Mineral resources are used in the production of items that form part of our everyday lives, ranging from a simple pen to the latest high technology electric vehicles. Bonfiglioli has been serving the industry in sub-Saharan Africa though OEMs and end users for over 30 years, developing a strong knowledge base with which to service customers.
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Most mines begin with the crushing plant, where Bonfiglioli drives can be found in materials handling and feeding applications.
The most common application of Bonfiglioli gearboxes found in these instances are conveyor drives for bulk materials handling. For these conveyors, Bonfiglioli can supply geared drives in the 1.0 MW range and above from the company’s HDO line-up. The heavy-duty helical bevel units can be engineered to suit virtually any customer specification with accessories that are locally designed and manufactured, drawing on the experience of the global offices. These accessories include custom baseplate designs to match any combination of input and output couplings, coolers and guards, and they can include various sensors, which are becoming more common place in the connected mine.
Also found at the front end of a mine flow chart are belt and apron feeders, characterised by their high torque requirements, high availability needs and relatively slow speeds. These applications are best matched to drives that combine Bonfiglioli 300 planetary series gearboxes with units from the HDO helical bevel range. This unique planetary-HDO combination leverages the highly modular, compact design of the 300 series with its high ratio spread and torque capabilities of well over 1.0 MNm. A range of customised connections are also available with splined output shafts, shrink discs and solid output shafts. The 300 series also offers a wide range of hydraulic drive options from the most common and trusted names in the fluid power industry.
Once the mineral resources have been crushed to an optimum size, they are stockpiled for transport to the processing plant. Processes in this phase of the mineral journey are undertaken by a range of equipment, of which the most impressive is the stacker-reclaimer.
This large machine highlights the Bonfiglioli heavy duty range almost in its entirety. For travel drives, larger A series or HDO drives are used for their flexible mounting arrangements and their ability to absorb high overloads. For the slewing arm, the 300 and 700 planetary series have special modifications to handle the demanding needs of these designs. They include reinforced outputs with larger bearings, and the facility to add a range of pinions to mesh with the slew ring. Brakes can also be added – hydraulically or electrically – onto the motor. The final, and arguably the most impactful visually, is the bucket wheel. The demands are like those seen with the feeders and it is therefore not a surprising that the same 300-HDO combination is preferred.
Once the ore has been reduced to its optimal size, extractive processes can begin, where the ore grade is increased to allow for the most profitable mine operation. Several beneficiation processes utilise drives, and Bonfiglioli is a market leader in such applications.
Whether creating a high value cake, or cleaning effluent before final disposal, thickeners and clarifiers fulfil critical requirements in these processes. With high torque demands and slow speeds, the 300 series planetary drive and combinations utilising the 300 series are a perfect match. Bonfiglioli is a leading supplier to leading OEMs in the thickener and clarifier market, where its expertise in providing solutions is second to none. Ratios as high as 7 500:1 are easily configured using the modular planetary series. Customers can also benefit from proven designs allowing for the integration of load sensing equipment in electrically driven units.
With global demand for consumer items increasing and a limited mineral resource pool, ever more efficient methods for extraction and beneficiation are required. Bonfiglioli South Africa is uniquely positioned to develop such solutions to meet the next generation of exacting standards.
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