Parisian parade

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As the construction equipment industry heads to Paris for Intermat 2009, ABE reports on the latest new quarry machines that will be launched at the show

Prospects of economic stimulus packages from governments around Europe mean that while general construction is in a slowdown, there are plans for major infrastructure investment. With this will come the demand for aggregates and the need for the latest technology in order to match this demand with large volumes of high quality material.

News of the latest machine launches planned for this year's 432 Intermat exhibition in Paris, France from 20 to 25 April suggest that there will plenty of quarrying innovation on display. Also new to this year's show is a dedicated quarrying pavilion, so there will be plenty of opportunities for quarry operators to find out about new techniques and equipment specially developed for the industry.

Drill and blast

Rock drilling tool specialist 459 Rockmore International has developed an innovative carbon insert design for its MultiPoint button bits. The company's carbon insert design features a dimpled surface and this is claimed to provide multiple striking points compared to the single tangent point of a conventional hemispherical insert design. The company has carried out extensive trials of the MultiPoint bits and reports that they last up to 20% longer than a standard hemispherical design, with penetration rates up by around 10%. The MultiPoint design is currently available in 12-19mm diameter carbide inserts, while Rockmore's down the hole and top hammer bits are available at 89-254mm diameter.

430 Indeco's HP18000 hydraulic hammer will be on display at Intermat. Tipping the scales at 11tonnes, the HP18000 is now the biggest breaker available on the market and is designed for use on carriers that weigh up to 140tonnes. Some 4.6m long and with a 250mm diameter tool, the HP18000 can deliver 460blows/minute. Although the HP18000 breaker represents a significant increase in scale over the firm's existing 7.8tonne HP12000 model, this larger unit shares similar design features such as the proven central greasing system, as this helps reduce wear and extend operating life. The rugged and durable case design for the HP18000 and its mounting system are also similar to that of the HP12000, although increased in scale.

Load and haul

Higher productivity and performance are claimed for the new 70 and 80tonne class excavators from 394 Case. The revised CX700B and the CX800B are said to offer the customer high output, combined with precise control and low engine exhaust emission levels. Power comes from the proven Isuzu AH-6WG1XYSS diesel, rated at 345kW in the CX800B and 397kW in the top-of-the-line CX800B. The sophisticated hydraulics feature twin hydraulic pumps controlled by an advanced electronic system that optimises speed, power and fuel consumption to suit the job in hand.

Multimode controls are fitted with a setting that allows speed priority when required and fast cycle times are claimed, along with high digging forces. The CX700B has an operating weight of 68.9tonnes while the CX800B weighs around 80.4tonnes, depending on specification.

With its largest wheeled loader to date, Chinese manufacturer 3130 Sichuan Chengdu Chenggong is aiming for the heart of the European quarrying market. The CG990H tips the scales at 31.5tonnes and comes with a 5m3 bucket. Powered by a Tier III 410 Cummins QSM11 engine, the loader has 250kW of power on hand to provide a maximum rated load of 9tonnes. The drive is transmitted through a ZF 1WG 310 transmission, offering ease of use and operator familiarity. The CE marked loader is equipped with pilot controlled hydraulics and an electrical monitoring system to ensure maximum uptime.

436 Komatsu's new HM250-2 articulated dump truck (ADT) was introduced to the European market in 2008 in response to the rising demand for 25tonne ADTs and will be on view at Intermat. Based on the proven concept of the HM300-2, the HM250-2 features top travel speed and manoeuvrability, further improved by a shorter front clearance. The forced oil-cooled multiple-disc brake system, said to be a Komatsu exclusive on ADTs in this range, offers excellent braking power and component durability.

Ireland-based conveyor specialist 466 Telestack International's range of crawler mobile conveyors for the quarry and aggregates market are said to save on fuel, labour and service costs. The company will be exhibiting at Intermat in a bid to spread this message in the quarrying sector.

Crushing and screening

Belgium-based crushing and screening specialist 634 Keestrack will be launching its new award-winning control system at Intermat. The system won a silver award in the services category of the Intermat Innovations Award. The control panel allows several Keestrack products to be linked together and controlled from one unit via radio control and information can be sent to the office via GPRS.

According to Keestrack, the system contributes to higher productivity because, through use of presettings, it ensures the machines will automatically start in the correct positions. The company also said that the visualisation of the process by remote wireless technology allows for better checking of onsite processes and quick resolution of problems.

Crushing equipment specialist 435 Kleemann is exhibiting two of the latest models from the MOBIREX series at Intermat. The MR130Z and MR100Z models are mobile impact crushers and feature proven technology with active double-deck pre-screens.

The MR100Z can be used in a wide array of applications, including primary crushing of limestone, demolition waste and concrete from demolition projects. The machine has a high crushing capacity while the equipment has a low weight, allowing it to be versatile and easily transportable from site to site. The MR130Z features adjustable rotor speed, while the impact hammer adjustment is said to be easier than on many competing machines. According to the firm, the machine can deliver a high quality product even when processing an irregularly sized feed.

