I just returned from MINExpo in Las Vegas where a record 36,000 visitors and 1,300 exhibitors spent three days buying and selling the equipment that digs and processes the raw materials that feed our bulk materials industries. Attendance was up more than 50 percent over the previous show and exhibit space at 600,000 sq. ft. was up 30 percent.
 
This is an industry of big machines and huge capital investments, and MINExpo, which like the Olympics occurs just once every four years, brings an impressive array of equipment under one roof. Caterpillar set the mark as biggest of the big in terms of booth size and probably for the size of their machines on display here. Their big 797F and 795F AC mining trucks, standing as tall as three story houses, drew the most attention and more photographers than the fabled Las Vegas strip.

Lines of visitors snaked up the stairs to sit in the driver's seats. On a mezzanine connecting the stairs to one of the truck cabs, two training simulators let visitors test their skills at driving these monsters.

There were quite a few material handling equipment manufacturers at the show. Next to the Caterpillar booth, Gundlach was showing its 2050S Roll Crusher. Together with Gundlach's Cage Paktor, these machines have played an important role in helping a number of Canadian mines meet the booming demand for potash. Canada's remarkable growth in potash production has been driven by agriculture's increased demand for fertilizer to feed the frenzy for biofuels in markets around the world.

The flooding of a major Russian mine pushed demand for Canadian potash even higher. Russia, Canada and Belarus account for 85 percent of known potash reserves. Canada alone has half of all reserves. Russia had been the major supplier of China, and the Russian mine closing came at a time when China's demand for fertilizer was growing at more than 12 percent per year. Flooding is common problem for potash mines, and Russian potash mining is expected to return soon, giving equipment makers an opportunity for another surge in orders from the potash industry.

Coal has seen a resurgence with today's growing energy demands, and coal mining had a major presence at the show. Pennsylvania Crusher showed its Mountaineer Sizer. The Mountaineer Sizer is designed for primary or secondary sizing of coals, industrial minerals, and ores with minimum fines generation.

Penn Crusher shared exhibit space with its sister company Jeffrey Rader, which showed its NF Electromechanical Vibrating Feeder. This feeder is designed specifically for the material handling needs of the coal industry, so that burden doesn't dampen vibration and actually boosts performance. These sub-resonant tuning characteristics assure efficient material transfer, promote quieter operation, and reduce energy and maintenance costs.

Eriez marketing communications manager Keith Jones told me the top attraction at their booth was their magnetic separator for the coal industry and minerals processing. Eriez Suspended Electromagnets (SE) remove damaging tramp iron from materials conveyed in heavy burden depths on flat conveyors or chutes. They automatically remove tramp iron from heavy product flows such as coal or rock being conveyed on belts, vibratory feeders or chutes. When designed with a continuously rotating belt, these magnets are self-cleaning.

Series 6000 Suspended Permanent (SP) Magnets automatically remove large amounts of ferrous from nonferrous materials conveyed in heavy burden depths, on almost any type of conveyor or chute. These magnets require no power source, operate practically maintenance free, offer uninterrupted magnetic protection and can be installed quickly and easily.

Jones said the SP Magnets from Eriez offer a level of performance that was previously available only with electro magnets. Permanent mag¬nets designed just a few years ago don't achieve near the performance of this new line, he said.

Don Dunnington
Moderator

After a long absence, Pennsylvania Crusher has brought back the iconic Rock Buster that served as a corporate symbol in the company's early years.

The muscular symbol takes on new prominence as part of an updated Pennsylvania Crusher logo that has begun appearing on everything from the company's letterhead and business cards to the labels on its crushers and feeders.

The name "Buster" is a fairly recent addition to the burley rock crusher's long history.

Several years ago, Penn Crusher President Don Melchiorre rediscovered him on a 1921 metal nameplate that had been part of an early hammermill machine label. Don christened him "Buster" and had the nameplate hung in a prominent place at the company's main office in Broomall, PA.

The name stuck, and Buster got his first modern-day starring role at the top of Penn Crusher's 2005 calendar.

