Wessie Van Der Westhuizen
Sales Manager, Multotec Wear Linings
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Rail liner product development and prototyping
You only understand the power of referral when you reflect at the end of the year and realise that a previous project turned into recurring business.
The success of the project was due to the wealth of knowledge and experience in the company and our range of wear lining solutions available, enabling us to provide a workable solution to the customer.
As with any product development, there are three phases to the process that need to be followed to be successful:
- Design phase – determine physical and operational properties of the product
- Prototyping phase – testing whether the product design is functional
- Production phase – manufacturing products for the end-user
Our customer approached us with an RFQ to fill the cavity between their rails with our MM250 epoxy wear-compound to extend liner life and reduce the frequency of liner replacement. During preparation of the drawings, our mechanical engineer realised that this was not a viable solution. After further consultation, we advised them on a revised composite wear liner design with the installation of extruded impact tiles with a Polyurethane casting between the steel and ceramics, which they opted for.
The rail liners are used in the chutes in the underground mining environment where ore is moved from higher to lower levels which is then loaded into the skip for transport to the surface of the processing plant. Material size of ore and waste at this stage was 350 mm in diameter and smaller.
The design was quick, although not simple, based on our wafer and cobblestone liners. Prototyping was easy as the production staff are familiar with working with new concepts through the guidance of engineering staff.
Manufacturing was the difficult part, as it is a bespoke item manufactured for the first time, and everything in the manufacturing process was new to the staff. The prototype was designed, manufactured, delivered and installed and subsequently, we have received numerous orders for the same rail liners on a regular basis, not without its own challenges. According to our customer, the same design is being exported to the international market.
Custom manufactured rail liner to meet the customer’s specific requirements.
With the extruded tiles not being a stock item, with a six to eight-week lead time to manufacture each order, delivery became a challenge. The customer expected a two-week turnaround on order placement, so we had to go back to the drawing board and revise stock availability on the extruded tiles.
MWL is currently working on an agreement where a defined volume of stock is kept for a time period for the benefit of the customer. MWL’s extensive wear experience combined with our wear expertise, and our range of wear products, provides a cost-effective and optimal wear solution in the material handling and minerals processing industries.