A high-pressure grinding roll crusher that was unveiled globally in 2018, is now available in Southern Africa from Pilot Crushtec International.

The machine is primarily targeted for the manufactured sand market but can also be deployed in the mining sector as a pre-grinder to help improve mill efficiency.

The machine uses a method of inter-particle comminution by drawing in a bed of material between two rotating rollers. The rollers, one of which is in a fixed position and another one floating, generate an extremely high pressure, extruding the feed material down to the desired smaller grain sizes. 

“The HRC 8 is the ultimate solution to produce excellent quality sand that can substitute natural sand from natural deposits such as rivers. The quality of sand can be adjusted and optimised, thus reducing the amount of cement and asphalt required in concrete mixes or asphalt. The machine produces a gradation according to customer needs and delivers a perfect cubical shape for concrete and asphalt sands,” explains Metso HRC technology product manager Oldemar Meneses.

The machine is designed to convert quarry waste into sellable product and can reprocess non-sellable waste materials to correct the gradation curve and particle shape. This helps reduce costs and meets the manufactured sand market’s drive for sustainable operation.

The machine is also suited for pre-milling applications across commodities such as chrome, lithium, gold and copper, amongst others, says Pilot Crushtec sales and marketing director Francois Marais.

“In mining, chrome and lithium will be the perfect applications for the HRC 8. In these commodities, sizing material down to a minus 5 mm size has traditionally been done with impactors. While the capital cost of using impact crushers seems lower, it is outweighed by the extremely high wear costs, especially when processing highly abrasive ores,” says Marais.

The machine features increased throughput in a single pass, energy efficiency, reduced ultra fines and reduced operating costs, improved safety and ease of maintenance.

The flange design maximises the amount of material that is crushed by pulling the feed into the crushing zone. This prevents the material passing the rollers and increases efficiency and throughput. The patented arch-frame helps eliminate downtime caused by skewing.

The machine uses a combination of high pressure and a roller design to achieve a fine product with minimal energy input.

“By reducing energy consumption and increasing wear life of components, the HRC 8 helps lower operational costs. Its efficient grinding mechanism also reduces the need for secondary crushing, further cutting down operational expenses,” concludes Meneses.