The calendar celebrated the company's milestone of 100 years in business, and Buster served as the perfect symbol of Penn Crusher's long history of leadership in the development and manufacture of hammermills and other crushing equipment.

When Penn Crusher V.P. of Sales Lee Doyer recently asked Marketing Communications Manager Theresa Antell to propose some options for a new logo design for the company, "Buster" was the unanimous choice.

Buster replaces a rather abstract "PC" symbol that Lee explains was meant to represent the outline of a reversible crusher. "Most people didn't get it," Lee says, "and we're all glad to see Buster in its place. Everyone loves Buster."

The new logo is modeled after the same 1921 nameplate that appeared on the anniversary calendar.

To the best of anyone's recollection, Buster seems to have appeared sometime between 1910 and 1920. Pennsylvania Crusher has been trying to learn more about Buster's story.

New Logo Prompts Search for Buster's History and Prize for Best Stories

The new Penn Crusher logo features the rock crushing Buster

If you have any information that you think might add to the Buster legend, go to the Buster Story Entry Form. Tell your Buster story and enter to win a one-gigabyte USB memory stick pre-loaded with the Pennsylvania Crusher Handbook of Crushing.

Perhaps you have a vintage crusher at your facility with an early Buster image on the nameplate. Your Buster story may be factual or fanciful. In addition to winning a memory stick, the best entries will be included in a future story here on this blog and on the Penn Crusher website. To be a part of the Buster history project, enter your story now.

Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator

In "A Fine Grind," an article on biomass processing machines in the January/February 2008 issue of International Forest Industries, Chris Cann writes that one US company "has developed some of the foremost biomass processing machines in the world and is ready to take on the expanding European biomass market."

Using biomass for energy may be new to lots of industries, but it’s business as usual for the forest industry. "More than 60 years of experience in the business of biomass processing" Cann says, "has industry stalwart Jeffrey Specialty Equipment perfectly positioned to take advantage of the current surge in demand for biomass machinery."

Cann observes that the primary Jeffrey machine for processing biomass is the wood hog. "Those close to the industry would also know these units as hammer mills, shredders, and grinders – or just hogs. The company’s sales in the past have been dominated by its series 40 or series 50 ranges, which work at a rate of about 20-50 t/hour of material. But all that has changed quite recently and it is now the bigger models that are the best sellers," with the largest machines able to process 220 t/hour.

As examples of the direction the biomass industry is headed, Cann cites two recent orders filled by Jeffrey. "Jeffrey has delivered machines to two massive wood pellet mills that have just been established in the US, one of which is apparently bigger than anything else previously built worldwide."

He says European market is helping to drive the growth of biomass production in the US. "A large European market has been evolving for some time on the back of regulations aimed at fighting global climate change which have created incentives for power companies to boost their use of renewable resources. Europe already consumes nearly 8 Mt/y of wood pellets to run factories and power plants, and to heat entire neighbourhoods."

Cann interviewed Jeffrey Sales and Marketing Manager Doug Sublett for the article. Cann notes in his article that Jeffrey is well positioned to go global in the biomass market. "Jeffrey is a household name in the size reduction industry in North America where it does 80% of its business. But Sublett recognises the need for expansion and the opportunities available in international markets, particularly Europe…. This was part of the reason behind the company’s acquisition of Rader Companies in September last year for almost $16 million (funded by K-Tron). Rader manufactures and markets pneumatic conveying systems, screening equipment, engineered storage and reclaim systems, and truck dumpers for processing bark and wood chips for the global pulp and paper and forest industries. The company is based in Georgia but it has a headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Jeffrey intends to use that European base to increase its business in Europe and Russia."

Cann goes into great detail about wood hogs and the industries that are using them to process biomass. You can read the entire article on biomass processing machines on the Jeffrey website.

Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator

Hammermills, whether reversible or non-reversible, must be checked for several reasons. For example, if the coal grind goes out of spec, then vary the cage adjustment. Our hammermill cages allow adjustments to compensate for normal wear by changing the distance between the cage bars and the hammers. If that fails to correct the problem, then open up the hammermill and check the hammers and cage parts for wear.

