Skip to main content

Breaking at the face

Italian customer Marocca Group is using an Indeco HP18000 hydraulic breaker (the heaviest hydraulic breaker on the market at present) for primary demolition at a limestone quarry in Anagni, close to capital Rome. The 40ha quarry produces high grade limestone in 21 different sizes to meet an array of construction needs, and the bespoke fully automated crushing and screening plant is able to process over 500m³/hour of rock. By using the HP18000 in a primary winning application, Marocca Group has also been abl
July 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSItalian customer Marocca Group is using an 237 Indeco HP18000 hydraulic breaker (the heaviest hydraulic breaker on the market at present) for primary demolition at a limestone quarry in Anagni, close to capital Rome.

The 40ha quarry produces high grade limestone in 21 different sizes to meet an array of construction needs, and the bespoke fully automated crushing and screening plant is able to process over 500m³/hour of rock.

By using the HP18000 in a primary winning application, Marocca Group has also been able to significantly reduce operating costs by minimising its use of explosives, which are costly and subject to strict regulations. Many quarry operators are keen to cut their reliance on blasting: this has been particularly apparent in Italy, where regulations have long been much tougher than in other European countries.
Comparative research carried out on rock produced from quarries using breakers for primary winning against blasted stone shows other benefits from using hydraulic hammers. Where breakers are used, the stone produced features less micro-cracking and is said to offer high performance in civil engineering applications as it is less likely to feature crack propagation.

The Marocca Group has been using Indeco breakers in its quarries for five years and in addition to the huge HP18000 it also has an HP2500, an HP7500 and an HP12000. Maintenance for its Indeco breakers is provided by Fratelli Alpassi, while for scheduled maintenance and periodic overhaul, the Bari plant also provides servicing.

The HP18000 is being used on a 120tonne 233 Hitachi excavator fitted with a Lenhoff quick coupler. The breaker is mounted on the quick coupler as Marocca also uses a ripper and a bucket on the excavator when required.

According to Marocca, the HP18000 is able to carry out the work of two mid-sized breakers, and it can break up the hardest blocks of materials, enabling it to clean each seam faster, a critical procedure for safety and for restoring the site.
RSS

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Hitachi EX1900-6 increases productivity at Swinden, UK quarry
    January 26, 2017
    Materials supplier Tarmac has invested in a Hitachi EX1900-6 ultra-large excavator for its Swinden Quarry in North Yorkshire, England. The EX1900-6 is used to load up to 1,200 tonnes of carboniferous limestone per hour directly into a 200tonne mobile crusher. A field conveyor takes the material to a secondary crusher at an average rate of 1,000tonnes/hour. The Hitachi model was supplied with a longer boom and arm, and a smaller 8m³ bucket, customary on a machine of this size. “This is because it needs
  • Sila's Sandvik Thai success
    July 17, 2012
    The Sila Sanon limestone quarry in Thailand is playing a key role in providing high quality aggregates for the growing Thai construction industry.Recently the family-owned operation has invested in a full range of crushing and screening plant supplied by Sandvik Construction’s dealer in Thailand, the William Wong Group, and the quarry is now able to supply over 200,000tonnes of accurately sized materials on a monthly basis. The Sila Sanon Quarry in Saraburi Province, just over 100km north of the capital Ba
  • Colas buys Metso plant
    September 26, 2013
    Metso is supplying Colas with a complete crushing and screening plant for use at its Centre Ouest facility in France. This is a significant order and includes primary, secondary and tertiary equipment and the package also includes service maintenance contracts for inspection and extended guarantees. The aggregate produced in the quarry will mainly be used for road construction and this state-of-the-art crushing and screening system is said to offer substantial reductions in energy, production, transport
  • Cost effective road maintenance
    February 8, 2012
    Highway maintenance and repair is an easy target for cuts in highway budgets, but there are cost-effective measures that can be adopted as Patrick Smith reports. Road maintenance is an increasingly important industry that spans a worldwide market. Awareness of the need for a stable and sustainable international infrastructure, maintenance and creative rural road technologies are taking a stronger role as viable sources for a cost-effective means of preserving, developing and prolonging the life of roads wit