With the introduction of its Enduron® line of crushing and screening equipment, the Weir Minerals Comminution Group has been fortunate to draw upon the minerals processing expertise provided by its key personnel, including Edward Wipf, VP Process & Business Development Comminution; Sam Palombo, Sales and Marketing Manager Aggregate/Comminution Group; and Bruce Christensen, Senior Process Engineer Comminution. These experts bring a combined 83 years of comminution experience to Weir Minerals. The purpose of comminution in aggregates processing is to reduce the size, improve the particle shape and increase the surface area of aggregate products. Comminution also is used in mining to free useful materials from matrix materials in which they are embedded and to concentrate minerals.

Edward Wipf, VP Process & Business Development Comminution, joined Weir Minerals in 2010. With 37 years of experience in comminution circuits, Wipf specializes in acquisitions and strategic alignment of new product lines for the company. He is the author of numerous technical papers related to mining and comminution, and has taught comminution classes at such schools as McGill University and the Colorado School of Mines. Wipf was involved in the development of the Metso Vertimill in the late 1970s, and he developed the Vertimill slaker. He later started and sold the largest lime slaking system in the world. Wipf has a bachelor’s degree in both Chemical Engineering and Energetics, and has attended Rauma’s Business School for Senior Management and Product Management.

Sam Palombo became Sales and Marketing Manager Aggregate/Comminution Group for Weir Minerals in 2013, having previously served as a Product Group Manager for the company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and holds a certificate in mineral processing from the Colorado School of Mines. Palombo has extensive experience in working with mining companies around the globe, spanning the past 14 years, advancing from manufacturing to field and product management and formerly serving as Global Mining Manager with the Haver/Tyler Group. He was co-author of "High Pressure Washing Technology," published in the 12th Annual Tailings and Mine Waste Conference 2008 and the 41st Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mineral Processors 2009. Palombo is a member of the Canadian Institute of Mining and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Bruce Christensen is the Senior Process Engineer Comminution for Weir Minerals, joining the company in 2010. Christensen has 34 years of experience in comminution circuits and mineral process flow sheets. He was a mineral process engineer at the Tilden and Eveleth Taconite iron ore plants, and he also worked in research and development for the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company and Eveleth Taconite. As a technical sales engineer/manager for 26 years, Christensen has worked on development and sales for a wide range of comminution equipment, including crushing and screening capital equipment. Christensen has a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a master’s degree in Minerals Process Engineering. He also has attended Rauma’s Business School and the Mercury Goldman Sales Course.

The term “comminution” is becoming more commonly used in North America, as it relates to aggregates processing and mining. Derived from the Latin ”comminuere,” which means to make small or break into small pieces, comminution is the process by which solid materials are reduced in size. In mining and aggregates, the process generally refers to material reduction by crushing, grinding and other processes. It occurs naturally during faulting in the upper part of the Earth's crust, and is an important operation in mineral processing.