Dr. Heinz-Peter Ehren, KUMERA Getriebe GmbH, Germany, describes how a customised gearbox solution can increase reliability and reduce energy costs.
P
owerful conveyors and their drive systems have a key role in surface mining. In ore mines, conveyor belts up to several kilometres long transport ore for further processing or transportation and reduce labour burden. The operational safety and reliability of the systems is of great importance since delays or shutdowns due to damage can cause immense downtime costs. Environmental hazards such as extreme weather conditions and fluctuations, dust and dirt pollution, and falling rocks must also be considered for operational safety. Systems are often installed in impassable locations so low-maintenance concepts are required. In the event of
service or damage, the downtime should be as short as possible. Another high priority is the greatest possible ecological sustainability of raw material extraction. This is not only achieved through the high operational reliability and long service life of the systems, but also through the energyefficient operation of the individual drives. As a manufacturer of high-performance drives for conveyor systems, KUMERA is aware of its responsibility and strives to implement this in the best possible way in the development and manufacture of high-performance gear units for customer and applicationspecific operations.
Figure 1. KUMERA powered overland conveyor in operation in Chile.
AUTUMN 2021 . DRY BULK . 23
