Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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78 E&MJ; • JULY 2017 www.e-mj.com SUPPLIERS REPORT ness of 3% R 0.090 mm. The mill de- sign allows coal to be ground with a feed moisture of up to 15% and pet coke with a moisture of as much as 8%. The plant will start operation in the first quarter of 2018. Platform Speeds EO Data Analysis 3DEO adopted FD's Kx platform to pro- vide rapid analysis of Earth observation (EO) data from satellites, aerial platforms and aerial drones. 3DEO collects and organizes imagery data, and provides an immersive way to visualize 3-D satellite images using virtual reality, augmented reality and proximity techniques. The agreement is advantageous to 3DEO, the company reported, due to Kx's potential to increase the volume and velocity of data processed. The company reported it will leverage and develop Kx's ability to work with complementary technologies, such as the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library suite. Service Center in Wyoming for Dozers, Excavators Opens Intertractor America Corp. opened a new 6,000-ft 2 service center in Gillette, Wyo- ming. It will provide a centralized location for customers in North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, eastern Utah and north- ern Colorado in need of undercarriage service for excavators, dozers and other tracked machines. As a supplier of OEM and aftermarket undercarriage components, the company can repair Caterpillar and Komatsu pro- ducts, in addition to its own ITM brand. Undercarriage condition can be ap- praised using ITM's web-based Track Advise ultrasonic measuring system, which generates reports derived from in- spection measurements, visual observa- tions and photographs. Center for Methane Capture Opens The Central Mining Institute in Katowice, Polish Oil and Gas Co. (PGNiG) opened the International Center of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane in Katowice. The cen- ter will participate in the development of new technologies for and methods of cap- turing and utilizing methane as a valu- able energy source. New solutions are to increase mining efficiency and safety of the miners as well as to reduce methane emissions and the carbon footprint of the coal mining sector. Pipe Fittings Company to Offer Fire Protection Anvil International acquired AFCON. An- vil manufactures pipe fittings, pipe hang- ers and piping support systems. AFCON provides fire protection pipe hangers and seismic bracing products. Anvil's min- ing line offers a broad range of products that protect against pipe deflection and movement, including Gruvlok couplings and fittings, tools, hangers, Anvil-Strut, IPC coatings, supports and lubricants, the company reported. Specialized appli- cation-specific butterfly, ball and check valves are available. Bearings Test Center Opens SKF opened its $45 million Sven Wing- quist Test Center in Schweinfurt, Ger- many. The center is the first in the world that is able to test large-size bearings under actual operating conditions, the company reported. The center has two testing rigs, one of which will be used for testing bearings used in mining. Combined with SKF's continued development of diagnostics, condition monitoring and simulation methods, the rig will contribute to re- duced testing and product development lead-times and provide deeper insights into bearing performance. Coupling Maker Acquired The Timken Co. acquired Torsion Control Products. Timken provides bearings and mechanical power transmission products. Torsion Control Products manufactures engineered torsional couplings. It sells a line of spring couplings, torque limiters, and torque converter clutches specifically for Tier III and Tier IV engine configura- tions, the company reported. 4 Partners to Digitize Industry in Bavaria Siemens partnered with three others on Bavaria's Road to Digital Production (R2D), which is aimed at developing improved technologies, interfaces and infrastructures for the implementation of digital industrial production. R2D aims to demonstrate that digitalization will not only increase efficiency but also pave the way for optimum quality assur- ance, Siemens reported. Since Septem- ber 2016, the group sought to digitally map and integrate the process landscape of industrial mass production down to the workshop level. The project is divided into sub- projects. The Fraunhofer IIS and the Fraunhofer SCS are working jointly with Siemens to develop a cyber-physical pro- duction system and the requisite smart Intertractor's new track service line in Wyoming has a large hydraulic-track chain press with service capability for mining-class dozer undercarriages.