MINExpo 2021 Bringing Mining Industry Together Once Again

At MINExpo 2016, Komatsu unveiled its “Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle” which has no operator cab as it was developed exclusively to be unmanned.

S. JENSEN

MINExpo 2021

Bringing Mining Industry Together Once Again

New equipment, components and technology for the mining industry will be debuted at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL.

by Sara Jensen

MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2021 is set to take place September 13-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This quadrennial event brings the global mining industry together to highlight the latest technologies and trends. Every segment of the mining industry is covered—including exploration, mine development, open pit and underground mining, safety and more.

The 2021 event is expected to fill 11 halls of the convention center with a variety of mining equipment and technologies. According to show organizers, the event will cover over 675,000 sq. ft. (62,709.6 sq. m) of exhibition space. More than 1,200 suppliers will be on hand to demonstrate their recent technologies and products.

MINExpo is sponsored by the National Mining Association (NMA), and will bring together educational sessions with the entire spectrum of advanced equipment, technologies, products, and services.

Products on display during the event will include: • Mining equipment • Safety equipment • Engineering, construction and mining services • Drilling equipment • Materials handling • Processing/preparation • Components & replacement parts • Electrical equipment & supplies • Power & power transmission.

Caterpillar Launching New Technology and Equipment

Central Hall Booth #6229

Themed “Together, we’re mining better,” Caterpillar’s MINExpo 2021 experience celebrates the company’s partnership with mines and the ways it assists customers to mine more efficiently, effectively, safely and sustainably. The 5,124-m2 (55,000-ft.2) exhibit will feature a broad range of product displays, new equipment introductions, previews of what the future holds and remote operating stations.

The exhibit will be grouped under three specific core areas: environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) and sustainability; technology and automation; and equipment lifecycle management solutions.

“After waiting an extra year, the mining industry is ready to reconnect at MINExpo. We are excited to show our customers and the industry advancements Caterpillar has made not only in equipment, technology and services but also in how we are helping customers mine more sustainably,” comments Caterpillar Resource Industries Group President Denise Johnson. “While we are eager to exhibit in Las Vegas, we recognize that many of our dealers and customers will not be able to travel to the show. Therefore, we are also creating a digital Caterpillar experience at cat.com/mining, where we will place MINExpo specific content.”

Caterpillar intends to introduce several new pieces of equipment during the show, including the new Cat R1700 XE LHD featuring 100% battery-electric propulsion. The machine offers a 15-tonne (16.5-ton) payload, 24,190-kg (53,330-lb.) lift and tilt breakout force, and 18 km/h (11.2 mph) top speed.

In addition to the electric powered LHD, Caterpillar will introduce a portable charger to eliminate the need for battery swapping common with electric mining equipment. The Cat MEC500 Mobile Equipment Charger can provide a full charge for the R1700 XE in 20 minutes, helping to reduce downtime for mining operations.

The new Cat D11 XE dozer will also be unveiled at the show, which Caterpillar says is the world’s largest, most powerful and most efficient electric drive dozer with high drive. A new Cat D10 dozer will be exhibited alongside it which provides up to 4% less fuel consumption than the previous model.

Read the full press release at www.oemoffhighway.com/21509250.

At the Show

Visit the OEM Off-Highway team at Booth #26242 in South Hall

Caterpillar will exhibit a Cat 794 AC electric drive truck factory-installed with Cat MineStar Command for hauling.

CATERPILLAR INC.

CATERPILLAR INC.

The new Cat D10 dozer offers up to 4% less fuel consumption than the previous model.

DORAN

The Doran SmartLink One-Click TPMS tablet can be used by technicians to wirelessly capture digital tire data.

Doran Displaying Latest Tire Monitoring Solutions for OffRoad Equipment

South Hall Booth #27633

Doran will display its most recent innovations in tire monitoring systems technology for the off-the-road (OTR) market during MINExpo 2021.

