Test conducted at a mine shows no detachment of inserts or fractures in the cast elements.

ME Elecmetal identified a customer’s need to stabilize periods of operational instability at a concentrator plant with a SAG grinding line featuring a 40×29 foot SAG mill and two 27×49-foot ball mills. In collaboration with the plant’s personnel, the ME Elecmetal team conducted a validation test of the ME PolyLight design and configuration liners.

During the test, the SAG mill was equipped with 30 cast SMX design lifters in the discharge ring. While the SMX liners met the client’s durability and performance expectations, ME Elecmetal sought to address the challenge of absorbing drastic operational changes.

ME Elecmetal proposed the ME PolyLight design concept, which includes a cast lifter and an ME PolyFIT™ plate.

The ME PolyLight design is a hybrid solution developed as an alternative to the SMX design, aimed at enhancing liner reliability by incorporating a component that better absorbs operational changes. It combines a cast device manufactured by ME Elecmetal with a rubber component, leveraging the benefits of both cast products and ME PolyFIT™ in terms of cost efficiency and wear rates, while also being fully recyclable. Key Benefits:

In response to unstable operations and liner sensitivity, we developed a product design to absorb constant operational changes, aiming to fully optimize the copper production process.

To address these challenges, the ME Elecmetal team replaced the SMX design with the ME PolyLight solution. This design features a plate with rolled steel inserts and a cast lifter section, specifically engineered to absorb operational deviations in the SAG mill and withstand high-impact conditions.

Notes:

  1. The campaign concluded with a processed tonnage of 16.89 million tons over 199 days.
  2. Wear trends observed were consistent with historical patterns.
  3. This measurement reflects the initial wear assessment of grates installed on 08-23-2023.

 

Actual Results for the Client:

  • The product achieved its intended objective, remaining unaffected by the operational changes recorded during the SAG mill’s operation.
  • The anticipated benefits in product durability and reliability were realized, with no need for disassembly or increased wear.
  • The ME PolyLight product demonstrated that it is not necessary to alter the mill’s internal volume by using thicker liners to achieve the desired durability and reduce the likelihood of fractures.

Solutions

ME FIT Programs

Products and services

Mining 4.0

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