Austral Technologies – Hits the spot when it comes to longevity
Australia, and especially mining in Australia, can be a tough prospect in some of the harshest conditions on earth where longevity translates into profit and longer-lasting operations.
In this terrain Austral Technologies has repeatedly delivered with distinction for 32 years, developing and deploying a number of SPOT (Special Plasma Overlay Technology) hardfacing products with revolutionary materials that are designed to combat extreme in-service degradation and provide the best performance in aggressive environments where impact, abrasion and corrosive wear are critical sources of material failure.
SPOT60® has been utilised by the mining, power generation and mineral sands industries since 2001 for use in areas of extreme sliding abrasion.
It is manufactured using a unique High Deposition PTA Welding System. Austral Technologies is the only company in the Southern Hemisphere to operate three of these unique deposit overlaying systems.
Four Times the Liner Life with SPOT60® Overlay Plate
At an iron ore mine located in Western Australia, the customer had an ongoing issue with high wear rates in their scrubber discharge chutes.
During each shutdown in a 12-week shutdown cycle, the existing 20mm alloy-chromium carbide overlay plate supplied by a competitor was found to be completely worn through, resulting in damage to the exposed parent metal of the chute.
It was recommended improving the material selection by replacing the existing overlay plate with SPOT60® overlay liners, which are composed of one of the highest wear resistance materials produced in the world today.
The result was a remarkable improvement in wear rates:
• The SPOT60® overlay liners exceeded the life of the competitor’s plate with only 2.5mm wear on the leading edge after 12 weeks,
• The plant extended maintenance shutdowns to every 48 weeks, instead of 12 weeks.
• Significant reduction in the exposure to health and safety risks due to the reduced frequency of repairs.
• The hire of a 250 to 300 tonne crane every 12 weeks is now required once every 48 weeks.
• The client estimates a saving of $600,000 in combined labour and crane hire, with the relief on maintenance resources alone expected to be around 300 hours per annum.
On-Site Metal Spraying
Austral Technologies has for many years, offered on-site services, including Metal Spray, for abrasion, corrosion and erosion resistance. Their specific project related equipment has allowed the metal spraying of a variety of components, not normally accessible to this process, to combat
erosion and corrosion.
Protecting your Plant and Processing Equipment
Austral Technologies are specialists in protecting plant and processing equipment from severe wear caused by impact, abrasion, corrosion and erosion – common challenges across the mining sector.
Their advanced hard-facing methods, including PTA, metal arc spray and open arc welding, are designed to extend the life of critical components operating in harsh conditions. They’ve successfully enhanced the performance of equipment such as sizer segments, crushers, mixer paddles, agitator blades and shafts, skirt liners and wear plates, significantly reducing downtime and replacement costs. With decades of experience and on-site capability, Austral delivers tailored surface protection solutions that improve reliability, maximise asset life and keep mining operations running efficiently.
Austral’s goal is simple – protect your equipment, preserve your uptime and power your productivity.
 hardfacing products with revolutionary materials that are designed to combat extreme in-service degradation and provide the best performance in aggressive environments where impact, abrasion and corrosive wear are critical sources of material failure.){kind=link}