“Doran offers multiple tire monitoring systems solutions for off-the-road equipment of all shapes and sizes,” stated Lee Demis, Vice President of Business Development for Doran Manufacturing. “We have designed and built world class technology around our patented OTR pressure and temperature sensor to provide customized and value-added solutions for OEMs, dealers/distributors and mine operators around the globe.”

Depending on customer requirements, Doran offers TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems) solutions that range from basic, stand-alone systems, to customized, fully-integrated J1939 CANbus technology for equipment OEMs and third party telematics providers.

Doran TPMS provides real-time, accurate tire pressure and temperature data, including critical low pressure and high temperature alarm notification. Patented Doran OTR tire pressure/ temperature sensor technology is designed to function properly when liquids and chemicals are present inside the tire.

Read the full press release at www.oemoffhighway.com/21545080.

Petro-Canada Showcasing Mining Fluids and Greases

North Hall Booth #123

HollyFrontier Lubricants & Specialties will be exhibiting its range of Petro-Canada Lubricants fluids and greases at MINExpo 2021.

The company’s complete line of products for the mining industry, including Petro-Canada Lubricants DURON heavy-duty engine oils, HYDREX hydraulic fluids and PRODURO transmission drivetrain oils will be exhibited at the event. Delivering superior protection to help make mining operations more efficient, Petro-Canada Lubricants products reduce unplanned downtime and improve equipment reliability.

Among the other products on display will be an automatic lubricator as well as the company’s PEERLESS 3 Moly 322 which is formulated for the protection of low speed, severe heavy-duty applications where high temperatures and heavy loads are common.

Read the full press release at www.oemoffhighway.com/21545241.

PETRO-CANADA LUBRICANTS

The GREASE-N-GO automatic lubricator provides consistent protection for equipment by delivering the right amount of lubricant at the right time.

WIKA Introduces New OEM Pressure Sensor for Off-Road Machinery

South Hall Booth #27712

WIKA has introduced the MH-4 pressure sensor for OEMs in the off-road equipment industry. It has been tailored to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of applications in extreme conditions.

The MH-4 measures continuously with an accuracy of up to ≤ ±1.0% FS. Tests on the electronics returned a load cycle stability of 100 million cycles and a long-term drift of ≤ ±0.1% FS over the entire life cycle. The sensor withstands pressure spikes in hydraulic systems with up to three times overload safety, vibrations up to 40 g and mechanical shocks of up to 100 g. Furthermore, it is designed to withstand rapid temperature changes between -40 and 125 C (-40-257 F) and electrical field strengths of up to 100V/m.

Read the full product description at www.oemoffhighway.com/21545078.

The MH-4 measures continuously with an accuracy of up to ≤±1.0% FS.

The EARTHMAX SR 468 is the largest BKT has produced to date, and is designed for rigid dump trucks.

BKT

BKT Produces its Largest Tire for Rigid Dump Trucks

Central Hall Booth #4457

BKT has developed its largest tire to date, the EARTHMAX SR 468. The tire is designed to fit out rigid dump trucks. A prototype of the tire was produced in November 2020 in size 40.00 R 57, and is undergoing testing worldwide with BKT engineers.

The 57 in. (144.8 cm) tire is one of several radial tires in the EARTHMAX range which features an all-steel structure for improved durability in harsh operating conditions. The tire’s casing design also protects it from damage. A feature of the EARTHMAX SR 468 is the special tread design and the compound, created to limit heat generation. The E-4 depth of the tread provides extreme resistance in highly challenging conditions, as well.

“A giant product has been created which will now be subject to the most rigorous testing... until we are sure we have achieved the highest possible level of quality and reliability, as always. Only when we are absolutely sure we can offer our users the best EARTHMAX SR 468 possible, will we officially launch the new 57 in. giant,“ said Dilip Vaidya, President and Director of Technology at BKT. |

Read the full press release at www.oemoffhighway.com/21201002.

Head to the Web

S. JENSEN Find more MINExpo related news and product launches, as well as mining industry news on our dedicated MINExpo channel at www.oemoffhighway. com/minexpo-2021.

