Category: Protective Coatings

It seems that every aspect of mining is tough – hard rock, blistering temperatures, cyclones and abrasive dust particles. Venture underground or even to the bottom of the pit then high salinity and acidity are added to the mix. It is little wonder that protective coatings are an essential part of keeping mining operations in production. They play numerous roles to provide barrier protection against these destructive forces, literally from the front gate to the depths of the underground sump. Given the multitude of environmental and wear challenges faced by fixed plant, mobile equipment and other infrastructure, it is critical that protective coatings are fit for purpose. They must not only be the right type of coating, but their chemical…

Wear plates are regarded as one of the most important components that manufacturing and industrial companies need. Used to keep machines safe, they offer protection from all kinds of damage. They’re applied and installed to a wide range of mining and industrial equipment, like crushers, buckets, chutes, etc, to secure and prolong the lifespan of a part or a component, increase productivity and efficiency, and enhance the quality of results. And when it comes to the wear plate industry, one Australian company has made it its mission to become a global leader in the field. Enduraclad International, with offices in WA and Queensland, prides itself on supplying the world with wear solutions. It is commited to providing high-quality products, and…

It’s no secret that wear and tear directly impacts a component’s performance. In most mining applications, major mechanisms of wear include a combination of heat (eg. deformation) and friction (eg. abrasion), as well as various chemical processes (e.g. corrosion), which can result in compromised component geometry as well as rough surfaces that hinder smooth operation and eventually lead to failure. Over the years various technologies have been invented and implemented in an attempt to reduce wear and increase component life – after all, preventative maintenance is far less costly than purchasing a new component outright. Those technologies generally involve installing a protective barrier between the component and the cause of wear: this can be in the form of hardened physical…

Machines operating in Australian underground hard rock mining endure some of the toughest conditions on the planet. Once the ground is blasted, it is the underground loader’s (or bogger’s) job to load the muck pile into the truck ready to be hauled to the surface and to clean up the drives. The bogger buckets need to withstand the force and wear from being driven into muck piles and scraped against the floor and side walls of the mine. Hence, the common practice to add sacrificial wear packages to protect the structural integrity of bogger buckets in this harsh operating environment – heel shrouds, lip shrouds, underfloor wear bars and profile bars. The Outcast® Bucket Revolution Operating since 1988 and beginning…

EQUIPMENT on mine sites can face extreme conditions, so protective coatings are essential to ensure machinery functions to a high standard for its entire life cycle. Unfortunately, the drying time in coating systems has traditionally be a long and drawn-out process, with one day needed for the primer coats, the need for sanding between each coat and a final day required to apply the top coat. Masterblasters owner and general manager Tim Hamblin was confident the company could find a solution and avoid this extensive downtime – and that solution was the three-coat system. “We developed the three-coat system with our paint supplier, Paint-n-Colour Toowoomba, which would allow us to reduce the drying time on coatings by 33 per cent,”…

CORROSION usually occurs when the degradation of metal occurs due to an electrochemical process and rust is a prime example of this. It occurs when iron is exposed to oxygen and water and unlike the greenish patina on copper, rust does not create a protective layer. The corrosion of iron continues as rust flakes off and exposes fresh iron to the atmosphere – which then also corrodes. Think of the impacts of rush on mining equipment, where the extra harsh atmosphere on a mine site, the abrasion, heat, chemicals, and salt would quickly erode equipment, causing it to rust and reducing its lifespan. But what if there was a cost-effective way to increase the lifespan of CAT diggers, Volvo loaders…

MINING equipment and infrastructure in any industry are often subjected to the harshest environmental factors, such as heat, constant impact, abrasion, corrosion and chemical attack. Surface coating technology is making great headway toward protecting this valuable equipment and prolonging service life. After 26 years in the protective coatings industry, Queensland manufacturer, LiquiMix, has developed a range of polyureas that solve many expensive and environmentally sensitive problems facing the mining industry. LiquiMix’s range of Tufflon polyureas contain varying degrees of hardness, impact resistance and flexibility, with added qualities of anti-static, fire-resistance, extra-slip and potable-water approval. All-rounder Tufflon-P80, a polyurea coating designed for permanent immersion (and complies with AS4020 for potable water) is ideal for lining chemical bunds and for use over…

DICEROS bicornis might sound like a chemical compound found in a polyurethane formulation but it is, in fact, the Latin name for a Black Rhino – the beast with an incredibly tough hide. Rhino Linings were named after these thick-skinned juggernauts and the name aptly describes their range of protective coatings. Two-part, spray-applied, high build polyurethane was developed in the US in the early 80s to protect the beds of pickup trucks – the highest selling vehicles in America for many years. Russell Lewis, the founder of Rhino Linings Corporation in the US, was a pioneer in this process and perfected the technology and spray equipment for the application of two-part high build polyurethane. He recognised the benefit of the…

MOST people, when they think about the longevity of their building, the efficiency of their air conditioning and solar PV performance, overlook roofs and roof coatings, but they shouldn’t. Forged from the desert furnaces of the Aussie outback, Australia’s coating industry is world class by necessity, because few places in the world need to cope with such extreme conditions. Thermoshield has the capabilities to repair, seal, improve the insulating resistance values (R-values) and future-proof solar PV and other expensive investments. In fact, Thermoshield is an effective solution for any commercial or private application where there is a need to reduce radiant heat, or where there is a need to preserve structures susceptible to thermal shock and corrosion. Breaking it down:…