Metso innovation combines best of its cone crushing technologies

Metso introduced its MX technology at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017.

Metso introduced its MX cone crushing technology at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2017.

According to the company, the Metso MX is based on the company’s multi-action crushing technology that combines the piston and rotating bowl into a single crusher. The new crusher cuts operational costs by 10 percent and enables 10 percent higher uptime compared to traditional cone crushers, Metso says.

“Aggregate producers are facing increasing pressure on efficiency and cost management,” says Jouni Mahonen, vice president of global sales and product support at Metso. “In order to meet these demands, we rethought the crushing basics and combined our long experience in different cone crusher technologies with our extensive engineering knowledge. Two individual crushing methods based on the piston and rotating bowl were conjoined, and as a result, we created the MX cone with multi-action technology.”

Designed for the most demanding rock conditions and with a special focus on automated adjustment features, the Metso MX provides a high reduction ratio with a premium end-product shape and consistency critical in aggregate applications, Metso says. Its robust design makes the Metso MX very suitable for demanding mining applications.

The key benefit of the multi-action technology is the easy under-load setting adjustment and wear compensation without having to stop the process, Metso adds. This can be now combined with extended wear life and better mechanical protection.

“Really, the biggest advantage of this machine is it takes a lot of the good of different technologies in crushers, specifically HP crushers and Hydrocone crushers,” says Dusty Jacobson, applications manager of mining crushers at Metso. “It allows you to adjust the setting on the fly of the machine so you can maintain more consistent product.”

Optimal cavity design, stroke direction and effectively distributed crushing action lead to the ultimate rock-on-rock crushing motion, Metso adds. This combined with the innovative multi-action technology results in extended maintenance intervals and higher production.

In addition, the Metso MX provides maximized tramp release distance with high protection against uncrushable objects and overloading. The crusher can utilize up to 70 percent of the mass of new wear parts, the company says.

“After 10,000 hours of rigorous testing, we are proud to say the Metso MX meets our targets for increased profitability by allowing 24/7 crushing with minimum downtime,” Mahonen says.

The 400-hp MX4 cone crusher, which is the first in the product line, was showcased in the company’s booth. A 300-hp MX3 is expected to be available following the launch of the MX4.

“The 300-hp and 400-hp cones are the most popular in the American market, so it makes sense for us to target those machines,” Jacobson says. “Each one of the crushers still has a good place in certain applications. This is a very versatile machine that has some benefits versus HP-style machines and some benefits against the GP-style machines.”

According to Jacobson, Metso received a positive reaction from customers to the Metso MX introduction at ConExpo-Con/Agg.

“It’s been very positive, especially from the people who really know crushers,” he says. “They can understand how we evolved this design – the good parts we incorporated from the HP as opposed to the Hydrocones. They see we’re trying to get the best of all of the cones.”