Consolidated Rock Services and New Generation Lokotracks Conquer Heart Break Ridge

Consolidated Rock Services Pty Ltd (CRS) is a diverse, privately owned Western Australian company which provides products and services to the Mining, Quarrying and Civil Construction sectors throughout Australia. Its operation at the Mt. Regal Quarry, just outside Karratha, consists of a massive, dense amphibolite deposit which has exceptional mechanical properties. It is due to the quality of the deposit that Mt. Regal has earned it nickname, “Heart Break Ridge”, thanks to the extremely hard nature of the rock there.

“The rock we crush on this site is extremely difficult to process so, when the time arrived to select a mobile crushing plant, we had to look for the best” says Operations Manager, Mr Kurt Maurtiz. “After considering and testing others, we chose the Metso Lokotracks due to their high reputation for quality and performance which, of course, translates into value for money and a superior return for the long term operation of our business,” he continued. “Crushing here is a challenge, but the quality of rock and high production rates allow CRS to fulfil the demands of the local region’s infrastructure and ongoing construction material needs.”

The new generation Lokotracks have been further upgraded from the proven design, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2005. Design enhancements include wider belts, Tier 3 engines, simple single button control, upgraded electrical and hydraulic systems and cooling for coping with the most extreme Australian conditions.

The Lokotrack LT110, consisting of a 34 X 44 single-toggle Nordberg C series jaw crusher, is fitted with an advanced split material feed rate, guaranteeing that scalping efficiency is not affected by changes in the rate of rock being fed into the jaw. Through features such as single button press jaw setting adjustment, one button start up and shut down control, a CAT engine and an extended discharge conveyor, the primary machine interfaces seamlessly with the secondary Metso tracked cone.

Given the hardness of the rock, the advantage of the C Series jaw crusher lies in its pinned and bolted non-welded design, made of special steel at Metso’s own foundry. Coupled with the high level of power available, this makes the C110 suitable for the hardest crushing applications, even at small settings.

The Nordberg LT300HP secondary cone, fitted with an optional grizzly feeder and bypass conveyor to increase capacity and provide processing capability, is interlocked at all times with the primary via the PLC system. This ensures optimal control of the entire crushing process in a manner typically associated with fixed plants. As a standard, the LT300HP comes fitted with a CAT C15 (394kW) engine and an extra heavy duty drive gearbox to ensure that maximum power is available to the high performance HP300 cone crusher at all times. Through a variable speed feed belt, material level control and push button adjustable cone speed, maximum performance can be achieved in any application.

Being located in the centre of one of Australia’s, if not the world’s, hot spots for Iron Ore and LNG mining and extraction zones, CRS is well positioned to reap the benefits of the mining boom. Given the quality of the Mt. Regal deposit and the flexibility of mobile crushing and screening equipment, the future looks bright indeed. Kurt Maurtiz explains:
“CRS can offer a wide range of services from drill and blast to final construction products, both from the quarry floor or directly onsite to ensure that miners and contractors alike complete their projects on time. We believe in the long term and, now that we are up and running, I am more convinced than ever that CRS made the right decision in choosing Metso Minerals and the Lokotrack brands.”

For more information please contact the Australian Dealer for Metso Minerals, Screenmasters Australia on (02) 6332 4722.