Skip to main content

Remote control crushing

Following a trial of Metso Minerals' Nordberg Plant Management System at Hanson Aggregates' Ystrad Meurig Quarry, UK, the software has now been installed on a further six mobile machines at Lithalun Quarry. Metso installed the remote control system on the Lokotrack LT300HP for Hanson last year to allow the company to test the advantages of the wireless communication capabilities. The system has now been extended to the LT110 primary crusher, another LT300HP and its two ST358 and ST620 mobile screens.
July 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSFollowing a trial of Metso Minerals' Nordberg Plant Management System at 2644 Hanson Aggregates' Ystrad Meurig Quarry, UK, the software has now been installed on a further six mobile machines at Lithalun Quarry.

Metso installed the remote control system on the Lokotrack LT300HP for Hanson last year to allow the company to test the advantages of the wireless communication capabilities. The system has now been extended to the LT110 primary crusher, another LT300HP and its two ST358 and ST620 mobile screens.

"We've seen how easy it is to get process information into our office computers," said Hanson unit manager Simon Swinford. "Just by logging into the Metso extranet I have access to all our machines. I can now view production tonnes, fuel consumption and effective crushing reports from all of the Metso machines in our quarry. It's a great help in monitoring how the machines are being used."

The LT110 and two LT300HP's also have the belt-way system for reporting production tonnage, and all of them are connected to the Metso PM reporting system. Tonnes per hour and cumulative tonnes are all now reported via the web interface.
The Nordberg Plant Management System collects data from the machines' control systems and transmits it wirelessly via GSM/GPRS. The heart of the system is the ACN C65 Metso data collection unit, a robust, industrial IP65-certified computer developed by Metso to operate in tough production environments. The reports produced can be opened on any computer connected to the Internet, usernames and passwords guarantee security of access for all registered users.

Hanson Aggregates' Lithalun Quarry also has a service agreement with Metso and the plant management system helps service personnel to monitor data such as the running hours completed by each machine. According to Paul Allen, Metso's field service manager, it allows contractual service obligations to be scheduled well in advance.

The Nordberg Plant Management System can be installed on most Lokotrack LT mobile crushing plants and ST mobile screens equipped with IC series automation control systems. Installation can be carried out on site.

RSS

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Going mobile in Mexico
    April 12, 2012
    Mexico-based Grupo Pinfra was one of the country's first aggregate producers to invest in mobile crushing and screening equipment. Twenty years on, the company is still confident that mobile equipment is key to meeting demand and has just expanded its fleet. In 1991, Pinfra took delivery of two Metso Minerals Lokotrack LT125 mobile crushers and these have now clocked up 30,000 working hours. Nonetheless, there is still plenty of life in these machines and while the newly acquired LT140 jaw crusher takes
  • 'Blinding success' at Welsh quarry
    February 14, 2012
    Wales is renowned for many things but dry weather is not one of them. A combination of being close to the Atlantic and having lots of mountains means that it rains a lot and this is bad news when fine screening limestone using conventional steel wire mesh, which tends to clog and blind over in damp weather.
  • Metso eyes electric Lokotrack range
    August 22, 2022
    In response to the growing demand for sustainable solutions, Metso Outotec is conducting a programme to develop a new, complete range of electrically driven track-mounted crushers and screens
  • Crushing and screening for producing and re-using
    July 23, 2012
    The recycling and minerals extraction markets now share technologies, Mike Woof reports Not surprisingly, the Steinexpo quarrying event in Germany was a key launch venue for new crushing and screening technologies, as well as associated quarrying technology. Crushing and screening equipment firms from a wide range of European countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK were present at the exhibition. However it was noticeable how closely the miner