INSIDE WELD AUSTRALIA
WELDING FUNDAMENTALS TRAINING COURSE DELIVERS TANGIBLE BENEFITS Weld Australia recently facilitated a two day Welding Fundamentals course for Schenck Process Australia, a leading manufacturer of mineral processing and bulk material handling equipment. The training was conducted at the company’s Sydney based head office in North Ryde and was attended by 18 engineers from Sydney and Newcastle. Schenck Process is a global leader in applied measuring and process technologies. The company makes processes work in all areas of industry throughout the world with a focus on improving the reliability, efficiency and accuracy of its customers’ processes. With over 50 years of experience in the Australian mineral processing industry, Schenck Process Australia combines outstanding equipment with its process know-how to deliver innovative solutions for weighing, feeding, loading and screening applications. At the heart of it’s ablilty to deliver on customer expectations, is the company’s engineering capability. In Australia, Schenck Process employs over 100 professional engineers that are located in Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Perth.
According to the company’s Design Office Manager, Dean Tiplady, ensuring that its engineers are at the forefront of technology represents a competitive advantage for the company, and so investing in the professional development of its engineering team is a key focus area. “We design and build some of the most advanced vibrating screens, feeders and train loaders in the world which are relied on by many leading mining companies. These machines are deployed in some of the harshest operating environments on the planet, so must be designed and built to last,” said Dean. Rectification of equipment failures in the field is often difficult and expensive, however repair costs are paled into insignificance by the revenue losses sustained by mining companies due to unscheduled
production downtime. For this reason, the integrity of the company’s equipment, which depends on the quality of its engineering and manufacturing practices, is vital. “High quality welding is a critical element that contributes to the strength and fatigue resistance that influences the performance and life of our equipment. As we increase the outsouring of our component parts, the opportunities for our designers to walk into a workshop and consult with a professional welder are greatly diminished,” said Dean. Dean says that the Welding Fundamentals course from Weld Australia bridges this gap by providing practical knowledge and hands on welding experience using a welding simulator. The course content included standard
Photo: Schenck Process’ Australian engineering team designs some of the most advanced vibrating screens in the world which are built at the company’s state-of-the-art production facility in Western Australia. Last year First Quantum Minerals Limited commissioned the company to produce three of the largest banana scalping screens ever to be built. These 85 tonne giants were recently shipped to FQML’s Cobre Panama mine site where they will help the company to increase the mine’s production from 85100mtpa.
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Australian Welding
