6 minute read
Bonfiglioli: Engineering dreams
ENGINEERING DREAMS www.bonfiglioli.com
Tell us about Bonfiglioli
Advertisement
Bonfiglioli operates in electromechanical power transmissions and electronic power control, more specifically in gearboxes, gearmotors and AC drives, through which we serve a very wide spectrum of applications and sectors in stationary and mobile machinery. The company was founded in 1956 and, after constant and mostly organic growth, has achieved a turnover of over US$1.1bn, with nearly 4,000 employees placed all over the globe in branches and manufacturing plants. This direct structure is further supported by a network of more than 500 distributors worldwide.
What does Mining mean to Bonfiglioli?
Bonfiglioli has been active in the mining industry since the very beginning and thanks to various product developments and geographical expansions we have built a solid reputation in this sector over time. Bonfiglioli offers the largest range of planetary, parallel shaft helical and bevel helical drives to meet any customer need.
Our product range and its proven reliability are merely the foundations for a valuable relationship with our customers, which starts with a deep study of the application, works out customized solutions and finally offers full product lifetime services to keep plant productivity as high as possible.
What is Bonfiglioli’s product offering in mining applications?
We are very well aware that mines are, by nature, very tough environments, usually located in the harshest regions of the world, with sometimes extreme temperatures. Think of the hot summers in South America, which can easily reach 45°C, or the cold Siberian winters at -30°C; add to that a dusty environment, the sandstorms of the Middle East or the salty air of plants close to the sea. All this, as well as the conditions under which the machine is used, must be taken into account at the design stage. This is why, in Bonfiglioli, we have developed a dedicated product series for the heavy duty and mining sector.
More specifically, we develop solutions for the entire crushing process, such as crushers and apron feeders, or sedimentation, such as thickeners and flotation cells, filtering systems or material handling systems, such as conveyors, car dumpers or stacker reclaimers.
What is Bonfiglioli’s approach to the customer?
We work very closely with the OEM to design jointly the most suitable solution for our customer. Bonfiglioli pays particular attention to aftersales, granting the best possible support on service and spare parts, which helps the customer reduce machine downtime and increases profitability for the operating companies.
Thanks to our worldwide network of branches, distributors and service companies, we are able to support our customers all around the word with our technical support. The ability to assemble locally allows us to give continuity to the end user’s maintenance activities by providing spare parts and service in a very short time.
We really have a comprehensive approach to this sector: we have Key Accounting Teams directly dealing with multinational mining OEMs. Our local teams of application and service engineers can then follow up, offering 24/7 service to them or directly to the mine site when required.
3H SERIES
hdo SERIES
hDP SERIES
300M SERIES
Are Bonfiglioli units also driving key processes like flotation?
Correct. The flotation machine is one of the key aspects of the entire sedimentation system. Big tanks in series, containing mineral solution and reagents, separate the pure element from the mineral; a specifically designed long impeller stirs the mixture through a gearbox placed on top of the machine.
The process must not be contaminated and this can be guaranteed by the gearbox Drywell solution. The last output bearing, which is reinforced to withstand the high radial and axial loads of the moving impeller, is closed and sealed within a greased chamber which protects it and in turn prevents oil leaks, thus making the gearbox drip-proof.
A complex, compact piping system connected to the gearbox housing at strategic points ensures perfect lubrication of the bearings and gears, which are lubricated with oil free of impurities thanks to a double filter installed in the circuit and monitored by specific pressure and temperature sensors. All of this is managed by a mechanical pump driven by the gearbox itself, which ensures greater reliability than an electric solution.
For better mixing, pressurised air is fed into the tank through the impeller shaft.
A specifically designed connection allows the piping to be fixed at the top of the gearbox which, through a hollow shaft flanged to the impeller shaft, conveys the air to the base of the tank.
A complex system of seals, labyrinths and pressure sensors facilitates the pipe connection and prevents the entry of air into the gearbox, thus protecting all components affected by the flow under pressure from wear.
A fan, integrated in the motor flange, ensures cooling of the gearbox in all conditions. The entire product range can operate at an ambient temperature of 40°C up to an altitude of 4000m without the need for an external cooling system, making the solution simpler. This drastically reduces the risk of failure and the number maintenance hours.
What is the bond between Bonfiglioli and Barrick?
Barrick is certainly one of the most important end-user customers, although indirectly, that Bonfiglioli has in the mining sector. Every day, Bonfiglioli products, installed in the machines of our OEM partners, contribute to the success of their projects around the world. In particular, in the Pueblo Viejo project in the Dominican Republic, our 370 kW bevel-helical gear units - HDO 160 - will soon be installed in 600 cubic metre flotation cells more than 10 metres deep, as well as several apron feeders to complete the package.
Our products have played a major role in Barrick’s mining operations, not only in the Pueblo Viejo project. For example, the thickeners installed in Australia at the Barrick Cowal Gold mine feature our planetary gearboxes.
In which direction is the mining sector moving?
According to the World Economic Forum, 79% of mining companies are accelerating digitalization and the adoption of digital tools and processes. The main drivers for this are to extend the life of plant and machinery, and optimise productivity.
For several years, Bonfiglioli has developed IIOT solutions aimed at extending the life of gear units and reducing downtime to the very minimum required for normal maintenance.
Our sensorized units produce many interesting and useful data which, also thanks to the Bonfiglioli algorithm, provide critical pieces of information for mining companies, such as optimised maintenance intervals, residual lifetime monitoring, and the health status of the gear units, along with more conventional data like oil levels, speed, temperature, etc… In brief, it means having full control of a critical component like the gear units and managing the risk of production losses and O&M costs as well as possible.
Interview answered by:
Luca Tiozzo
Key Account & Sector Manager Mining
INTEGRATED COOLING FAN: “TUNNEL DRIVE”
AIR INTAKE
OPTIMIZED LUBRICATION SYSTEM
TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE SENSORS
DRYWELL
OUTPUT FLANGE
REINFORCED OUTPUT BEARINGS
