The KMB was put to trial at the Newcrest Cadia East gold mine in Orange, New South Wales, following a 12 month development phase in 2011. The mine has trialled a 12m3 bucket with an Armourblade edge system on two underground mining loaders.
?The KMB bucket front with the Keech Armourblade edge system can be replaced within three hours on-site. Operators simply unbolt the front section and replace it with a new one,? said Mark Adams, regional and export sales manager for Keech.
?Given that the edges on some buckets need to be cut off, which can take up to 35 hours, the KMB is likely to generate significant efficiencies for underground mine applications.?
The ease of removal of the front section also means the bucket can run a welded edge, making it ideal for use in cautious areas such as crusher zones, while still maintaining a quick change out during underground operations to minimise downtime.
The KMB is compatible with the Keech Wearpact edge system or the Armourblade system. Wearpact is a hammerless ground engaging tool system, available in full spade and semi-spade configuration, while Armourblade is a welded edge system for use in underground loader applications.
The Newcrest Cadia East trial is evaluating actual edge life, which to date has tested at 1000 hours.
The buckets are manufactured from quenched and tempered steel. Keech works with each customer to customise a wear protection system to suit the application at hand.
Source: Keech Australia