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Mechanical Technology — November 2015
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Materials handling and minerals processing
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Gear pinion downtime reduced
M
etso’s service experts have man-
aged to significantly reduce the
downtime needed for replacing
pinions and gears for 33 rod and ball mills
by working closely with the customer at
Codelco’s Chuquicamata division in Chile.
Metso has an on-site team of some 30 ser-
vice experts working for the division’s largest
mill overhauling project.
The services contract has been running
for more than a year and it includes replac-
ing of pinions and gears for 21 ball mills and
12 rod mills for two concentrator plants. So
far Metso’s service experts have managed to
reduce the downtime needed for the service
work by over 50%, reducing from eight to four
days in the case of ball mills, and from 14 to
five days for the rod mills, a reduction of 64%.
Further to this, Metso specialists have
carried out mantle repairs and the expecta-
tion is that these will remain in working
condition for 60 months, until the next
scheduled maintenance period.
“This outcome is an example of our ser-
vice team’s constant, methodological and
systematic efforts. The project demonstrates
our long experience and deep know-how in
services. Significantly reducing the down-
time needed for service and achieving of the
customer’s safety indices shows our passion
for working closely with the customer to
achieve common goals. With an average
downtime reduction of 64% in assembly, we
have demonstrated our high level response
capabilities when dealing with upgrades and
equipment servicing, as well as assembly
of new equipment” says Juan Zuleta, field
services manager at Metso.
q
more wear-resistant than its steel coun-
terpart and combines the best properties
of ceramic (1 400 HB) and rubber to offer
high wear resistance and to effectively
absorb impacts,” explains Carrasco.
Mining company Doña Inés de
Collahuasi is Chile’s third largest pro-
ducer of copper. It specialises in the
extraction and production of copper
concentrate and copper cathodes as well
as molybdenum concentrate.
Metso is a leading industrial company
in the mining and aggregates indus-
tries and in the flow control business.
“Our knowledge, people and solutions
help drive sustainable improvements
in performance and profitability in our
customers’ businesses. We also have an
uncompromising attitude towards safety
and our products range from mining and
construction equipment and systems to
industrial valves and controls.
“Metso solutions are delivered and
supported by decades of process knowl-
edge and a broad scope of services
backed by a global footprint of over 90
service centres, thousands of service
employees, and an extensive logistics
network,” Carrasco concludes.
q
Metso service experts replacing pinions and
gears in Chuquicamata, the world’s largest open
pit mine. Metso has reduced downtime needed
for the service work by over 50%, from eight to
four days in the case of ball mills, and from 14
to five days for the rod mills.