Winning
In the mine the Wirtgen 2500SM cuts limestone with a working width of
2.5 metres and a working depth of between 450 and 500 millimetres.
WPI gives the machine operator a fast and simple overview of the
degree of wear of the picks – without causing downtimes.
20 _ QUARRY SA | MAY 2017
The longer the pit is, the more cost-effective
it becomes to use the Wirtgen machine
because you have less stoppage times for
turning around. So, one challenge currently
faced is that going in to an existing mine
is a real challenge because the mines must
be converted and optimised for surface
mining by opening up longer pits. “Because
of the potential difficulties of switching
to using the machine at already existing
mines, we are mainly targeting those that
are undergoing – or planning – expansion,
as well as greenfields operations where the
mine can be designed to facilitate use of
the surface miners from the get-go,” says
Newby.
“The other area we’re looking at is existing
mines that are coming to the end of their
life, where there is material remaining
but they are unable to mine it because of
safety concerns. It might be a mine that has
underground ball-and-pillar tunnels and they
can’t blast or have machines working there
because it might all cave in. Our machines
can work in those sorts of conditions because
of the minimal ground pressure.” n