Plugging: this sticky problem won't go away on its own

Extremely sticky feed materials can result in plugging, and if that occurs, a temporary solution is to adjust the cages back and/or cut back the feed rate. Continued running often clears the problem if the sticky material was transient in nature: if not, a washdown may be necessary.

When a bearing's hot, you're not

As with other crusher models, hammermills may also exhibit uneven wear as well as hot-running bearings. The most common solution is to adjust the feed system to correct the wear problem, and to check the bearings as described above. Both of those remedies are far less time consuming and expensive than the fixes that will otherwise be needed if they are neglected.

Reversible Hammermill Examples

Pennsylvania Reversible Hammermill, Model SXCB. This model is widely used to crush Powder River Basin (PRB) coal from Wyoming as well as bituminous coals. Because PRB coal has such a low sulfur content, power generating plants tend to prefer it over coals that might be nearer to their generating station but which would require more expensive emissions control systems.

Since the hammers in a crusher are subjected to such punishing wear, Pennsylvania offers a hard-faced, forged-steel version which extends hammer life by as much as five times.

Many crusher models employ screen bars against which the hammers crush the coal. Pennsylvania developed these special profile bars to be self-cleaning to prevent clogging. The hard-faced version shown here increases the service life over ordinary bars by many times.

"Handbook of Crushing" available as free download

Learn more about the care and feeding of crushers with this his valuable, 42-page handbook, available for download (requires registration) from the Penn Crusher website. It provides a review of mechanical reduction methods and crusher selection criteria, with lots of illustrations, it also includes explanations and tables for the measurement of crushing resistance and relative abrasiveness.

A separate chart of abrasiveness indices lists over fifty minerals along with their numerical value and their site of origin. Yet another chart provides physical characteristics of numerous materials and minerals, coded according to abrasiveness, flowability and special characteristics. A typical product screen analysis report is also reproduced. Additional topics include power requirements for crushers, closed circuit crushing, crusher hammer types and other useful information, including an overview of all Pennsylvania crushers, sizers, breakers and feeders.

Where to find help to keep your crushers crushing

This is the last of three articles on crusher maintenance. I hope you've found these articles illuminating and perhaps you've gained some valuable tips that will save you time and money in the long run. See my previous article on the warning signs to listen for in a jaw crusher, and my first article on how to insure a longer life for ring hammers (granulators).

If you would like Pennsylvania Crusher to review your crusher maintenance procedures, or if you encounter service issues, please call me at 610-544-7200, or send your E-mail request to fschaffer@penncrusher.com. For more crusher information, visit Pennsylvania Crusher's website at www.penncrusher.com. You can learn more about our crusher services, parts and remanufacturing.

Fred Schaffer
Service Advisor
Pennsylvania Crusher

Jaw crushers are amazingly powerful, able to reduce the hardest rock at very high reduction ratios.

Though their components are extremely rugged, this is not to say they’re invulnerable. However, if you listen, you can hear clear warning signs before they develop into serious problems. For example, the emergence of a knocking noise usually indicates that either the tension on the drive system is out of whack or that a jaw plate is starting to work loose. If no one notices, this can lead to an expensive fix with serious downtime.

Also take note of how often you replace the diaphragms of the oil sump and pump. If these are being replaced frequently, it can signify that the bushings on the swing jaw are excessively worn. When that occurs, it will result in an erratic jaw motion that may be difficult to observe directly, but that shows up as damage to the diaphragm.

Be careful to check for loss of oil in the sump. This can indicate a cracked diaphragm, and who wants that, especially at today’s oil prices?

The motion of the swing jaw derives from an eccentric shaft that drives its lower end, via the pitman and toggles. During the forward stroke, the rotating eccentric shaft puts considerable load on the pitman. The interface between these parts is a Babbitt bearing. This Babbitt is relatively trouble-free but if oil flow is interrupted, it can wear quickly. It’s therefore a good practice to periodically check the Babbitt for unusual wear. If badly worn, Pennsylvania Crusher can supply a replacement.

