A major Victorian quarry has installed a unique solution to eliminate clogged screens.
Building is booming in Victoria, with several multi-billion mega-projects and state government investment into new housing.
The Victorian Skills Authority’s Construction Industry Insight found in October 2022, that while substantial investment through government initiatives was fuelling the growth, ongoing supply chain disruptions and material shortages are likely to remain a challenge.
One Victorian quarry produces and distributes aggregates, road base and other materials to a wide range of customers in the construction industry for road surfacing, concreting, railway applications and general landscaping.
However, due to the high moisture content and fine particles in the material being screened, blinding and clogging issues began to occur within the quarry’s multi-storey screening facility.
Screening machines are designed to separate and sort the various types of conveyed rock material. Feed material that didn’t flow and filter through easily would start to accumulate layer by layer and overflow onto the sides of the screens. The clogging issue was further dampened during wet and humid weather.
The blinding of the screens reduced screening efficiency, increased downtime, and increased maintenance costs.
The quarry manager attempted to solve the issue a rubber block attached to rope. Daily manual adjustment and intensive block shaking was required to unclog feed material.
Tired of this time consuming and labour-intensive process, the quarry manager reached out to Kinder Australia, which recommended a cost-effective solution to effectively eliminate blinding and stem further product loss.
Kinder’s field application specialist encouraged the quarry to install the company’s K-Deblinding Rods to improve the efficiency of its screening operations. The system was demonstrated during an onsite meeting with the quarry maintenance team and was later approved for installation within the multi-storey screening facility.
The K-Deblinding Rod solution is designed to eliminate blinding in screening applications. The rods are made of high-quality polyurethane and are placed on the screening surface, where they vibrate at a high frequency to prevent material from sticking to the surface.
Installation of the K-Deblinding Rods was straight forward. Kinder’s technical team worked closely with the maintenance team to ensure a seamless integration of the solution with minimal impact to the production process.
Only two of anchor points were drilled to the attached application assembly, taking no more than 30 minutes all up. The team installed the rods on the screening machines and provided training to the company’s personnel on the proper use and maintenance of the equipment.
The quarry manager found the K-Deblinding Rods made a positive impact on the company’s operations, with production now stabilising.
The K-Deblinding Rods are a ‘set and forget’ solution that eliminates blinding on the screening machines, without fuss.
The quarry also reported a significant reduction in maintenance costs, with less time to dedicated to making daily manual adjustments and attending to the screens.
Tim Storer, Kinder field applications specialist, said the quarry continually maintains the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and safety in all its operations.
“The installation of Kinder’s K-Deblinding Rods at this Quarry is a true success story, with further discussions on implementing a similar screening solution in the quarry’s other Victorian operation,” he said.
“The solution provided an effective and efficient way to eliminate blinding on the screening machines, resulting in improved efficiency, reduced downtime, and improved product quality.” •
Visit kinder.com.au to learn more.