‘Shock and Awe’ Arrives in Ceduna

GRA Gypsum located in Ceduna South Australia, took delivery last year of a LT1315S track mounted Metso impact crusher from Screenmasters Australia. Nicknamed ‘Shock and Awe’ due to its immense production capabilities, this unit is currently producing 500/600 tonnes an hour of 40mm minus Gypsum, working on average 16 hours a day.

“When Screenmasters approached us about the LT1315 we were very excited; says Alistair Kesh, production manager for GRA. “When they guaranteed the tonnages we were over the moon, the other proposals for mobile plant just had too many machines in the circuit to achieve the same tonnage that this one unit can. To place a fixed plant on site was going to cost millions of dollars more, and achieve no more tonnage, so it really was a no brainer. We are very happy the machine has lived up to all our expectations, we saved a great deal of money and we achieved our production, we couldn’t be happier.”

The LT1315S is a fully integrated primary, secondary crushing plant with a 16 X 5 double deck screen attached. It also comes standard with a ‘split feed hopper’ and as a result can produce 4 end products in one pass, or 3 products with the oversize re-circulating. “The split feeder is a godsend” says Alistair, “as it allows us to screen, accurately, all the minus 40mm in the feed product before it goes to the crusher. This saves on wear and increases productivity, at times it can produce 300 TPH, it screens better than a mobile screen.”

The hopper on the LT1315S is split in two; it has a feeder, with its own separate drive motors and a screen deck. The screen area is 30 square foot driven by 2 MV2 synchronized motors producing approximately 5g of force, this allows the operator to produce material even in the wettest of conditions, keep his productivity high, and continue to operate while his competitors can not.

The LT1315S is powered by a Cat C15 engine, and is controlled with an IC700 PLC. With a single button process start, it has its own built it trouble shooting program and gives the operator full control over the whole crushing process. It basically thinks for itself controlling the speed of the crusher, the feeder, and allows both to interact with each other for maximum productivity and minimum downtime. With over 1000 installations worldwide this PLC has given Metso the edge in crushing technology in recent years. Metso Crushers built to work not repair.

For more information contact Screenmasters Australia on (02) 6332 4722 or email info@screenmasters.com.au.