Some of the best views of MINExpo come from climbing up onto the equipment.

AD INDEX

Advertiser Page #

BKT USA, Inc........................................................ 17 Briggs & Stratton................................................... 2 Danfoss ..............................................................2-3 Eberspacher Climate Control Systems.................... 9 ENM Company..................................................... 27 HYDAC................................................................. 36 MINExpo................................................................ 7 Omni Powertrain................................................. 23 Webasto Thermo & Comfort North America, Inc. ............................................. 13

LeTourneau sold the Mountain Mover to an Eph Hahn in 1926. Here it is, sporting modifications made by the Hahns, including solid steel front wheels in place of the original spoked wheels and lowering the framework above the scoop to make it easier to transport.

The Mountain Mover

R. G. LeTourneau’s development of a scraper with two bowls, one moving back and forth within the other in a telescoping motion, increased earthmoving capacity.

by Thomas Berry, Archivist, Historical Construction Equipment Association

As was noted in the previous issue, R. G. LeTourneau was not a man to rest on his laurels. Rather, one innovation led to another and another throughout his prolific career as an inventor.

The previous issue discussed his initial breakthroughs in the design of tractor-drawn scrapers (learn more, 21508912). Shortly after developing the improved Gondola version in 1922, he set to work again to address additional limitations in his existing concepts.

The Gondola—for its efficiencies of a floor to carry much of the weight of the load and welded construction to reduce dead weight and increase capacity—had a problem in the basic design of its “scoop.” Its ability to pick up a load depended on the nature and movement of the material entering the scoop and the pulling power of the tractor. When empty, loading was fairly easy if the material allowed it to be. But as the scoop filled, loading became more difficult because the material tended to rotate clockwise with new material being forced up the front of the load. Loading stopped when the resistance of these dynamics in the scoop overcame the tractor’s tractive effort, resulting in a stall if the tractor operator did not stop loading soon enough.

Even in the early 1920s, LeTourneau’s principle that the basic limitation of earthmoving was never the size of the project but rather the equipment being too small was apparently at work. He wanted a scraper of substantially higher capacity, but recognized there was only one practical way to do it. A scraper that was longer would face the same problem of physics in the scoop; a wider scraper would be cumbersome and excessively heavy due to necessary bracing; and a more powerful tractor would needlessly add to the contractor’s cost of ownership and operation.

His solution was a scraper with two bowls, one moving back and forth within the other in a telescoping motion. The welded design he was already using made this possible, as riveting would have made for too much bulk. The telescoping motion allowed for the smaller, inner scoop to be loaded first, and then it was drawn back and the outer scoop was loaded with the payload in the inner scoop serving as a back wall. It unloaded in the same fashion, with the inner bowl being returned to loading position.

LeTourneau built this scraper, which he called the Mountain Mover, in the summer of 1922. Its total capacity was a massive, for the time, 12 cu. yd. (324 cu. ft.). He filed a patent application for it that September, and patent 1470853 was awarded the next October. Only one Mountain Mover was built, and it is now on display as an American Society of Mechanical Engineers Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark on the campus of LeTourneau University in Longview, TX.

LeTourneau continued using the telescoping bowl concept for many of his subsequent scrapers, including some of his gigantic electric-drive machines of the 1960s.|

The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the construction, dredging and surface mining equipment industries. With over 3,800 members in over a dozen countries, activities include publication of a quarterly educational magazine, Equipment Echoes, from which this article is adapted; operation of National Construction Equipment Museum and archives in Bowling Green, OH; and hosting an annual working exhibition of restored construction equipment. The 2022 show will be September 16-18 in Bowling Green, OH. Annual individual memberships are $35.00 US within the USA and Canada, and $55.00 US elsewhere. HCEA seeks to develop relationships in the equipment manufacturing industry, and we offer a college scholarship for engineering and construction management students. Information is available at www.hcea.net, by calling 419-352-5616 or e-mailing info@hcea.net. Please reference Dept. OEM.