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Articulated dump trucks are ideal haulers for many quarries and now there are more machine options available. ABE reports. With capital expenditure under scrutiny, the lower cost of articulated dump trucks (ADTs) over rigid alternatives is making them an attractive hauling option. Quarry operators also have more to choose from with Liebherr launching its first ADT and Terex, Volvo, Hydrema and Bell upgrading their ranges.

Using cheaper crusher wear parts may help cash flow in the short term but longer term gains come from investing in quality parts. While capital investment for new machinery may not be readily available, maintaining existing machine fleets to a high standard is essential in the long term. Wear parts manufacturers are warning against using cheaper parts in a bid to reduce costs because the long term impact on machine performance may be far greater.

The latest breaker designs offer higher power to weight ratios than ever before as well as improved maintenance. With restrictions on drilling and blasting getting tighter, hydraulic breakers are increasingly being used for primary breaking in quarries around Europe. But despite this increase, the operating weight of the latest models is not keeping pace. Atlas Copco and Sandvik both launched new breakers at the recent Bauma exhibition and it is clear that it is the power that is being increased, not the we

Recycled asphalt is not only environmentally friendly, it is also financially friendly as one UK council demonstrated on a recent road reconstruction project. Road reconstruction techniques that reduce the cost by a quarter, cut the length of works by over a half and save 9tonnes of CO2 emissions sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But a recent resurfacing project carried out by the London Borough of Newham in the UK managed to achieve just that through use of in situ recycling.

Germany-based Haver and Boecker has recently completed a special development of its Niagra T-class vibrating screen with a Niagra vibrating feeder for a track mounted operation with the Polar circle. Both machines have been adapted to suit the requirements of the Norwegian manufacturer of mobile plants Haahjem AS from Vigra which is renowned for its heavy-duty CTC mobile plants with a total weight of over 100 tonnes.

Slurries with specific gravity of 1.15kg/dm³ present a serious challenge for many pumps, but Toyo claims that its latest new models are ideally suited to such conditions. The new GR pumps benefit from an integrated agitator along with technical specifications adapted to the density of medium slurries, which Toyo said offers an effective solution for a competitive price. The newest GR30 and GR30B also benefit from a self cooling system and can operate partially immersed but also at depths up to 30m, in liqui

Sandvik has unveiled the first of its new generation of down the hole (DTH) drill rig and it is said to offer improved productivity and user comfort in 5" hammer drilling. The new DI550 is also the first rig from the company to have been fully developed in Finland using the company's combined knowledge base. The rig features a 324kW diesel engine and a 24.4m3 compressor air flow at 24 bar pressure, which Sandvik has said makes the machine a perfect match for the 5" DTH hammer. This careful balance of power

Dust Control Technology has announced a collaboration with SMI to apply computer-controlled automation for monitoring and managing dust suppression equipment. Driven by proprietary software, the systems can be programmed to manage start/stop cycles based on dust monitor readings, motion sensors, weather input or operator remote control.

Metso Minerals has upgraded several of its static crusher ranges with new, higher performance models including the new Superior 60-2110E gyratory crusher and the Nordberg MP1250 cone crusher. The new MP1250 has an installation that uses the same footprint as the MP1000, means greater productivity without additional expense. The 1250HP crusher features design improvements in the mantle locknut make maintenance quicker and easier, and there are also upgrades in the hydraulic tramp protection system, bowl adju

UK-based Rock Fall has launched its new Tomcat range of protective foot wear, which the company claims is the first to incorporate metatarsal protection to European S3 safety standards. Rock Fall has said that the boots were designed for the comfort and safety of quarry, mineral processing and extraction industry personnel and those working in similar workplace environments. The company has said that the boots were developed through extensive research and testing replacing the traditionally heavy, uncomfort

Rubber specialist Linatex has launched a new range of closed and open body pinch valves and these are the first new products to come from the company's new global strategy. "Previously these were regional products and the designs and ranges varied accordingly," explained Linatex European general manager Bruce Cook. "But now we are drawing together Linatex's knowledge and capabilities to produce single ranges of valves for all markets." There are 19 sizes in the new PV pinch valve range and these are availab

Two years ago the buzz word in the industry was productivity, today it has been replaced by the term efficiency. On the surface they may seem to mean the same thing but they mark the difference in the economic climate and a new approach to aggregate production. According to the dictionary, productivity is defined as producing readily or abundantly, whereas efficiency's meaning is accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort. The difference between the two is

Bulldozers play a key role in overburden stripping and haul road maintenance today. Mike Woof takes a look at the technological development. The crawler bulldozer has come a long way in the years since it was developed - the first machines were rickety, crude and unreliable. However, these machines have now become a key production tool in many overburden/earthmoving operations and carrying out important duties such as ripping or haul road maintenance in large extraction sites.

Paul Bancroft, sales and marketing director of Continental Conveyor Products has been elected president of the Materials Handling Equipment Association (MHEA).

Greenroads, a rating system developed at the University of Washington, USA, to promote sustainable roadway construction, has made an award to a project in the city of Bellingham. A newly-widened pathway of recycled concrete incorporates more than 400 recycled toilets, crushed into what the project engineers have dubbed “poticrete.”

Preferred bidders have been selected for the UK Highways Agency’s €599.17 million pavement and concrete framework. Those chosen to take part in the four-year framework are Tarmac, Lafarge Aggregates, Hanson Quarry Products, Hanson Contracting and Aggregates Industries.

Chairman of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers Association (TCMB) Mustafa Guclu believes Turkey’s cement consumption will be around 58.5 million tonnes in 2012. He expects sales of the sector to increase by between 4% and 5%.

British laser measurement technology specialist, Measurement Devices (MDL) has completed the acquisition of its Canadian technical and distribution facility in a multi-million dollar deal. MDL, based in York, northern England, designs and develops robotic laser surveying and mapping technology, and has acquired 100% share in Thomas Engineering (TEC) Manotick, Ottawa, as part of its strategy to create a global laser measurement, manufacturing and distribution and services business.

The UK’s Competition Commission is expected to publish its final report on the the proposed UK joint venture between Anglo American and Lafarge in late April. However, the CC has already decided provisionally that the proposed jv could damage competition in certain markets for construction materials. Anglo American and Lafarge want to establish a 50:50 jv to which each of would contribute the bulk of their construction materials businesses in the UK.

I was recently invited to talk about the image the aggregates industry presents to the outside world and look at how this could be improve One thing that struck me with preparing for this presentation is that this sector has a lot going for it - some great people and unusual operations, but what is common to almost every site is the drive to improve biodiversity and sustainability. The sheer number of projects and efforts put into these areas are clear to me in my role as editor of ABE and it is easy to see