Integrated solutions across comminution flowsheet set Weir apart

Constantly expanding and upgrading its range of crushing and screening solutions, Weir now offers mines an integrated selection of premium quality, high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs), crushers, screens and screening media. JD Singleton explains why this has created an unmatched opportunity for customers to achieve improved uptime while reducing their cost per tonne.

JD Singleton, Weir’s Comminution director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). All images supplied by Weir

To complement its ENDURON® range of high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs), Weir has developed a robust range of crushers and screens under the same premium brand – now further strengthened by its in-house screening media.

“Combined with our renowned service culture and extensive global footprint, this creates a truly unmatched offering,” says JD Singleton, Weir’s Comminution director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “In just 15 years, we have evolved from being primarily recognised for our high-quality pump solutions to becoming a global leader in the comminution space.”

He notes that Weir’s large ENDURON® Elite double-deck banana screens have been in high demand and will soon be produced at the company’s Alrode facility south of Johannesburg – where expansions are underway to create a dedicated production bay for this purpose.

Weir now offers EDURON® screen media panels to complement the ENDURON® range of vibrating screens.

“Large vibrating screens are vital to complement large capacity crushing plants and HPGR circuits and our ENDURON Elite range is playing an important role in hard rock mining developments throughout Africa,” he says. The latest orders include a contract with a leading brownfields mining project in Zambia. The first units from Weir’s Alrode plant expansion are expected to start rolling out later this year.

Weir’s research, development and innovation behind the ENDURON® Elite range of screen includes creating the largest exciters available in the market. Having developed the LTX exciter to generate the +1 mega newton force to vibrate these screens, Weir went on to develop its second-generation exciter – the ETX, with 1.28 mega newton force which has been nominated for technology awards, says Singleton.

Weir’s ENDURON® Elite ETX Exciter is a groundbreaking advancement in vibratory screening technology, delivering the world’s only “mega” newton linear motion exciter capable of generating forces equivalent to a fully laden A380 on take-off, 12 to 16 times per second. This patented innovation redefines a 50-year-old mechanism, setting a new global benchmark in performance, reliability and efficiency.

The ENDURON® range of jaw and cone crushers, equipped with improved control and lubrication systems, come standard with premier ESCO® crusher liners for longer life and less downtime. The latest generation of Weir’s ENDURON® cone crushers and jaw crushers has also just been introduced.

Weir has developed the new LTX exciters for the ENDURON® Elite screens which are the largest available in the market.

“A key factor behind the success of ENDURON HPGRs and our complementary crushers and screens in the circuit has been the rising cost of electricity, affecting not only South Africa but many other countries in Africa,” he says. “Mines are adopting HPGR circuits as an energy efficient alternative to the traditional semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill circuits.”

Among the studies in which Weir assists customers is the comparison of a circuit using a primary crusher, SAG mill and ball mill with a circuit that comprises a primary crusher, a secondary cone crusher, HPGR, screen and ball mill.

“We work with customers at early planning stages to find ways of reducing energy consumption with technology like HPGRs,” he says. Weir supports these solutions through its service culture across a wide footprint, giving the company a presence within 200km of any large mine anywhere in the world.

Source: Supplied by Weir