Jaw Crusher Examples

The Pennsylvania Jaw Crusher crushes by compression without rubbing. This view (above) exposes the operating elements which include the swing jaw, stationary jaw, Pitman and flywheel. Also visible is the oil bath which is the source of lubrication for the Pitman and the bearings. Most other Pennsylvania crusher models do not require an external flywheel.

This smaller version (above) of the powerful Pennsylvania Jaw Crusher is commonly used in glass plants to crush cullet. It also can crush minerals and recycle materials such as welding rods.

A down-the-throat view (left) of a small Pennsylvania Jaw Crusher, showing the ribbed jaw plates which are used when crushing glass (cullet).

Where to find help to keep your crushers crushing
This is the second of three articles on crusher maintenance. See my previous article for measures you can take to insure a longer life for ring hammers (granulators). For general questions, please comment here on this blog, and I’ll respond here. If you would like Pennsylvania Crusher to review your crusher maintenance procedures, or if you encounter service issues, please call me at 610-544-7200, or send your E-mail request to fschaffer@penncrusher.com. For more crusher information, visit Pennsylvania Crusher’s website at www.penncrusher.com. You can learn more about our crusher services, parts and remanufacturing.

Fred Schaffer
Service Advisor
Pennsylvania Crusher
 

As a rule, minerals and other materials must normally be reduced in size in order to handle and process them.  Size reduction is obtained using various forms of crushers, breakers or sizers, depending on the industry and the applications.  These can include rock, ores, coal, glass cullet and a host of other minerals and materials, including recycled products.

Among the more commonly employed and heavily used equipment are granulators (ring hammermills), jaw crushers and hammermills. All such equipment is equipped to take a great pounding and to last for years, often for many generations. Just remember that, while a crusher might crush hundreds of tons per day with seemingly little effort, in fact, each and every ounce of material creates some degree of wear and strain. The trick is to know how to recognize when the cumulative wear begins to require attention, so that a developing issue is addressed before it turns into a major event.

In a time when maintenance staffs have been reduced and a company of necessity must rely on outside contractors, it’s useful to understand that, even with a limited maintenance staff, a company can employ some basic diagnostics that can keep their investment in size reduction equipment out of harm’s way. Here’s an overview of what can be done with ring hammers (granulators). In following posts I’ll cover jaw crushers and reversible hammermills.

Ring hammermills shouldn’t shake, rattle & roll

Granulators, or ring hammermills, are composed of a shaft/hammer/disc assembly rotating at medium speed (300-720 rpm depending on diameter) within a breaker cage. Before your granulator was fully assembled, the folks in our factory balanced the rotor assembly on a static balance stand. But after extended service, the effects of wear on these things can cause problems such as vibration, hot bearings and unusual wear.

If hammers are allowed to wear beyond their point of normal replacement, they can break and cause a serious vibration. Be sure to check the condition of all wear parts regularly, especially the rotating parts.

Another condition that can cause vibration is improper feeding. The best way to feed a granulator is to slide the material into the crusher along the breaker plate, and to avoid dropping material directly on the rotor. When the crusher is fed properly, wear will be uniform, resulting in longer hammer and disc life.  We can advise you on ways to feed your crusher properly so that parts wear and maintenance down time are kept to a minimum.

Also take measurements of bearing temperatures. A hot-running bearing will go out of tolerance and eventually fail; this is most often caused either by deterioration of the grease or by using too much grease. Check your operation manual, or give us a call for advice.

Ring hammermill/granulator examples

Cutaway illustration of the Pennsylvania® Granulator, a model that enjoys widespread use in the power generation industry. Over half of the coal used in power plants in the U.S. is crushed using Pennsylvania equipment. With the growth of coal for power generation in China and elsewhere, this model has enjoyed a strong surge of popularity around the globe.

The Pennsylvania Granulator, Model TKK. This is one of the larger versions of this model, showing the rear quadrant opened for inspection or servicing.

We’ll help you keep ‘em crushing

For more information, go online to www.penncrusher.com. You can learn more about our services, parts and remanufacturing. For general questions, please comment here on this blog, and I’ll respond here. If you would like Pennsylvania Crusher to review your crusher maintenance procedures, or if you encounter service issues, please call me at 610-544-7200, or send your E-mail request to fschaffer@penncrusher.com.

