In October 2024, Continental expanded its plant in Brazil to fabricate very heavy obligation metal wire conveyor belts for mining. IM Editorial Director Paul Moore caught up with Sven Hlywiak, Vice President, Buyer Engineered Options, Industrial Options Americas at Continental and Lucas Sielemann, Senior Product Proprietor at Continental to debate its management in mining belts and its newest monitoring applied sciences
Sven Hlywiak, Vice President, Buyer Engineered Options, Industrial Options Americas at Continental
Q When folks discuss excessive stress mining conveyor belts together with the ST10000, these are probably the most difficult to fabricate – are you able to remark in your place on this a part of the market and up to date investments in it?
SH: With regards to the ST10000, we stay the one firm with a metal wire belt of this extremely excessive energy truly in service – our Phoenix Phoenocord ST10000 belt was first put into service in 2020 at Codelco’s Chuqicamata Underground copper mine on the TAKRAF 7 km inclined tunnel conveyor flight that brings copper ore to floor with an elevation acquire of 950 m. That is one thing our staff is rightly very pleased with, as its improvement took a very long time, understanding how we might produce a belt of this energy and complexity effectively. And at the moment now we have gone into serial manufacturing at our newly expanded Ponta Grossa, Brazil operation – the funding included manufacturing strains that includes superior new rubber mixing, rubber blanket calendering, vulcanisation, and inspection applied sciences, with the intention of guaranteeing excellence at each stage of the method. We will produce the ST10000 in lengths weighing as much as 60 metric tons.
Q What’s technically particular in regards to the Phoenocord ST10000?
SH: The particular Sybercord wire design together with the very best manufacturing and high quality requirements and superior splicing know-how supplies a novel, dependable and unmatched product. Splicing strategies, which have been validated by Continental and on impartial two-pulley splice testers, lead to dynamic splice efficiencies that outperform any normal. Superior cowl compounds and the insulation gum’s superior adhesion mix to offer the affect, tear and abuse resistance that make it distinctive. And we again all this up with our conveyor belt monitoring programs to generate an general image of conveyor belt well being.
Q How important is the enlargement of the Brazil operation by way of mining belts?
SH: It’s vastly essential for us – we had the aptitude to make these extremely sturdy mining belts in Germany and Australia, however not within the Americas – with Ponta Grossa now we have addressed that. This implies we’re nearer to our prospects in key mining markets like Chile, Peru and Brazil with these merchandise – whereas earlier than they needed to be shipped for much longer distances. South America is definitely the most important international marketplace for belts just like the ST10000. We’re proud of the know-how funding now we have made that’s now paying off, and of the native staff now we have in place, each on the manufacturing and gross sales facet but additionally R&D. Additionally I want to say we aren’t only a belt provider – we assist our buyer with the splicing and commissioning in addition to ongoing service to make sure they will maximise uptime. We even have know-how in pulleys akin to our Eco Excessive pulley cowl compounds that in some instances can cut back vitality consumption by as much as 30%. Continental, we imagine, is a real answer supplier for mining, serving to prospects make their operations higher. That is additionally the place digitalisation and our monitoring options come into play.
Q Are you able to give some examples of your digital options by way of mining belt preventative upkeep and monitoring?
SH: Continental Conveyor Belt Monitoring Techniques seize knowledge in regards to the conveyor belt well being. These embrace magnetic programs like CONTI® CordProtect to watch magnetised metal wire strengthened conveyor belts for wire damages and tracks modifications within the splice construction; and CONTI MultiProtect which screens equally spaced embedded magnetised rip inserts. The flat array can moreover monitor for metal wire injury and splice integrity. These are sometimes mixed with different options like CONTI RipProtect, a everlasting radio frequency system to detect and minimise longitudinal conveyor belt rips by monitoring the situation of a sequence of embedded inductive sensor loops; and CONTI SurfaceProtect, a web-based laser system that screens the floor of the conveyor belt by evaluating the quilt situation for cuts and gouges or massive affect injury occasions. Different options embrace the CONTI ConveyorInspect drone-based inspection system to permit operators to simply know the situation of their belts and idlers, shortly find the precise place of failing idlers, and observe modifications in rotating elements over time. These are just a few examples of the applied sciences we will mix into an answer for purchasers.
Q Which of those digital options has had the largest market affect to this point?
SH: I might say the largest affect has been from mixed programs and techniques in the case of belt monitoring. It’s a mixture of various detection strategies that provides you an general understanding. You mix visible and temperature inspection with radar and different sensor knowledge – and with our newest digital hub answer, the Conti+ 2.0 app, prospects can see in actual time each static and dynamic knowledge from belt monitoring programs and different sensors on one centralised platform. It features a module which makes use of the Web of Issues to course of, analyse and visualise all essential sensor knowledge. I might say general that Continental has probably the most complete providing throughout the board for mining conveyors by way of merchandise, service, assist and digital options – a very holistic strategy.
