Quarries play a vital role in Australia’s extractive industry, facilitating the production of raw material – such as sand, rock, and gravel – for civil infrastructure and residential construction developments. In contrast to mining, the quarrying landscape comprises of mostly smaller scale sites1 which rely on fewer primary pieces of equipment to bear the load of high intensity output.
Because of this, if a critical part of a machine goes down it is essential that repair can be carried out quickly, as every second of downtime will likely be expensive. To answer this need, CRAM is offering expert repair and overhaul on exciter gearboxes typically used on vibratory screens.
With humble roots in the small NSW town of Unanderra, CRAM is now a globally recognised specialist in fluid power, electro-hydraulics, and tailored engineering services. Their full-spectrum offering entails industry-leading refurbishment and repairs on key equipment across the resources, manufacturing and construction industries.
“Exciter boxes essentially sit up the top of a quarrying screen to make the whole thing shake, putting it out of balance so the material gets sifted through,” explains Michael Greelish – National Business Development Manager at Motion Australia.
“So usually what happens when the bearings or other components reach the end of their wear life, is they’ll take the box off and send it back to the screen manufacturer to get repaired. This is usually quite expensive for them, whereas CRAM now have the facilities to strip, inspect and report on these gearboxes with more efficient cost and timeframe parameters.”
According to Michael, CRAM has many years of experience catering to the mines and quarries sector, and an excellent track record of providing holistic solutions for customers. From fabrication and tube work right through to mechanical overhaul and hydraulic schematics, they work closely to Australian standards and are dedicated to troubleshooting complex projects.
“The great thing about the Mackay workshop is that it’s centrally located for so many coal mines and quarrying sites up in Queensland,” he continues. “So instead of having to send their units all the way back to Sydney or Melbourne, they can save on freight and get a much faster turnaround. This can be particularly important for instances where there is no spare gearbox on site, and the machine can’t operate during repair time.”
Tony Harmsworth, Branch Manager at Mackay, says that there are generally two reasons why an exciter may need attention – either it has experienced an abrupt failure, or it’s up on hours and in need of an overhaul.
“Nine times out of ten, if it’s a premature issue that’s occurred it will be to do with shortened bearing life or lack of lubrication,” explains.
“When it arrives at the workshop, we check all the journals first. Then we go over the condition of the gears and reclaim them back to spec or replace components like bearings and seals where needed. After that, the housing gets blasted, and we do a fresh coat of paint so by the end it’s as good as fresh out of the box.”
Both Michael and Tony agree that this initiative is only the latest benefit to come about from becoming part of the Motion Australia network.
“Because we liaise with the teams across other branches like CBC, Seal Innovations and Hardy Spicer, our customers really benefit form a true one-stop-shop for broad categories of servicing types,” says Tony. “We’re all about creating long lasting relationships, and a strong sense of trust in our commitment to deliver high quality support,” he resolves.
References:
- https://nationalindustryinsights.aisc.net.au/industries/mining-drilling-and-civil-infrastructure/extractive-industries-quarrying
