TAKRAF Africa’s After Market Services has completed a mid-life upgrade on a bucket-wheel reclaimer for a leading iron producer in South Africa.
The upgrade consisted of realigning the machine, bucket-wheel and bucket change out, upgrading of the bucket-wheel drive from an electromechanical to a hydraulic drive and a modification to the operating philosophy in order to suit the upgrade.
The upgrade employed TAKRAF Africa’s durable high-wear split bucket-wheel and bucket design, as well as the latest hydraulic technology to ensure that the machine will continue to operate at maximum performance, with the required support from TAKRAF Africa. The hydraulic drive used to replace the electromechanical drive as part of the upgrade is the second largest from the OEM to be installed on a machine in Africa.
Maintainability and maximizing life extension are core features of TAKRAF Africa’s approach to refurbishments, an approach that has seen considerable success in similar iron ore applications. For example, after three years of operation in similar applications, the bucket-wheel shell, bucket shells and liners were still in excellent condition with minimal wear and ideal for re-use or refurbishment.
Besides significantly extending the life of the bucket-wheel reclaimer, the upgrade also resulted in numerous other benefits, including reducing the mass of the drive at the front of the boom for improved stability. Maintainability of the drive has also been improved, whilst drive trip conditions have been minimized for when the machine is overloaded, together with reduced current draw from the Motor Control Center (MCC).
Given the complexity of the installation, TAKRAF Africa deployed a dedicated crew to the client’s site, with two cranes, cherry pickers and scaffolding required to execute the job. With careful planning, the installation was executed with no Lost Time Injuries (LTIs).
“In order to protect and extend their capital investment in such critical equipment, mines are increasingly looking to optimize the life of their machines, by restoring or upgrading their original capability at a fraction of the cost of a new unit,” says Paul Davies, TAKRAF Africa’s General Manager for After Market Services. “This latest upgrade is a further example of how, taking into the account the client’s needs and unique situation, we are able to assist in ‘future-proofing’ our client’s operations.”
TAKRAF Africa’s long-standing business relationship with this iron ore producer has enabled us to provide support with one of the largest spares in our product range - a top and bottom shell for a 60/109 primary gyratory crusher that had been installed more than four decades previously.
Operating out of the Johannesburg head office and three regional offices in Mpumalanga and the Western and Northern Cape, TAKRAF Africa’s After Market Services provide assurance to the market of the company’s ability to continually support its products. All machinery, plant and equipment sold by TAKRAF Africa and Tenova Group sister companies, as well as that supplied by other OEMs, are supported over their product lifecycle so as to optimise equipment availability and performance and to extend equipment life. TAKRAF Africa’s comprehensive After Market Services range from the supply of spares to maintenance and monitoring programmes, repairs, refurbishments and upgrades. TAKRAF Africa combines rapid response with world-class technical expertise and an in depth understanding of local mining conditions.