Condition monitoring and process optimization in mining
Mining companies operate in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive industry where profit margins are slim. As technology advances and more productive equipment is brought in, a solid maintenance program is required to improve reliability and secure a maximized return on investments.
Enhance maintenance practices with condition monitoring in mines
Maintenance costs in the mining industry are high due to a reliance on reactive maintenance, leading to equipment failures and production losses. The challenging terrain and harsh operating conditions create additional difficulties for mining machinery, including heavy loads, debris, variable rotational speeds, and misalignment. These factors, along with long spare part delivery times, make condition monitoring essential for predicting breakdowns and improving maintenance practices.
Ultra-low-speed bearing monitoring in mining
With our high-definition technologies, monitoring bearings from speeds below 0.1 RPM is seamless, effectively detecting faults in mining applications. In open pit mining, critical machinery such as excavator gearboxes, conveyors, and crushers face challenges due to slow rotational speeds and load variations. In underground mining, condition monitoring benefits applications like elevators, lifting devices, ventilation fans, and pumps that control water levels and support drilling. This monitoring enables early fault detection, facilitating planned maintenance and minimizing downtime.
Innovative solutions for process optimization in mine operations
SPM Instrument offers advanced solutions to optimize key processes in the mining sector, boosting efficiency and profitability. Our tumbling mill grinding solution monitors the charge toe position at the inlet and discharge ends of the mill drum, helping operators find the ideal feed rate for optimal grinding and particle size distribution. This system also tracks issues like mill overload, liner wear, outlet blockages, and large rock occurrences to enhance operational reliability.
Additionally, our vibrating screen performance monitoring solution visualizes screen motion to ensure optimal screening. It detects unfavorable conditions that can cause plugging, mechanical stress, overload, and excessive energy consumption, enabling operators to maintain full capacity and efficiency. These integrated solutions enhance condition monitoring and drive significant process improvements, empowering mining operations to maximize productivity and reduce costs in a competitive market.
"The online system enables long-term planning of our maintenance work. Ultimately, our goal is to have online monitoring installed on all significant operational equipment, and we are almost there. We have chosen to further develop our SPM systems since we have good cooperation; it is easy to get in contact with the service technicians and they always provide prompt assistance."
Mats Johansson, Maintenance Manager, Boliden Renström
Process optimization – the key to higher profits
Optimizing both processes and equipment provides substantial benefits to the mining sector, including cost savings through higher equipment availability, improved worker safety, increased production speed, and higher raw material yields. Find out how we can help optimize processes and machine performance throughout the entire operation!
Solution to optimize tumbling mill grinding processes
The process optimization solution monitors the charge toe position at the inlet and discharge ends of the mill drum. It is an effective tool for operators to determine the ideal feed rate for optimal grinding efficiency and particle size distribution.
In addition to avoiding mill overload, underload, and freewheeling, further benefits include monitoring:
- Wear-and-tear on the liner and lifters
- Outlet blockage
- Density
- Big rock occurrence
Vibrating screen performance monitoring
For optimal screening performance, uniform movement of the screen corners is crucial. Our screen performance monitoring solution is a process optimization tool for visualizing screen motion.
The solution detects unfavorable screening conditions that can cause various problems, including
- plugging and blinding
- mechanical stress
- overload
- screen media wear
- excessive energy consumption
- process capacity losses.
SPM’s screen performance monitoring solution helps determine if the screen performs at full capacity and is an excellent aid to maintenance and production.
Heavy-duty equipment for the mining industry
The mining industry is a heavy industry where condition monitoring equipment must survive mechanical and environmental forces. The SPM product range includes portable instruments, online systems and accessories specifically suited for shock pulse monitoring of rotating machinery and vibration monitoring equipment for detecting misalignment, gear problems, balancing problems etc. On slowly rotating machinery, the SPM HD® measuring technique can be used with benefit. SPM HD uses RPM based sampling frequency and algorithmic correlation techniques to ensure the highest possible signal quality and razor sharp spectrums for analysis.
Portable instruments
Our range of handheld instrumentation includes equipment for shock pulse measurement, vibration severity measurement, and vibration spectrum analysis.
Intellinova Parallel EN
Intellinova Parallel EN is a powerhouse of functionality and performance, ideal for condition monitoring of industrial equipment with high availability demands.
Condition monitoring in explosive environments
Our high-performance portable and online equipment are also available for potentially explosive environments.
HD Technologies
High-definition condition monitoring technologies provide exceptional pre-warning times, maximizing the planning horizon for maintenance and repairs. In turn, this enables fully utilizing asset life, cutting repair costs, and minimizing the consequences of unplanned downtime.