Ore sampling like never before
July 2020
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
With the general decline in ore grades in mining, FLSmidth’s market-leading expertise in mineral sampling and laboratory automation holds increasing value to mines.
“The more you understand about the characteristics of the ore entering your process plant, the better you can treat it,” says Martin Matthysen, director, SPA (sampling, preparation and analysis), sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East at FLSmidth. “But this needs technology that can sample high volumes, maintain rapid turnaround times, and deliver quality results.”
Only then can plant operators respond to laboratory data in real time, which is one of the keys to effective plant optimisation. With over 30 years of experience, FLSmidth has been a pioneer in laboratory systems integration, as well as driving automation in the laboratory environment.
“Our particular expertise in laboratory automation is now recognised worldwide,” says Matthysen. “This is why we have supplied 95% of all automated laboratories to the global mining industry constructed over the past dozen years or so.”
The company’s offerings address all stages of mines’ sampling and analysis requirements. It designs solutions for exploration and ore characterisation, grade control, process plants and port shipment. The highest quality equipment is sourced and applied to a laboratory solution to achieve accurate sampling, effective sample preparation and detailed sample analysis.
Each laboratory design is unique, he emphasises, as it must suit each customer’s particular operating conditions and strategic goals. The design process therefore demands close collaboration with the customer and a detailed examination of mined material and process demands. This ensures that the laboratory generates exactly the type of analytical data that the plant operators require.
“With our world-class mineral research and testing facilities, we are constantly pioneering innovations that add value to customers,” adds Matthysen. “Our automated solutions also offer consistency and traceability, while improving ergonomics and eliminating hazards to laboratory personnel.”
Among the company’s innovations has been an environmentally-friendly methodology that replaces traditional wet chemistry. With no acid being used to dissolve platinum ore, for instance, the process produces no toxic waste – dramatically reducing the impact on the environment.
“We are accredited in terms of international quality standards, and work strictly to our customers’ stringent specifications regarding health, safety and environment,” concludes Matthysen. “Our expertise gives customers the confidence not only to procure laboratories from us, but increasingly to contract us to maintain and operate those facilities on their behalf.”
Further reading:
Infrared thermometers for electrical, industrial and HVAC applications
Comtest
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
: Comtest, distributor of Fluke test and measurement equipment, explains how handheld infrared thermometers are transforming maintenance in electrical, industrial and HVAC environments, with three measurement strategies and a wide range of practical applications.
Read more...
Reverse-engineering legacy industrial gearbox parts
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WEG Africa’s turbine workshop uses 3D scanning technology to reverse-engineer components for legacy gearboxes, turbines and compressors, enabling equipment to run for decades after OEM support and spare parts have dried up.
Read more...
Unlocking ICCP remote monitoring
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Cathodic protection keeps buried and submerged pipelines safe from corrosion, but verifying it traditionally means costly, hazardous manual site visits. Omniflex explains how a retrofit module brings remote monitoring to ageing transformer rectifiers without replacing functional infrastructure.
Read more...
Microdieseling – the explosions you never hear
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Microdieseling is a pressure-induced thermal degradation mechanism in which entrained air bubbles are compressed so rapidly that the surrounding oil ignites, producing soot, varnish and sludge. WearCheck explains how it happens, why the damage varies, and how oil analysis detects it.
Read more...
Electrostatic spark discharge – when static strikes back
Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WearCheck technical manager, Steven Lumley explains how static electricity accumulates in modern low-conductivity lubricants, why compact system designs and fine filtration make ESD more likely, and how to recognise the degradation it leaves behind.
Read more...
High-speed cameras for crash testing
Horne Technologies
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Vision Research has expanded its Phantom C-series with two cameras optimised for crash and safety testing, offering 4 and 8 megapixel sensors rated to 170G, up to 1180 frames per second, and Phantom Academy application training planned for South Africa next year.
Read more...
SKF extends remanufacturing expertise to bearing clearance modification
SKF South Africa
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Using its clearance modification expertise, SKF helped a mining equipment OEM salvage spherical roller bearing inventory that would otherwise have been scrapped, confirming a new capability within its remanufacturing services and avoiding redundant procurement.
Read more...
When maintenance-system compliance starts replacing plant reliability
Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
WearCheck ARC division manager, Annemie Willer argues that the greatest threat to effective maintenance is no longer a lack of technology, but the gradual replacement of technical judgement by CMMS compliance, leaving no one owning the machine.
Read more...
Automatic lubrication systems drive mobile mine machine reliability and uptime
SKF South Africa
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
SKF’s Lincoln P203 progressive lubrication systems are improving reliability and uptime on mobile machines at a Zambian gold mine, with installation of 45 units completing by October 2026.
Read more...
Nitration: the acid you didn’t see coming
Wearcheck
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
Nitration is as destructive as oxidation in many engines but far less understood. WearCheck technical manager, Steven Lumley explains how nitrogen oxide gases degrade lubricants, why the process is difficult to detect, and what oil analysis can reveal before damage occurs.
Read more...
printer friendly version