Abstract
At nearly every mine site, shovels are a key piece of equipment. In turn, the productivity of a mine is heavily dependent on the shovel fleets’ availability since that can determine how much ore can be loaded on to the haul trucks thereby impacting how much ore can be processed. Any unplanned failure/shutdowns of a shovel can result in higher repair costs, increase in downtime, and increased indirect cost.
The proper maintenance of shovels is vital and can help prevent unplanned downtime and other issues. While there are multiple causes for downtime, the lubrication system can often be an area that is often overlooked. Having a good lubrication strategy can help improve shovel uptime and reduced unplanned downtime. This can include choosing the right lubricants, applying these lubricants properly, monitoring their performance, and managing the centralized lubrication systems properly.
Being some of the most important equipment on site, creating the proper plan in optimizing shovel productivity, uptime and compliance can directly impact today’s mining practices. We understand the many challenges shovel operators face, so understanding the common causes for shovel downtime is crucial to preventing these problems and optimizing uptime.
More specifically, open gears/sliding surfaces in this critical mining equipment can be especially challenging for operators to protect due to their exposure to extreme temperatures, rain, snow, contaminants, and other corrosive materials. Protecting your open gear equipment from these challenges can range from choosing the right lubricants to managing the centralized lubrication systems properly and are vital to the success of the machinery.
It’s important that operators understand these open-gear systems and are prepared to manage them properly, prevent downtime, and handle any issues that can arise. It takes informed diligence to keep the equipment running without issues, but it is the best way to spend responsibly and reduce and prevent expensive downtime. While there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ plan for the proper maintenance of these machines and their lubrication systems, this presentation will equip operators and maintenance managers with the knowledge and strategies to best ensure success.