Italian maker 3131 Simex has developed the CBE, a hydraulically powered, self-loading crusher bucket range for excavators from 14 to 30tonnes operating weight. There are four sizes of CBE (Crusher Bucket for Excavators) based on Simex's crusher bucket development for wheeled loaders. It is a design that uses a low-speed, hydraulically powered rotor that forces material through a steel tined gate, to arrive at a crushed size.

4719 ThyssenKrupp KH Mineral - or KH Mineral for short - will be hoping to spread the message about its new name at this year's Intermat. After 50 years trading in the French market as Krupp 426 Hazemag, the company has changed its name to recognise its position as part of the ThyssenKrupp Fordertechnik group.

According to KH Mineral CEO Xavier Steiner, although the company's name has changed, the range of static crushers are all still available but the company can now draw from other brands in the Thyssen group to offer complete crushing and screening plants, as well as some semi-mobile units.

Components

449 Michelin has widened its offer to the articulated dump truck market with the launch of a new size in its X-Super Terrain AD range. The new 29.5 R 25-size tyre is specially designed to improve the productivity of ADTs by helping to get the job done more quickly in harsh conditions.

According to Michelin, a vehicle equipped with a 23.5 R 25-size tyre, for example, can travel at a speed of 26km/h, which is 18% faster than the model it is replacing. The company have also said that the tyre offers a 10% increase in traction, a new self-cleaning tread with improved longitudinal and transversal grip. The tread is thicker, deeper and more robust than on previous generations of the tyre, which Michelin claims reduces the need for tyre maintenance and offers 10% more service life.

RDS Technology will be displaying a range of cost effective on-board weighing systems. These include the Loadlog 500, designed for small wheeled loaders and skid steers. Easy to use and with improved software for more accurate weighing, the system provides an entry-level to load weighing.

The firm's Loadmaster i range of scales for larger loaders also benefits from improvements in accuracy and consistency. The Loadmaster 8000i now has an integral SD card port for the fast transfer of data between the loader and the office, enabling pre-registered customer data to be uploaded into the weighing system.

Testing

Italian testing equipment manufacturer Controls will show a wide range of equipment at Intermat including its 2000kN Automax 5 50-C4652 compression tester for concrete testing, as well as its range for asphalt testing. The Automax 5 automatic EN models (tested for stability) represent the more sophisticated and advanced evolution of the usual compression testers, according to Controls. The system features the complete automatic test cycle with closed loop digital feedback, and once the specimen parameters have been introduced, it is sufficient to press the 'start' button to complete the test.

Concrete plants

France-based 3133 Couvrot has combined high quality concrete production with mobility with the launch of its new Master 4500 TW - the largest unit in its range with a 120m3/hr capacity. "The new model is the largest available and has been developed in response to demand from our customers for high outputs," said Couvrot sales director Walter Jeannet.

In a break from Couvrot's use of planetary mixers in mobile units, the new plant features a horizontal mixer - a BHS Sonthofen Twin-shaft mixer. Jeannet said that it is the mixer that gives the unit its 3m3 batching capacity. The 4500 TW has a modular design that allows it to be containerised for transport from site to site with the mixer supplied pre-fitted and cabled to fast track the set up process.

Liebherr will be demonstrating its latest concrete mixing technology at Intermat with the display of the Mobilmix 2.25 R. According to Liebherr, mobile concrete mixing plant is now standard equipment on many major construction projects and the quick setup of its Mobilmix range makes it ideal for this application.

The Mobilmix 2.25 R can be set up in less than two days and has a built-in Liebherr DW 2.25 double-shaft mixer to deliver up to 100m3 of concrete per hour.

Up to 140m3 of aggregates can be stored in the four or six compartments of the inline silo. The compartments are 3.5m wide to make them easier to fill with a wheel loader. The design also features four cement silos, each with a capacity of up to 100tonnes.

Asphalt plants

The Switzerland-based 383 Ammann Group is introducing the first unit in its new global asphalt plant range, the Uniglobe 2. The model range, described as the "flexible all-rounder", is capable of producing 120-320tonnes/hr and mixer variations are 2tonnes, 3tonnes and 4tonnes, while hot aggregate silos are 30tonnes, 56 tonnes, 80tonnes and 120tonnes, as single and double lane models. Mixed material storage silos are 60tonnes, 100tonnes and 200tonnes, and are modular and expandable. The plant incorporates flexibility, extendability and a significantly larger selection of variants.

The plant has a modular construction design based on standardised container dimensions and its transportation is therefore cost-effective.

Higher mobility in high output asphalt production can be achieved with 419 Fayat's innovative RF400 plant, which can produce up to 400tonnes/hour. This novel piece of equipment features an array of advances that allow for the high-rate production of recycled materials, both warm and half-warm-mix asphalts.

The plant has been specially designed for the production of new materials with low energy consumption. It features an injector pipe for new binders including foam bitumen, controlled removal of low-temperature gases, anti-condensation system and a retrobatch-type retention system equipped with an electric heater. In addition, the RF400 can also be combined with a TSR high-rate recycling plant for the production of recycled hot mixes at a recycling rate of 70%. RSS