Brokk introduces pedestal boom at MINExpo 2021

Brokk’s pedestal boom was on display at MINExpo International 2021. Photo: P&Q Staff

Brokk unveiled the company’s new pedestal boom – a compact, stationary breaker boom system – at MINExpo International 2021.

While the announcement marks the first time Brokk has offered the equipment as part of its catalog, Jeff Keeling, North American sales and marketing manager, says the company is familiar with making the equipment.

“This is a new machine as far as the pedestal mount, but it’s not a new machine,” Keeling says. “We’ve had people ask us to make them for 20 years. We’ve been doing that but we finally decided, we get enough calls for it [that] we need to have a complete arsenal of products.”

Lars Lindgren, president of Brokk, says that because of that demand over the years, he decided now was the time to begin offering the equipment with the pedestal mount.

“We’re always looking for new markets to get in,” Lindgren says. “We always had this product but we never really marketed it. We figured it was about time to put it into the market. We think we have something that is unique and better than the competition.”

The pedestal boom offers a wide range of motion and pairs Brokk’s three-part arm system with 360-degree slewing for versatility in underground applications, the company says. It also can be used for primary breaking tasks that feed mobile crushers, jaw crushers, gyratory crushers and grizzlies.

The unit can be operated with either a tethered remote or from a control room. Depending on network configurations, Brokk says the pedestal boom can be operated from more than 6,500 feet away. To aid in this, Keeling says the company also offers a multi-camera and monitor system to increase safety and efficiency.

“If you’ve got a catwalk around an area, you can go wherever you want and operate the machine, instead of being stuck in the same spot,” Keeling says. “Let’s say you needed to be inside of a house, you can set up cameras and all the controls are on a box.

Brokk introduced its pedestal boom, a compact stationary breaker boom solution for the mining and aggregates industry. Photo: Brokk

“We developed this [technology] for the nuclear industry we’re in because no one wants to be inside where all the radiation is,” he adds. “We just converted it over so you can use it in a quarry situation as well. In a pit and quarry setting, if you had a guy sitting up in a guardhouse and somebody can radio up and say: ‘We’ve got some oversize.’ He could flip this on and operate it from up there and not have to have anybody in the pit.”

The pedestal boom body is mounted on a pedestal rather than tracks, which allows the machine to be installed in a stationary position next to a crusher or any areas where primary breaking is needed. It also integrates the power source and arm for a compact breaking solution with a single power cable. No external power pack or hydraulic hose connection is needed.

“Brokk saw an opportunity to give our customers a better solution for breaking oversize rock in crushing and grizzly applications,” says Martin Krupicka, president and CEO of Brokk Group. “We’ve developed technology that is powerful, compact, flexible and easy to install. We are leveraging our 45 years of experience and proven technology platforms to create a smart, safe and user-friendly solution.”

Model sizes for the range include the Brokk 200, 300, 500 and 900 pedestal boom, which is capable of producing 3050 J/Nm at a rate of 330-680 blows per minute with the BHB 1500 breaker, the company says.

Both Keeling and Krupicka take pride in the added safety element that the remote operation and compact size of the pedestal boom offers.

“Worker safety is a major focus for many companies and Brokk actively searches for ways to make every aspect of our customers’ processes safer,” Krupicka says. “Over the years, our demolition robots have helped mechanize a number of high-risk, heavy labor tasks such as scaling, drilling and secondary breaking. The pedestal boom range addresses one more challenge, enabling customers to efficiently complete work without any health and safety risks.”