Polyurethane moulded products designer and manufacturer Prothane Industrial will exhibit at mining trade show Electra Mining Botswana, which runs from September 3 to 5 at the Gabarone Fairgrounds, in Botswana.

The company will not only exhibit its range of aftermarket slurry pump impellers but also launch its new Polycombo MKII impeller.

“Polycombo is a proprietary product used in metallurgical mill refurbishment and protection programmes,” says Prothane Industrial GM Gordon Cornish, adding that the company hopes to establish a distributor in Botswana who can success- fully introduce the company’s Polycombo range of impellers to pump users.

He states that the company is participating in the trade show because the event provides an international arena – and the MKII impeller is due for international launch this year.

“Africa and, in particular, African mining are in a state of rapid flux, with opportunities for suppliers to meet users so that products can be supplied to meet requirements, which is why this event is important for Africa as a whole,” he notes.

“I look forward to the participation, meetings and shared knowledge that is expected at this year’s event,” he says.

Challenges

Cornish states that challenges in the African mining industry include finding cost- effective services to contribute to lower mining costs.

“Product innovation should be sensitive to the scarcity of skills common to mining on a global scale.

“To combat this, the company is developing pump impellers, such as the Polycombo mining pump range, which lower pumping costs by increasing impeller life and reducing vibration to extend shaft-bearing life.

“All of this means fewer working hours each year for each pump – a considerable contribution to lowering overall pumping costs, with tangible benefits for the end- user,” he says.

He adds that the company has an innovation programme in place and is constantly improving the value of the Polycombo impellers for end-users.

Industry

Despite the worldwide economic slump – which Africa has not escaped – the future is positive, and even more so for products such as the Polycombo range of pump impellers, states Cornish.

He explains that the international mining industry is dominated by relatively few multinational suppliers of mining pumps and it is serviced by a multitude of suppliers of copied components.

“As a South African supplier, Prothane Industrial has adopted a fresh approach by combining the latest materials technology and computer-assisted manufacturing techniques to redesign the impeller,” he says.

Cornish, who comes from a mining background, points out that end-users also benefit from improved performance in terms of minimum mining-pump vibration and an extended pumping life.

“Material science has advanced remarkably in recent years and the market has become more demanding, owing to costs and skills shortages,” he says.

Cornish adds that the current mining-pump market is serviced by reputable companies with proven products.

“The company has developed a product for the refurbishment of the inside of mine mills that have been damaged by mill wash and this product has proved so successful that it is currently applied to wear items in the milling circuit, and pump impellers immediately came to mind,” he says.

Cornish states that, after months of development and testing, the product was put on the market for real-time testing.

“In each test case, the test was extended to different pump sizes in different loca- tions on the user’s plant. This required the manufacturing of a vast array of moulds for impellers of different pumps and sizes.

“The Polycombo brand of pump impel- lers now includes 15 different models and the range is expanding through three different types of pump impellers being added each month. Polycombo impellers are used at gold, platinum, coal, copper, uranium and diamond mines and, while they are wear resistant, they also show good resistance to alkalis and acids,” he concludes.