Operators have warmly received Goldmont’s new bucket designed for heavy industries across Australia.
Goldmont by name and striking gold by nature, the Western Australian’s new bucket design has received praise from Australia’s heavy industry operators.
Goldmont Engineering has established itself as a manufacturer and supplier of critical parts for heavy industries, including mining, transport, and construction. The Western Australian operation specialises in design, fabrication and boiler making to solve customer problems with innovative solutions that implement light and heavy metals.
Goldmont Engineering found its customers were after the perfect loader bucket, which ticked all the boxes: A bucket stronger than conventional buckets on the market but also lighter to increase productivity.
Increasing bucket strength and achieving a lighter weight can be tough; usually, you can have one but not the other. However, Goldmont Engineering proved up to the challenge, and created the Outcast Bucket.
Goldmont Engineering needed quality metal and wear plates to underpin the design of the Outcast Bucket. SSAB’s Hardox wear plates and Strenx structural steel enabled the Outcast Bucket to be high quality.
The Outcast Bucket uses Hardox 450, Hardox 500, Hardox 500 Tuf, and Hardox 550, which help deliver a high level of performance while being lighter than a conventional bucket. According to SSAB, the Outcast Bucket is about 25 per cent lighter compared to a traditional R290 loader bucket with the same volume.
Goldmont Engineering designed the Outcast Bucket with a smoother profile to have less resistance when digging, which makes it operator-friendly across many of Australia’s heavy industries. The unique shape of the smoother profile and the combination of Hardox and Strenx steels ensure the Outcast Bucket has a lower wear rate than traditional buckets.
Customers can customise the shape of the Outcast Bucket’s lip shape and corner teeth to suit their application.
These factors have delivered operators in the harsh conditions of Australia’s heavy industries significant savings for their businesses.
Goldmont Engineering tested the Outcast Bucket in an intensive 12-week trial at an Australian underground mine.
During the trial, which involved double shifts, the Outcast Bucket saved the mining operation thousands of dollars in costs.
“Outcomes from the 12-week trial equate to AU$72,000 costs saved annually,” Michael Brown, managing director of Goldmont Engineering said.
“And these estimates consider savings only from less fuel and doing less maintenance. The quantified savings alone will pay back the cost of purchasing an Outcast Bucket in less than two years.”
SSAB has stood by its involvement in the Outcast Bucket and accredited it as a Hardox In My Body attachment in 2019.
By achieving this designation from SSAB, the Outcast Bucket passed the company’s strict quality controls, which evaluate the product’s welding quality, manufacturing process, and design, and was approved by SSAB’s board. Additionally, the intellectual property in the Outcast Bucket is protected by a Registered Design in five countries.
“The Hardox In My Body sign is a certificate for leading manufacturers of heavy equipment, proving that their products and production methods meet the highest quality standards. The certificate ensures that the product is made of Hardox wear plate,” SSAB said in a statement.
“Specialists in wear and structural technology have carefully analysed the Outcast Bucket for welding quality, manufacturing process and design.
“Each Outcast Bucket will have a Hardox In My Body sign with a unique ID that is traceable and can identify the origin and material used in your bucket.”
According to SSAB, the Outcast Bucket can benefit Australian heavy industries.
It has been proven to deliver less fuel usage, reduced CO₂ emissions, less mechanical and structural stress on the loader, lower bucket maintenance costs, increased availability and productivity.
As a member of the Hardox Wearparts Centre, Goldmont Engineering can sell and service parts made from Hardox wear plates.
The Kalgoorlie-based operation has an experienced team with decades of industry experience that can support customers throughout the lifetime of the Outcast Bucket with an expansive range of replacement and wear parts.•
For more information, visit ssab.com