February 2014
MODERN MINING
47
PRODUCT News
Conveyor equipment manufacturer Melco
reports that it continues to gain market
share through its range of uni-directional
anti-runback conveyor rollers, which are
designed to prevent an inclined conveyor
from running backwards in the event of a
belt break.
Standard steel and high density poly-
ethylene (HDPE) rollers are fitted with
bearings that enable them to turn in both
directions. The Melco anti-runback roller,
however, is fitted with a patented mecha-
nism that only allows the roller to turn in a
single direction.
Melco MD Gavin Hall points out that the
company’s anti-runback roller has been
particularly popular in platinum, gold, coal
and copper mining applications in various
African countries, as well as in Australia
and Canada.
“The product is appealing to engineers
because of the inherent safety features
of the anti-runback rollers, and because
incline conveyors fitted with the prod-
uct may experience less downtime in the
event of a belt snap.
“Conveyor belts with inclines of between
6 and 18 degrees, which are commonly
found in mining applications, are most
prone to running back in the event of a
belt snap. Some of these belts are as long
as 1 km, and could cause unprecedented
damage if breakage occurs,” he explains.
Shantui looking to expand in mining
Earthmoving equipment manufacturer Shantui says it is committed
to expansion in the African mining and quarrying sectors follow-
ing the official launch of its new 48-ton SE480 excavator locally in
September 2013.
Shantui’s Vice GM for Equipment in Southern Africa, Garron
Troskie, notes that the SE480 excavator was launched by the
company at the bauma Africa trade fair in September last year in
response to increasing demand from the local market for a larger
and more powerful machine.
“The Shantui SE480 excavator is powered by a Cummins QSM11
254 kW engine and boasts a heavy duty boom and short arm with
a 2,3 m
3
double radius bucket for an increased breakout force of
256 kN –making it ideally suited for moving large loads,”he explains.
“What’s more, it comes equipped with segmented roller guards, a
deck guard, window guard and belly plates to ensure that it is able
to withstand the most hostile terrain and operating conditions.”
Troskie points out that an adjustable track frame allows for the
extension of the track width by up to 600 mm, thereby ensuring
increased stability during operation in more challenging condi-
tions. “This feature also ensures savings on transportation costs, as
the track width can be reduced to such an extent that the excavator
can be transported on a standard lowbed truck, as opposed to a
specialised and more capital intensive transportation vehicle.”
Another major benefit of the Shantui SE480 excavator is said to
be its highly competitive price.“The SE480 features all the specifica-
tions required for mining applications, with performance meeting
and even exceeding that of better known brands,” states Troskie.
“This robust and high quality production machine is available at
a substantially lower price than its competitors, which is a con-
siderable factor for operations seeking maximum productivity in
challenging economic conditions.”
Troskie reveals that the Shantui SE480 excavator has been
well received by the local market since its official launch at
bauma Africa. He continues: “I believe that the introduction of
the SE480 excavator will result in a measurable growth in market
share in the mining sector for Shantui, especially considering the
overwhelmingly positive response that we have received from the
industry to date.”
Garron Troskie, Shantui Equipment Southern Africa, tel: 0860 742-688
Anti-runback conveyor rollers selling well
The majority of conveyor belts in mines
are run through confined spaces, and Hall
says the consequences of conveyor failure
could be immense. “Downtime related to
clearing the tunnel and repairing the belt
may result in significant lost production,
resulting in crippling financial effects.”
In the event of a belt snap, Hall claims
that the Melco anti-runback roller reacts
instantly. “We have received positive feed-
back from numerous mining customers,
who have revealed that the anti-runback
rollers, if correctly installed to the pat-
tern recommended by Melco, bring the
snapped belt to a standstill within a short
distance, which substantially reduces
safety risks, the risk of any damage and
associated costs,” he continues.
The Melco anti-runback roller looks iden-
tical to the company’s range of standard
steel and HDPE rollers, and is identifiable
only by a unique plastic directional arrow
disc on each side of the roller. Melco, with
the assistance of the supplier of the pat-
ented mechanism, assists its customers in
determining the exact ratio of standard to
anti-runback rollers required for a specific
application.
Due to their identical physical dimen-
sions, standard steel and HDPE rollers with
25 mm, 30 mm and 40 mm shaft diameters
can be replaced with the equivalent anti-
runback rollers with minimal effort. “The
rolls can be interchanged with ease,” says
Hall. “The anti-runback rollers will last as
long as the standard rollers fitted on the
conveyor, thereby providing peace of mind
with regards to durability and reliability.”
Hall does concede that Melco anti-
runback rollers are more capital intensive
than their standard counterparts. “The
uni-directional mechanism fitted into the
anti-runback roller is expensive, and there-
fore adds to the overall costs associated
with the installation or upgrade of a con-
veyor belt,” he says. “However, engineers
who have installed the Melco anti-runback
roller agree that the extra cost is justified
when weighed up against the safety and
operational benefits that the product
provides.”
Melco, website:
The anti-runback roller fromMelco is reportedly gaining
market share.
