Page 32 - HUB-4 Magazine Issue 90

Crushing & Screening
Heidelberg Materials acquires new
B3 B-Series Cone Crusher from QMS
A new B3 crusher has been supplied to Heidelberg Materials’ Whatley Quarry. The
Quarry Manufacturing & Supplies (QMS) designed, manufactured and supported cone
crusher is now playing an integral role in producing aggregates at the Somerset site. The
B3 cone crusher has been designed and built to deliver class leading cone crushing
performance, dependability, and ease of operation, all backed by market leading QMS
after sales support
Heidelberg Materials Aggregates produces and distributes
aggregates - crushed rock, sand and gravel - from a network
of quarries, depots, and wharves. These aggregates are used
for a variety of construction uses including ready-mixed
concrete production, pre-cast concrete, brick and block
manufacture and asphalt production. The company’s Whatley
quarry has been operating since the 1930s and supplies
crushed limestone aggregate to local markets by road and to
depots in London and South East England via its dedicated rail
link.
Situated between the villages of Mells and Chantry, four miles
west of Frome, Whatley is Heidelberg Materials’ biggest
quarry, producing around six million tonnes of aggregate a
year. There is also an on-site plant for making asphalt and
ready-mixed concrete. The site extends to 173 hectares, of
which 120 hectares comprise the limestone extraction site,
with limestone reserves of around 100 million tonnes. As well
as employing over 60 people, plus many more in a supply
chain of contractors and support staff, the quarry actively
supports local initiatives and programmes. Whatley quarry has
also been included as a research site in Heidelberg Materials’
Quarry Life Awards, aimed at supporting and increasing
biodiversity at mineral extraction sites.
New cone crusher to
boost production
In order to continue to
produce limestone aggregates
at high tonnage rates, Whatley
quarry management decided
to update one of its cone
crushers. To this end, QMS
was contacted and fully
briefed on the quarry’s
requirements. “We spent a
good deal of time at Whatley
Quarry to fully understand the
requirements in terms of
production, how the cone would fit in with other elements of
the production process as well as environmental performance.
Heidelberg Materials places a great emphasis on partnering
with the community and any new equipment must have a
negligible effect on the locale,” explains QMS sales director,
George Close.
Following the site meetings and discussions, George and his
team proposed installing a QMS B-Series B3 Cone Crusher.
“The B3 is designed to work with a closed side setting of
between 6mm and 38mm and is capable of delivering over
200tph. As with all our cone crushers, the B3 is designed and
manufactured by QMS in the UK, being designed and built to
deliver class leading cone crushing performance, dependability,
and ease of operation, all backed by market leading after sales
support.
“QMS B-Series crushers combine robust design and high
performance. A combination of high motor power, large throw
and higher speed give these crushers capacities greater than
other crushers of comparable size. We’ve built them to meet
the exacting product quality Heidelberg Materials demands.
The management at Whatley Quarry have been pleased with
excellent product shape and high quality with setting
adjustment being easily made during production in seconds,”
adds George.
Modern features for top performance
QMS’s B-Series cone crushers have also been designed to
generate downstream process savings in cost and efficiency
thanks to enhanced reduction promoted by a new chamber
design and by the use of QMS’ C3 Complete Crusher Control.
This PLC system controls all aspects of the crusher operation.
Usability has also been intrinsic to the crusher design as
operation could not be simpler: the automatic start up routine
incorporates cavity calibration to compensate for liner wear;
automatic adjustments are made to the crusher setting to give
consistent and reliable product shape. Pressure and power in
relation to load are automatically adjusted to suit rock
properties, moisture etc. Furthermore, C3 automatically
monitors all health functions and provides the operator with
information via a touch screen HMI (Human Machine
Interface). This screen can be located at the side of the crusher
or within a control room via an integrated ethernet
connection.
“In designing the B3 Cone Crusher, operators’ feedback and
QMS’ extensive experience of servicing other manufacturer’s
crushers have been taken into consideration. Easy
maintenance is an issue that has been taken particularly
seriously, with hundreds of design details making servicing
and installation simpler and more efficient,” explains George.
“The change of wear and spare parts with minimum downtime
have also been incorporated into the design. For example, the
liners of the B3 crusher do not require any backing material
like plastic epoxy or zinc. This saves the time usually spent
mixing, pouring, and waiting for the curing to take place,
whilst also increasing safety for maintenance staff.”
With its host of modern features, user friendliness and high
environmental performance, the QMS B3 Cone Crusher has
ticked all the boxes at Heidelberg Materials Whatley Quarry,
fitting in seamlessly. “It’s been a pleasure to work with the
management and staff at Whatley Quarry. We look forward to
continuing to assist and working with Whatley Quarry and
other Heidelberg Materials operations,” concludes QMS sales
director George Close.
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