Fred Schaffer
Service Advisor
Pennsylvania Crusher

Several years ago, Pennsylvania Crusher added a new model, the Mountaineer^® Sizer, which has enjoyed a surprisingly rapid rate of adoption as a replacement for older crusher designs and as new crushing systems are installed – especially in the coal business where increased demand has occurred. This is not your typical scenario in capital equipment purchases, where industrial end users tend to approach change slowly. Existing equipment, however old, is normally expected to reach the very end of its useful service life before replacement is considered. Also, few industry users really care to be the very first to install a new piece of machinery that can range in cost from $175,000 up to $650,000, depending on the variables.

The newer Sizer designs differ substantially from more familiar size reduction machinery, such as roll crushers, that were traditionally used at some installations. Like crushers, sizers still reduce by mechanical forces but rely predominately on shear force as opposed to impact and compression forces. The Mountaineer uses tooth shapes that are nothing new, but the sizer design concept involves two revolving rolls bearing rows of teeth that rotate inward or outward at slow rotational speeds to reduce the material, which is a fairly new development.

Changing to a sizer means you spend less total money for the machine and the structure required to support that machine. Sizers are very compact and considerably less expensive to install than other crushers, which are typically much taller and bulkier. With these advantages, the Mountaineer Sizer is proving to be very desirable -- and saleable. A number of coal mines in the U.S. have already installed our sizer, as did a coal mine in Indonesia, just last year. 

And now, in a rapid succession of firsts, the Mountaineer Sizer has had:

• The first sale in the U.S. to a non-coal application, purchased by National Gypsum in Garden City, Georgia, where the sizer will crush--what else--gypsum
• The first sale in Russia, to a coal preparation plant
• The first sale in China, also to a coal preparation plant

Of course, every machine installed tends to increase the chances of more machines going into that industry or region. Plant managers know each other, people change jobs but stay within the industry, and everyone likes to keep up on news about equipment in other plants.  This informal grapevine is where users learn how well a machine’s working (or not working). Judging from industry acceptance so far, on several continents, it appears that the Mountaineer Sizer will have a long and productive career at Pennsylvania Crusher.

For more information on the Mountaineer Sizer, contact Scott Eck at seck@penncrusher.com, or visit www.penncrusher.com.

Scott Eck
Product Manager for Mountaineer® Sizers
Pennsylvania Crusher

It's not just the mining of coal that has come under increased efforts to improve worker safety. Recently, Jeffrey Specialty Equipment Corporation took a look at how previously installed Jeffrey Flex Tooth Coal Crushers could be made safer for operators by converting them to our EZ Access technology .

EZ Access technology offers significant safety and productivity improvements for operators and maintenance personnel. The EZ Access hydraulically operated door gives operators and maintenance personnel access to the machine from a safer location and lets them change hammers in a more ergonomic position.

The EZ Access design eliminates home-made apparatuses for opening and holding access doors in position. Plus the rotor can be removed without removing feed chutes and associated feed equipment, all of which take time and increase machine outages for maintenance. A rotor locking device keeps the rotor in position while it's being serviced.

Because the machine is easier to service, it will be serviced more frequently and on a regular basis, rather than when there is a problem. We also know that machines is serviced regularly are less likely to have a catastrophic failure.

This technology is only available on Jeffrey machines. We can equip new machines with EZ Access technology, or convert old machines . If you think of a machine as consisting of 3 major components--Upper Housing, Lower Housing and the Rotor—our EZ Access conversion replaces the housings and leaves the rotor in tact, and in the process we make the rotor more accessible.

Sometimes when our customers are looking for a replacement machine, they really only need a new housing. But they perceive they need the whole machine because of the way the housing looks. A retrofit can give them all the technical advances and safety features of a new machine, with a savings of 1/3 off the cost of new equipment. You can request a quote online to upgrade your old Jeffrey crusher. All we need is your serial number.

Douglas J. Sublett
Manager, Sales and Marketing
Phone: 864-476-7530
Fax: 864-476-7510
Web: www.jeffreycorp.com