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88 E&MJ; • SEPTEMBER 2017 www.e-mj.com PROCESSING SOLUTIONS Eric Jones, global service director of com- minution aftermarket for Weir Minerals, recently offered some useful guidelines and suggestions for ensuring top perfor- mance from crushers. Jones, noting that crushers operate at high power, force and capacity in or- der to produce the required material, explained that this puts a great deal of strain on the crusher and its wear parts, which operators must be aware of when carrying out maintenance. Fail- ure to do so may have a high impact, both in terms of fi nancial cost and potential loss of production. His suggestions cover: Following a Maintenance Plan Performing regular maintenance on crush- ers is integral to the reliability, perform- ance and output they achieve. Prevention is better than cure. By carrying out reg- ular inspections of a crusher, it will run for a longer period of time with minimal unscheduled downtime. The most important aspect is to have a maintenance plan in place and execute it. Following a maintenance plan and carrying out daily inspections can yield increased service life. This maintenance plan should adhere to the recommenda- tions of the manufacturer. The maintenance plan may differ slightly, depending upon the machine, but most follow an initial 40-hour schedule post commissioning, followed by regular 250-hour inspection/maintenance inter- vals throughout the annual cycle. Within these intervals, there are prescribed tasks one will need to carry out. These include: • Checking the air fi lter to ensure the crusher is vented properly and that un- wanted contaminates are not entering the breather. • Checking the strainer basket on a cone crusher ensuring that there are no signs of excessive wear or damage to internal components. • Greasing bearings if required to ensure proper lubrication and cooling of those bearings. Consequences of Inadequate Maintenance If operators do not follow a maintenance plan and carry out daily inspections, it can have detrimental effects on the crusher. When it comes to insuffi cient main- tenance inspections, the most common problems Weir encounters are premature bearing failures. For example, operators failing to notice that a breather has been knocked off, which fi lls the oil chamber with dust or debris; overlooking the grease line that has ruptured causing the bearing to no longer receive the required lubrica- tion; or not checking the oil levels and having a bearing fail due to the lack of oil. These are all common problems that can be avoided if a full maintenance plan is put in place and adhered to. Extending the Life of Crusher Wear Parts While wear replacement is a necessary feature of any crushing operation, there are steps one can take to extend the ser- vice life of crusher wear parts. Always ensure the wear parts are fas- tened into the machine properly. With jaw crushers, if an operator allows the jaw dies to move during operation they can cause damage to the frame of the jaw crusher. Similarly, loose liners in cone crushers may damage the head or bowl. Operators should frequently look for holes, cracks or fl at spots, which could potentially damage the machine long term or be an indication of another issue. Track tonnages. As cone crusher lin- ers wear, the operator threads the bowl inwards, bringing the bowl liner clos- er to the head, which reduces the feed opening. The reduced feed opening may decrease crusher throughput at a cost. Once that cost is greater than the price Skimping on Crusher Maintenance Costs More in the Long Run Prevention is better than cure: Failing to inspect and attend to damaged parts can increase stress on the entire crusher, which can lead to expensive failures.