Sandvik, Dyno Nobel host Quarry Academy

A conveyor belt moves material at Cemex’s Balcones Quarry in New Braunfels, Texas. Balcones Quarry is ranked as the largest crushed stone quarry in the United States according to the United States Geological Survey, producing 10-12 million tpy. Photo by Zach Mentz.

Quarry Academy, the annual seminar co-hosted by Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology and Dyno Nobel, wrapped up its 13th installment in San Antonio.

A total of 128 employees from 47 companies across the aggregate industry attended the three-day event at the Omni La Mansion del Rio hotel, situated on the San Antonio River Walk.

The educational seminar included lectures, workshops, simulator experiences and a visit to Cemex‘s Balcones Quarry, the largest crushed stone producer in the United States, according to the United States Geological Survey, at 10-12 million tpy.

Topics covered in lectures included quarry planning and metrics; chemical crushing; fragmentation management; the fundamentals of vibration control; load and haul cost improvement; safety behaviors; optimizing plant performance; screening and sizing; analytics and business intelligence; and the principles of mechanical crushing, among others.

As for the more intimate workshop sessions, the topics covered included drilling in depth; blasting 101; blasting in depth; crushing and screening best practices; putting the plant together; operator efficiency; tools and methods for process improvement; and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) applications for the quarry industry.

The visit to Balcones Quarry on the third and final day of the event included a tour of the 2,400-acre operation.