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August 2015
MODERN MINING
67
PRODUCT News
Despite tough times in the
coal sector, Johannesburg-
b a s e d e q u i p m e n t
manufac turer Osborn
reports continued demand
for its robust coal handling
equipment, both locally
and as far afield as Turkey
and China.
Since Januar y this
year, Osborn has sup-
plied a range of machines
to coal producers in
South Africa’s Waterberg
area, Mpumalanga and
KwaZulu-Natal, as well as
in China and Turkey. The equipment sup-
plied includes two 3054 Osborn double
roll crushers, two vibrating grizzly feed-
ers, a 6’ x 16’ triple deck modular screen,
a 3 600 mm x 6 700 mm Osborn rotary
breaker and two 3036 Osborn double roll
crushers, says Product Specialist Etienne
Swanepoel.
“Osborn has been supplying the
coal industry with tough, high quality
equipment for more than five decades.
The current economic climate may be
challenging, but our customers clearly
recognise the value of hardworking, long
wearing machines that have proved them-
selves in the market and have the backing
of a well-established, reputable manufac-
turer,” he adds.
Osborn supplies coal handling equip-
ment ranging from the largest jaw crusher
and rotary breaker to mineral sizers,
double roll crushers, rolling ring crushers,
modular plants and vibrating equipment,
right down to the smallest components,
laboratory crushers and conveyor idlers.
Swanepoel says that the company’s
recent sales enquiries and its order for
a rotary breaker for an Mpumalanga
coal mine reflect the resurgence of this
machine in the coal industry. “The rotary
breaker has come back into favour in the
coal industry. Its simplicity and the fact
that it offers reduced operating costs and
minimal downtime is making it sought
after – particularly in these difficult eco-
nomic times.” He notes that the rotary
breaker has proved to be the most effi-
cient machine for use in ‘dirty’ coal mining
environments.
Osborn rotary breakers are capable of
Coal handling equipment in demand
processing up to 2 000 t/h with amaximum
feed size of 600 mm, depending on the
type of coal being processed. Swanepoel
says that the machine is generally fitted
with screen plates to continuously produce
one product size. “Should the product size
need to be changed, new sized screen
plates would have to be fitted. Due to vari-
ations in the types of coal being processed,
capacities and power requirements will
also vary from mine to mine,” he stresses.
Swanepoel says that the Osborn rotary
breaker’s benefits include its ability to
simultaneously size and clean raw coal.
“By removing the uncrushable material,
it decreases the wear rates on equipment
downstream. Fines generation is also min-
imised since the coal fractures along the
natural cleavage lines.”
A new service offering called a ‘Drop
Test’has recently been launched by Osborn
to ensure that rotary breaker customers
get the ideal machine for their require-
ments. Swanepoel explains that this test is
used to accurately size the rotary breaker
needed for customers’ specific applica-
tions, based on coal hardness.
Other Osborn machines that he says are
continuing to hold their own in the coal
industry include the manufacturer’s largest
jaw crusher. “Osborn’s immense Hadfields
80 x 60 single toggle jaw crusher is firmly
positioned as the primary crusher of choice
in the African coal industry. It handles up
to 2 m x 1,5 m feed size with throughput
in excess of 1 600 t/h. This impressive
machine, which weighs 140 000 kg and
stands as tall as a double-decker bus, is one
of the largest manufactured in the world.”
Osborn Engineered Products, tel (+27 11) 820-7600
A typical Osborn rotary breaker installation.