- alkitronic
COAL MINE REDUCES MAINTENANCE COSTS
COAL MINE, USA
The owner of the deepest coal mine in the U.S. faced lengthy and costly maintenance challenges for two critical applications.
INITIAL SITUATION
The bolts for "Mining Heads" used to grind through rock and extract the coal from the underground mine had to be removed and regularly re-tightened during maintenance. Being the deepest coal mine in the US, 5 miles deep, bringing these Mining Heads out of the mine each time for service was not economical and would create too much downtime. It would take four days to get the Mining Heads to the surface and back.
The other maintenance challenge was servicing the underground conveyor systems. The conveyors are used to carry the coal out of the mines. These conveyors can take up to 7 years to build and can expand over 10 miles. The rollers of the conveyor system need frequent service. Therefore, a heavy-duty tool with low maintenance is the ideal solution.
The maintenance staff used impact wrenches for both applications, but the tools were not ergonomically friendly to the operators, hard on the hands and required a lot of regular maintenance. The impact wrenches are destructive by nature with its "hammering" design.
SOLUTION
They tried a hydraulic wrench, which can be extremely helpful for other applications, but the bulky pump and laborious operation for the tool didn’t fit the requirements of this one. The hydraulic tool operates through a hydraulic piston that extends and retracts. It was a long and tedious process. The tool was heavy and took too long to set up and operate.
The foreman tested the alkitronic CLD pneumatic torque multiplier. The torque multiplier is intrinsically safe, and it eliminated the frequent, costly repairs of the previously used impact wrenches due to its durable design. The operators loved the ergonomics and low impact on the pistol grip and, respectively, their hands and arms. The torque multiplier also increased the speed and productivity of the maintenance applications, as it was faster than a hydraulic wrench. The CLD also eliminated the cumbersome setup time and slow ratcheting process of hydraulic wrenches.
Alkitronic torque multipliers provide precision torque control. That makes maintenance easier and safer. At the same time, application problems and overall costs are lower.
TECHNICAL DATA OF THE alkitronic CLD/L
Simple 1-finger operation for right/left rotation
Robust aluminum cast motor housing with proven integrated pneumatic drive
Proven high-performance gears
Produced in a chip-free high-precision process to allow high loads with low wear
On-demand with an optional silencer to reduce the noise from the motor exhaust
More information on pneumatic torque multipliers:
https://www.alkitronic-na.com/pneumatic-torque-multiplier
or contact us at:
Toll-free: +1 833 486-7783