A mine attracts dust, dirt, and grime which left unchecked, can erode electrical cords, cables, and connectors, slow down bearings and gearboxes and cause machinery to idle. Improper cleaning and maintenance of components can slow production to a halt, costing companies thousands in precious time and resources.

CRC Industries has been servicing the mining and quarrying sector in Australia since the 1970s when they first began manufacturing in the country. Today they are one of the major players in the sector and have partnered with CBC on services.

“CBC has had a relationship with CRC for a very long time. They are very good with supply and inquiries,” says Chris Anderson, the Area Business Manager for the Dubbo CBC branch.

“Our branch is in proximity to several major mines in the area which allows us to provide better service to the sites. We try to meet with customers on site as often as possible to ensure they are getting consumable products like lubricants, cleaners, and degreasers to keep things in motion.”

Business Development Manager at CRC, David Bailey discusses the specific CRC products that have been developed as solutions to common issues on a mine site.

“Two of our most popular products are our CO and NF Contact Cleaners, which have a massive turnover in the mining segment,” says David. “On mine sites, there are electronics everywhere. All of this gets affected by dust and dirt and they need something to clean these contacts so that all the components keep operating at their peak performance.”

The CO Contact Cleaner contains COZOL – a proprietary blend of solvents which is non-corrosive and evaporative, leaving no stains or grease behind.

“This is a great solution for cleaning relays, switches, circuit boards and breakers, alarm and signal systems, terminals, plugs and jacks,” enthuses David.

CRC NF Contact Cleaner offers a similar solution as a non-flammable option with no flash point.

“More and more we are getting requests for non-flammable products, so we have a number of different NF aerosols in our range now that suit the mining industry,” says David. “The aim with non-flammable is to reduce incidents and potential to harm workers.”

The downside, says David, is “as soon as you make a product non-flammable, the costs go up because non-flammable solvents are few and far between. That said, there is no price for safety.”

CRC Lectra Clean is a heavy-duty degreaser developed for cleaning generators and compressors to keep everything clean and operating well. “Lectra Clean can be used to remove oil, grease and contaminants from brakes, chains, motors, parts and bearings,” says David. “This product is also used often during maintenance for cleaning down components before they are reassembled.”

“The other degreasing product that has really come into its own in the last ten years is our CRC Natural Degreaser. It is an aerosol that has a KB value of over 200, which rates it as extremely high in its degreasing ability. It removes harsh contaminants, in particular greases that stick to bearings and cables where there can be no fling-off,” elaborates David.

“We now have Bio-Degreaser which is quick-break, non-flammable, and contain non-toxic chemicals, so they go particularly well into the current trends we are seeing within the mining industry,” explains David. “We have seen two major mine sites switch over to the Bio-Degreaser, and it’s really starting to gain momentum.”

The CRC SmartWasher® is a bio-remediating parts washer system that uses microbes to break down oil, grease, and carbon-based contaminants on heavy machine components.

“The SmartWasher is becoming more popular in the mining industry,” says David. “Every month we are selling more due to increasing demand for bio-safe alternatives.”

The SmartWasher cleaning fluid, Ozzyjuice® is, water-based, pH neutral, GHS non-hazardous, meets the NSF A1 standard, leaves no residue, and was formulated to be eco-friendly, non-corrosive, non-flammable and non-irritating.

“CRC Ozzyjuice SW-X1 was manufactured specifically for the mining industry to remove soot, grime, diesel fluid, tacky grease on gears and drive shafts and burnt on carbon,” explains David. “It’s been out for six months now and has also really taken off.”

The CRC Brakleen is another bestseller, used in every cleaning method possible on a mine site, according to David. Over time, CRC Brakleen has been developed into several variations, including products that are more focussed on harm-reduction to workers and the environment (See breakout box for full range).

The standard Brakleen cleans, degreases, and evaporates, leaving no residue, while other Brakleen products come in compounds that are biodegradable, non-flammable and non-chlorinated. In addition to this, the Brakleen Force product comes with a power button for hard-to-reach spots.

Preventative maintenance with Brakleen will ensure equipment such as gearboxes, pumps, screens, crushers, conveyors, and mobile equipment continue to perform to the highest standards.

CBC and CRC work in partnership to continue to improve cleaning and degreasing processes for the mining and quarrying sector, while at the same time continuing to improve the safety and reliability of their products.

 

The CRC Brakleen Range

  • Standard Brakleen, the original premium product
  • NC Brakleen, which is non-chlorinated
  • Brakleen Force, which comes with a power technology button shooting up to 20 feet.
  • NF Brakleen, which is non-flammable
  • Brakleen, Water-Based, which is biodegradable, non-toxic, quick break and can be used in confined spaces