and Caterpillar’s own research on how best to use 3D printing within construction and quarrying equipment manufacturing, saying: “We have a lot of experimentation on this and are looking at it for our aftermarket business. It’s not hard to imagine that one day we would chip a part file to either a customer or dealer, and have that part printed for applications.”
You can read more about Caterpillar’s future 3D wear parts printing and other technology goals in the Interview feature inside this edition of Aggregates Business International.
How to grow production to meet greater customer demand while keeping operating costs manageable is a question familiar to quarry operators globally.
In this issue’s Quarry Profile, India-based ARN Blue Metals, a subsidiary of the ARN Group, describe how one leading crushing and screening OEM has given them the customer demand-operating costs balance they need to successfully grow their business. In fact, they were so pleased with their first purchased plant, they’ve now invested in a second from the same globally renowned name.
In the constant hunt for new growth markets for aggregates, Central Asia is widely tipped to become one of the most buoyant over the next few years. An example of this can be found in Kazakhstan, one of the region’s most economically developed countries. To meet rising demand, partly due to the state program Affordable Housing 2020, which will see 7 million m² of new housing being built in the next four years, the Kazakhstan government plans to invest up to US$150 million in boosting the output of an existing aggregate production site in the Mangistau region. Take a look at Eugene Gerden’s fascinating feature on the Central Asian aggregates market inside the magazine.
Remaining in Asia, this edition’s aggregates Market Report focuses on South Korea.
A growing nation said by its government to boast Asia’s third largest economy behind China and Japan, South Korea’s lack of high-quality raw materials is said to be limiting the development potential of its infrastructure, such as the railroad network, commercial and non-commercial buildings, and industrial hubs.
However, such a lack of top grade raw materials is not deemed to be harming mega-projects such as the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, to be held in PyeongChang. A recent visit by the International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission agreed that preparations for the global showpiece event are moving in the right direction, with building works linked to the Games set to intensify in the coming months.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading our previous Agg-intel branded features penned by quarrying experts focusing on the latest key trends within the industry. this edition of ABI, Neil Wells, senior manager responsible for global land and minerals at
