Maamba Collieries receives mining equipment
MAAMBA Collieries Limited has received state-of-the-art mining equipment from Wirtgen Group Southern Africa, becoming the first Zambian mining company to own such equipment.
The 220 SM 3.8 surface miner is a completely new unit designed from the ground up, replacing its predecessor model, the 2200 SM.
With a 3.8 m drum, the machine has been optimised for the mining of soft rock to ensure maximum productivity at minimum operating costs.
According to Waylon Kukard, sales manager at Wirtgen Group Southern Africa, the machine is designed to utilise the windrowing method which enables mined material to be deposited behind the machine in a continuous process.
He said such technology allowed the ore to be extracted in a single, environmentally sustainable way with no need for drilling and blasting thereby yielding material of high quality.
“Readily accessible points for maintenance and servicing, walk-in engine compartment, plain text displays on the control screen enabling quick, effective troubleshooting, easy cleaning of the cooling system and a removable hydraulic tank for cleaning purposes, all contribute to maximising utilisation of the machine, thus ensuring maximum productivity,” he explained in a statement. “The stable, precise and level surfaces produced in mining, earthworks and rock operations are suitable for immediate use as pavements, slopes or tunnel floors. In a nutshell, Wirtgen surface miner technology reduces four operating steps into one. It also reduces exhaust, noise and vibration emissions, while achieving high degrees of purity.”
With an operating weight of 58 tonnes, the Wirtgen 220SM3.8 surface miner is driven by a Cummins diesel engine with an output of 708 KW.
At the same time, the diesel tank with a capacity of 2,300 litres makes it possible to operate the machine around the clock with only one stop to refuel per day, resulting in greater productivity.
A cooling system with a demand-driven fan speed also helps to reduce fuel consumption and at the same time reduces noise emissions.
