Plant setup: From the ground, up
October 13, 2008 By: Carl Emigh Pit & QuarryYou will probably not have any trouble finding a manufacturer capable of engineering and building your new aggregates plant -- and doing a pretty good job of it, too. But will you get exactly what you need in order to provide your customers with the precise spec materials they want? And can you do it as efficiently as needed to be profitable in an increasingly competitive market?
Also, will your new system be capable of handling the increased production requirements in the future without being overkill in the present? Knowing what’s needed may be obvious enough. Getting it done is another matter. Here are a few scenarios:
1. You tell the supplier what you want to accomplish. They design and build the system, including specifying the equipment they manufacture or that they handle as a dealer. This equipment may not be the best for the application, and it may not have the features you desire. It appears to be an integrated system, but it is off-the-shelf type of equipment.
2. You basically design the system and specify the equipment. The supplier engineers and builds it. You make all the decisions on your own and hope the manufacturer understands the way you want things built.
3. You know what you want to accomplish, have a general idea about how to do it, and have some favorite components in mind. You find a supplier who listens to your ideas, develops a flow plan that you agree with, and makes suggestions -- if needed -- on how to improve it. You discuss the planned facility in detail with the supplier, look at their layout of equipment, agree on the final plan, and then they engineer and build the facility just the way you want it.
Scenario number three is obviously the ideal situation. You’ll need a supplier who can engineer and manufacture integral parts of the system, using whatever brands and combinations of equipment that are best suited.
Experienced engineers should research available equipment, processes, recent developments and innovations related to the customer’s project. Your supplier should do material analysis, product specification tests and system capacity checks. Process flow charts should be created to show how the system will work, including all components and their production capacities. Costs should be itemized and options spelled out to show costs versus benefits.
Your supplier should have extensive experience in custom-engineering precision structures for all or part of virtually any quarry application. Accuracy should be such that field assembly normally can be accomplished without the use of a cutting torch and welder.
CAD-CAM should be used for the design/build and detailing of each system. Plates and wear liners should be cut (such as with a computer-controlled plasma burner) to assure perfect fit. Beams and structural shapes should be cut (such as with a modern, high-speed saw) for accuracy and squareness. The system should include extra-heavy-duty structural members and oversized conveyors and drives to provide longer wear life and to handle production increases.
Shop fabrication should be monitored for consistent weld quality, and most structures should be shop-assembled for proper fit. Wear liners and rock boxes should be strategically placed to minimize maintenance and wear costs. Large access doors, roll-away chute designs and convenient access platforms will help minimize maintenance.
Field technicians should be available for assistance during assembly and startup. Operation and maintenance manuals should be written for each system, and your supplier should be able to provide training for production and service personnel.
Grasan, www.grasan.com
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