Modern Mining

COVER STORY

March 2016

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MODERN MINING

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Above:

The Cat 6020B in a typical application. The swing

system includes a triple-race swing roller bearing with inter-

nal gearing connected to an automatic lubrication system.

Top right:

The Cat 6020B’s large windshield and side win-

dows optimise safe machine positioning and truck loading.

Centre right:

The compact power module houses the

engine, the engine radiator, the hydraulic oil cooling unit

and the pumps.

Right:

The Cat 6020B’s automatic track tensioning system is

a simplified design that requires no manual adjustment.

senior product manager: Cat mining shovels

at Barloworld Equipment. Research on the

Cat 6020B started before the Bucyrus acqui-

sition, with Caterpillar then taking over the

programme. (Barloworld Equipment is the Cat

dealer for Southern Africa.)

Prior to every new Cat model introduction, a

specified number of validation hours – recorded

through rigorous in-field testing – is required

before a machine can be signed-off as ready

for manufacture. The past few years have been

spent refining the Cat 6020B. Four pilot units

were deployed as part of Caterpillar’s R&D ini-

tiative: three at global mine sites in Suriname

(gold), Finland (phosphate), and Canada (iron

ore, Arctic Circle) respectively, and the fourth

at Caterpillar’s proving grounds at Tinaja Hills

in Tucson, Arizona. The end result is a machine

that is geared towards achieving lowest cost per

tonne production in its class in direct response

to global customer requirements.

“The simplicity of the Cat 6020B’s design

is what makes it so remarkable,” adds Kraan.

“It’s not complicated. It’s not over-engineered,

and it’s not difficult to assemble, operate or

maintain.”

Key features that set the Cat 6020B apart