The Australian continent is rich in mineral resources, and the immense growth in the demand for steel has put iron ore extraction into high gear. Iron ore is mined either by surface miners, which cut the deposits from the surface layer by layer, or using the drill and blast method.

New mining project with the Kimberley Metals Group

The Kimberley Metals Group (KMG) launched the “Ridges Iron Ore Project,” a new mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, in 2011. Here the iron ore is extracted from a mountain ridge, taken by dump truck to a central location and processed. The processing itself is handled by SJ Crushing as a subcontractor of KMG. “The major challenge for us was going very quickly from submitting our bid to a stable production of 500 tons per hour,” says Neil Fitzpatrick, Project Manager at SJ Crushing, describing the project requirements.

Mobile combination of four Kleemann machines

SJ Crushing found its solution with Kleemann. “The director and owner of SJ Crushing, Steve Crabbe, saw clearly that he needed a decisive advantage in order to be awarded the contract. And he found that advantage in equipment from Kleemann, with its robust design and its diesel-electric power concept,” continues Neil Fitzpatrick. Crabbe became aware of Kleemann at bauma 2007 and made contact when the call for tenders was issued for the project. The mobile solution, consisting of a MOBICAT MC 125 Z mobile jaw crusher and three MOBICONE MCO 13 S secondary crushers was developed in close cooperation with the Kleemann experts from Germany. Because the initially anticipated project duration was very short, just four years, it quickly became clear that the solution would have to be a mobile one. The equipment in the mine is also quickly movable in case of changing conditions or requirements.

Starting sizes of up to 1000 mm edge length, end product 0-10 mm

The cut or blasted material is transferred to the MOBICAT MC 125 Z by wheel loader. The size of the material recovered by the surface miners ranges from 0-200 mm, while the blasted material can have edges up to 1000 mm long. In addition, the compressive strength of the material can be far above 300 MPa. The mobile cone crushers break the material down to a final grain size of 0-10 mm, each of the three units generating the end product. The material from the bottom and to some extent the middle deck of the triple-decker screen units is passed on to the next machine in order to ensure the high hourly output rate of more than 600 tons per hour.

Best after-sales service of top importance

The machines run in two shifts around the clock, seven days a week, so excellent after-sales service is extremely important. According to Neil Fitzpatrick, “the reliable support from Wirtgen Australia was a major deciding factor.” And the Australian Wirtgen Group subsidiary is optimally positioned to meet this requirement, taking care of major clients who run the numerous surface miners in 24-hour operation in this region.

source: http://www.wirtgen-group.com/