Heavy matter on shoots that are feeding or loading equipment on quarrying sites are subject to a great amount of wear due to the abrasive nature of the quarried materials.

“In places where there is a lot of heavy rock and stone products moving through a shoot there is potential for significant wear on the surface of the plates,” explains Michael Rowe, BSC Product Manager for Abrasives and Sealants. “Over time, heavy wear can lead to equipment failures, costly repairs, and downtime for critical pieces of machinery on a quarrying operation.”

Extending the life of equipment and avoiding unnecessary downtime, is an ongoing challenge for quarry operators, which is where technical experts at BSC have the opportunity to implement solutions to alleviate certain pressures for site staff.

“Quarrying processes are precise and based on weight and size allowances,” says Michael. “So, the consequence of wear is that it can affect the loads being moved and, in some cases, result in materials being fed incorrectly into other machines.”

“Incidentally, repairing original equipment can quickly become very costly to an operation,” expounds Michael. “As a solutions-based provider, we are always trying to offer more viable solutions than performing a full replacement on equipment — we don’t operate on upsell opportunities, but rather, we look for opportunities to provide efficient, cost effective and quality solutions.”

Michael works closely with BSC premium suppliers like ITW Polymers and Fluids, to assist customers in keeping ahead of wear on their equipment. He speaks to the research and development ITW has invested into surface technology and the development of compounds to combat the effects of wear and abrasion.

“ITW engineers have been consist in developing fantastic solutions in the abrasion space that we can recommend to our quarrying customers,” says Michael.

According to Michael, one of their more recent innovations is the new and improved epoxy compound called Megawear — a quick curing, user-friendly, ceramic coating for optimising wear resistance on the surfaces of equipment.

The product was recently re-engineered to include advanced flexibility modifiers to allow for greater impact resistance on critical pieces of equipment that are moving high-impact materials around site.

“This is a much quicker fix than replacing an entire plate component on a piece of equipment,” says Michael. “And yet, I would argue just as effective as the original equipment.

“With the use of Megawear, a piece of equipment can be up and running again in just three hours, and the coating stands as protection against abrasion, corrosion, chemical attacks, harsh temperature adjustments, and impact.”

He furthers, “A ceramic coating can not only restore worn and damaged surfaces and extend the life of quarry equipment, but in some instances, I have seen this product actually improve the performance of equipment by boosting impact resistance.”

The result is additional protection to the original equipment which offers tremendous value and cost savings to BSC customers in the quarrying space.

“This is something I recommend to customers all the time as a cost saving solution,” concludes Michael. “Rather than order out new parts and components, equipment can be modified and restored with Megawear by just one repair person with a trowel in hand.”

 

Megawear Features and Benefits

FAST AND TIMELY REPAIRS

  • Equipment back in service in as little as 3 hours
  • Reduces maintenance window for site shutdowns
  • Prioritises plant availability

EXCEPTIONAL USABILITY

  • Easy to shape and mix – will not stick to gloves
  • Applies easily to overhead and hard to reach surfaces
  • Trowelable to guarantee a smooth finish
  • User friendly kit size – suitable for confined spaces

SUPERIOR ABRASION AND IMPACT RESISTANCE

  • Extremely wear resistant = less downtime
  • Long lasting repairs – Services temperatures to 120°C
  • Enhanced resistance against abrasive materials

SUPERIOR ADHESION

  • Prolongs service life of plant and equipment
  • Excellent adhesion to most metals, cement and other surfaces
  • Increased lap shear adhesion