Lucas Sielemann, Senior Product Proprietor at Continental
Q Are you able to speak a bit extra about Conti+ 2.0 and the potential it has so as to add worth to mining buyer operations? How do prospects add it as an possibility?
LS: Conti+ 2.0 is our complete and cutting-edge asset administration software for conveyor programs. With it we will import each static and dynamic knowledge – basically overlaying all the pieces associated to the conveyor well being and efficiency. It features a full conveyor system visible overview with motion path plus all the principle knowledge factors you could handle and that are essential in understanding the well being of the system overlaying the belt itself but additionally idlers, pulleys and different elements. If it is advisable change one thing, we will additionally seize that course of in our system, making it a lot simpler to plan part alternative and administration. By way of general knowledge, a few of that’s manually inputted by Continental, its distributors and prospects; then we additionally join with our monitoring gadgets like CONTI MultiProtect for actual time knowledge. Any injury shall be marked on the general conveyor, then you possibly can drill all the way down to see the precise location and the character of the injury – which on this case is a magnetic subject picture of the metal cords contained in the belt which is able to present up even in minor rips. This knowledge can also be related to the PLC of the client, so if any important injury occurs, they can cease the system instantly. Conti+ additionally has plenty of totally different modules – these embrace primary module instruments to hold out technical calculations and entry to all grasp knowledge, plus an inspection module the place technicians can stroll the conveyor belt and enter their observations, together with photos, which might be compiled into an inspection report. An IoT module bundles each static and dynamic knowledge on one centralised platform, and an engineering module supplies assist as early because the plant design stage. Conti+ can also be very helpful for big websites the place there are plenty of events concerned, akin to contractors – and you may make the system accessible to everybody who must see the information or can profit from entry to it. At present Conti+ has software program as a service subscription-based pricing mannequin, with the price very a lot depending on the depth of element that they want which is able to then dictate which of the modules are proper for his or her operation. MINExpo 2024 was the official industrial launch of Conti+ 2.0 for the Americas, however it was already in use at another websites in different areas from mid-2024. It replaces the legacy Conti+ 1.0 system as we realised with the fast advance of know-how it made sense to construct one thing from scratch relatively than making an attempt to repeatedly improve the outdated system.
Q Are some prospects extra prepared than others to deploy these newest monitoring applied sciences, or see the potential worth extra?
LS: If you wish to perceive what is occurring in your conveyance system, with a view to have significant predictive upkeep and keep away from catastrophic failures; which within the case of conveyors means a complete manufacturing standstill, then it is advisable perceive what is occurring throughout the entire belt and these applied sciences will let you do this. However it is usually about bettering uptime. And the belt is only one piece of the system, these applied sciences additionally will let you monitor the pulleys, idlers/rollers and so on. Sure, there’s an preliminary upfront price, however it pays for itself many, many occasions over through the lifetime of the mine as a result of it lets you get extra lifetime out of your conveyor system. And fairly often whenever you detect one thing flawed with the belt, it’s indicative of one thing else problematic within the general conveyor system inflicting the injury, so it’s serving to to guard the general system well being as nicely.
Q Are the degrees of orders for the very best energy and specification belts just like the ST10000, ST9500 and ST9000 in South America growing with main expansions at most of the massive copper mines? Is the push to web zero additionally an element with a transfer away from massive vans the place attainable?
SH: Conveying stays probably the most environment friendly means of transporting massive tonnages of mined materials from A to B. So other than the very fact they’re all electrical, which can also be an enormous issue at the moment with decarbonisation targets, they’re additionally probably the most economical answer. And this excessive tonnage effectivity is admittedly essential with regard to those massive mine enlargement initiatives you point out as a result of the mines wish to maximise output, particularly the place they’re accessing new larger grade ore, for instance, that they should mix with decrease grade materials.
Q Are you seeing growing competitors from Chinese language suppliers within the premium a part of the mining conveyor belt market?
SH: There isn’t a doubt that simply as in different components of the mining market, Chinese language belt suppliers are making their presence felt in key markets together with Australia and Africa. That stated, {our relationships} with our mining prospects are primarily based on a few years of belief and cooperation primarily based on the constant high quality of our providing and assist. Nevertheless, we all know now we have to stay aggressive and never stand nonetheless – we proceed to evolve and develop our product portfolio and focus much more on how we will help the client optimise their conveying programs and assist them meet their manufacturing and price targets.
