Technology is, hands down, the most rapidly developing field in all of human society. The sheer number of advancements and innovations that occur every year can be hard to keep up with. For industries that rely heavily on technology, this means a fast pace of evolution.

The mining industry is one such technologically-dependent field. Due to the rapid rate of advancement, it is not uncommon to see many mines using equipment that is outdated; this leads to reduced efficiency, increased wastage, and large amounts of money being spent on energy and maintenance.

Using updated equipment to handle common mining processes can optimise the whole system, increasing the mine's effectiveness and reducing costs.

High-Frequency Vibrational Screening

Mechanical screening is integral to a mine's operation. The mine acquires raw ore material, combined with large amounts of waste rock and sand. To separate out the valuable minerals from the waste, the whole pile needs to be screened.

High-frequency vibrating screens are at the cutting edge of mineral screening technology. The screens, which are controlled by an electromagnetic vibrator, operate in the range of 1500 – 7200 RPM.

High-frequency screens offer much higher efficiency than regular vibrating screens. This is due to the way particles behave at high RPMs; the high frequency breaks down the surface tension between particles, making it harder for small particles to stick together. This means that the waste is separated from the desired minerals with very little error.

Vibrating Feeders

A good feeder is crucial to a mine's production; material must be fed (into screens, grinders, or sluice boxes) at a specific pace, adjusting for the coarseness of the material and the capacity of the receiving equipment.

Vibratory feeders are extremely economical, as the spring system that facilitates the vibration is continually storing and releasing energy, greatly reducing the amount of external energy that needs to be input into the system to keep it functioning.

Vibratory feeders are also durable, low maintenance, and can handle a wide range of materials, from coal to ore to aggregate.

Vibrating Grinding Mills

Again, vibrational technology shines, particularly for its spring system which allows it to store and release energy.

Vibrational grinding mills hold significant advantages over conventional ball and roller mills. Apart from the significant power economy, vibrating grinding mills have the ability to process materials which are, traditionally, very difficult to process.

Materials that are very sticky or flaky (for example, fine silicates) tend to be difficult to process (these are known as 'difficult-to-fluidise'). Vibrational mills provide superior particle separation, allowing even the most difficult materials to be processed into fine powders.

For more information, contact a business such as VSS - Vibration Systems & Solutions (Australia).