Two quarrying contractors and construction companies in South Korea have successfully introduced Atlas Copco Powercrusher units for mobile stone crushing to their operations. They have subsequently made significant contributions to productivity in a variety of construction applications.
One of the companies that has benefited greatly is Wonjin Construction, which specialises in producing aggregate for major infrastructure projects and is currently supplying materials to the Ultra Construction Corporation for building the new Kyougsang?Do Highway 30. This important new road will connect the western and central cities of Dongjin, Sonju and Andong with the eastern coastal city of Yeongdeok, in Gyeongsang province.
Eungi Park, the site manager for Wonjin, explained that his company had operated several types of crushers since its start-up in 2007 but the performance and service arrangements associated with these machines had been ?disappointing?.
{{image2-a:R-w:200-c:The Powercrusher PC3 impact crusher is used by Samwoo Recon at Chilwon to recycle road construction material into new base stone.}} As a result, when the Powercrusher mobile crusher arrived on the market, Wonjin was among the first in line to upgrade its equipment. Wonjin chose a Powercrusher PC4 model, which has been making a strong contribution to the company?s productivity ever since.
SERVICE AND SAVINGS
The first consideration that convinced Wonjin to switch to Powercrusher was the aftermarket service, for which Atlas Copco is renowned. Its team of local service technicians are never more than a couple of hours away from Wonjin?s operations.
The second decisive factor was low cost or, to be more precise, savings.
?We always give our customers a good price but more importantly we offer them continuous savings,? said Han sung Oh, Atlas Copco?s local representative.
?The Powercrusher PC4 has the Cat C9 241kW engine, which is bigger than other models and therefore uses about 27 litres of fuel per hour. But at the same time, the machine saves money by giving up to 20 per cent more product.?
One feature of the Powercrusher that is especially appreciated by Wonjin is its crush box inlet. This opening, which measures 1250mm x 650mm, allows material that is larger or inconsistent in size to be worked through the jaw crusher. Another example is the machine?s Quattro movement, which produces a figure-8 motion in the machine?s moving jaw and enables precisely the right size and shape of aggregates required.
The perfect sized aggregate for Wonjin is 600mm, although the actual size produced is, on average, 400mm to 500mm; the size is changed with a simple adjustment to the gap setting on the crusher box.
The machine produces 1000 tonnes to 1200 tonnes of aggregate in an eight-hour shift each day. This production rate, and the fact Korean contractors typically work a six-day week, enables Wonjin to easily meet its target of 30,000 tonnes per month. Operator Doohaeng Heo pointed out that the 1.2m wide conveyor on the PC4 also contributed to productivity.
RECYCLING AND SUSTAINABILITY
Another Korean company that has improved its stone crushing operations is Samwoo Recon Company Ltd. Samwoo Recon was established in 2002 and now specialises in recycling road building and construction materials for three large communities in the southeast of the country.
The company wanted a mobile crusher that could be easily manoeuvred around its 7.5km2 site and meet the demands of its sustainability policy. In this case, the Powercrusher PC3 impact crusher was the ideal choice.
?We are proud of our sustainable practices and of our mission to provide quality recycled material to the local communities,? said Wookju Sung, Samwoo Recon?s managing director. ?By recycling road and construction material, the aggregates we produce allow contractors to rebuild roads using recycled material in three of the required four layers of the base.?
Sung says recycling material reduces quarrying costs and the Powercrusher is able to produce the size of aggregate its road construction customers regard as optimal for efficient road compaction. He also regards low fuel consumption as a sustainable practice that pairs well with his recycling mission. ?It is important to us to save energy and have low CO2 emissions,? he said.
Powered by a 287kW engine, the crusher achieves a production of 150 tonnes per hour and can process as much as 250 tph. This is partly due to the feed design, with its hydraulically adjustable swing beam.
Samwoo Recon previously used stationary crushers and these will remain in operation. But the Powercrusher?s ability to move around the site, and off-site if necessary, has made the operation more productive and more efficient. ?
Source: Atlas Copco Powercrusher