Automation Advances Productivity of Cone Crushers

If you’re thinking about investing in a new cone crusher you can expect a significant increase in productivity, even with less skilled operators. “With old-school cone crushers, it all came down to the experience of the operator,” said Wayne van Antwerpen, crusher technology product manager for Terex Materials Processing. “They can tell when the machine is not crushing effectively, even by the sound of the cone crushing. They read the dials, checked the product, and made necessary adjustments. Today automation does all that for the operator.” According to van Antwerpen, “Experienced operators will typically get the cone to crush at about 75 percent of peak performance, but when utilizing automation, the cone’s performance moves up to about 75-90 percent of peak.”

“Automation ensures the best possible performance,” said Vincent Celsi, vice president of crushers for Metso Outotec. In Metso’s MX cone crusher line, settings are automatically adjusted based on load conditions, which improves the utilization of wear parts as well as worker safety. Overloading of the crusher is prevented by controlling the setting, power and pressure.

Cone crushers typically work in a secondary, tertiary or quaternary crushing role, reducing the size and shape of rocks in the downstream of a crushing circuit. They reduce the material in a crushing cavity by continuous compression between a fixed element (bowl liner) and a moving element (mantle). An eccentric swinging movement produces a force strong enough to crush the rocks.

“The main advantage of cone crushers is the ability to process big tonnages at a very efficient operational cost,” said Vincent Celsi, vice president of crushers for Metso Outotec.

How to Select a Cone Crusher

When it comes to selecting the type of crusher, there aren’t any hard rules to follow. One consideration is how often you plan to move the crusher or use it in different applications. Floating bowl crushers, like the Terex TC cone, are easier to use because the liners don’t need to be changed every time you move it from a secondary to tertiary role.  Screw bowl cone crushers require changing the concave and mantle liners to suit the specific application, but when configured correctly are excellent for high tonnage operations in mining or quarrying or recycling.  Floating shaft (Spider Bearing) cone crushers have the ability to change the eccentric throw of the cone which gives it increased application versatility and productivity. 

Metso’s MX series crushers first introduced in 2017, combine a fixed shaft with a rotating bowl. According to Celsi, operators do not have to stop the feed for setting changes and liner changes can be completed quickly. In addition to lower operational costs and improved energy efficiency MX crushers offer selective crushing capability.

“The MX crusher liners last 20-25 percent longer, depending on the application,” said Pierrick Boulay, product manager for Metso MX crushers.

Van Antwerpen cautions buyers to look at the bigger picture when deciding on which cone crusher to invest in. “You can get back your initial expenditure quickly but how much is it going to cost to you to run over the long term?”  This requires calculating the cost of maintenance and replacement parts. “The biggest cost is always the wear parts and the crushers’ wear rates need to be considered on a cost/ton basis, but there are other factors too. For example, bronze bushing cones are more common than roller bearing cones, but on average roller bearings would last longer than bronze bushings in certain applications, sometimes up to three times longer,” said van Antwerpen. “But a set of roller bearings would be more expensive than a set of bronze bushings to replace.”

Celsi believes that it’s important for buyers to evaluate the ability of the manufacturer to deliver both service and parts. “I think buyers don’t just buy a machine, they look for trusted partners,” said Celsi.

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