More and more people are becoming eco-conscious and making choices that create a more sustainable world to live in and for the next generation to enjoy.
But while the automotive business, for example, recognised the need for alternatively powered vehicles some time ago, mining, construction and other fossil-fuel-heavy industries are lagging behind.
However, there is always an exception to the rule, and sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places, like rockbreakers.
From compact rockbreakers for mini excavators, to extra heavy-duty apparatus for 120t diggers, Australia’s mining and construction industries rely on these machines to, well, break rocks.
Rockbreakers consist of two major components, a hydraulic hammer and a boom, and come in two main types, mobile and stationary – typically placed on a pedestal or slew frame.
They are big units dealing with big impacts and big pressure, so maintenance is vital to ensuring solid and consistent performance.
When it comes to maintaining a hydraulic rockbreaker, the most important element is lubrication.
Without it, you’ll have a big hunk of metal sitting there, wasting time and money.
Helping the Environment
It’s not the rockbreaker so much as the grease.
The Australian Mining Review spoke to Matti Kotro, director of product lifecycle management for Rammer, a world leader in the manufacture of hammers and other hydraulic attachments such as demolition tools and breaker booms.
Matti said eco-friendly and sustainable business practices were becoming more important every day, so Rammer looked for the best way to reduce its environmental impact.
“We wanted to push ourselves to look for ways to address this in our product offering,” he said.
“Tool grease is an integral part of our end-customers’ daily operations as it is consumed continuously by our hydraulic breakers.
“As tool grease might also come in contact with the environment we felt that this was a great area to start our green product journey with.”
After a lot of research and development, Rammer is set to introduce BIO Tool Grease to the Australian market later this year.
Put simply, it’s a modern high performance biodegradable grease for hydraulic hammers and is specially formulated to be biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
This makes it safe for use in areas with strict building codes like urban and city sites, in underwater applications, and in environmentally sensitive locations, like ground water areas.
Technical Performance, Eco-Friendly
Rammer BIO Tool Grease is a lithium complex thickened lubricating grease based on biodegradable esters and PAO (polyalphaolefin synthetic base oil).
It contains antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors and EP/AW (extreme pressure/anti-wear additives) based on bismuth technology.
The special formulation includes a thickener, which, together with the biodegradable synthetic base oils, makes it suitable for both high and low temperature applications.
It also includes a complex soap structure to ensure a high degree of mechanical stability.
This enhances performance in vibrating housings and prolongs re-lubrication intervals.
The specially developed bismuth additive package gives the grease a very high load carrying capacity and excellent wear protection.
Ultimately, for rockbreaker owners and operators, choosing grease and other lubricants comes down to performance.
And in big business where the dollars really count, greener options don’t always hit the mark.
Thankfully that’s not the case with BIO Tool Grease because it has been developed with Rammer’s top of the line machinery and high-end customers in mind.
Rammer was the first company to offer large and heavy-duty hydraulic rockbreakers for the tough conditions of the Australian mining industry, and there is a Rammer rockbreaker for virtually any breaking application requiring a boom-mounted percussive tool.
Matti said the new grease has shown excellent mechanical stability, good load carrying capacity, extended re-lubrication intervals, and good corrosion protection.
The fact that it is readily biodegradable is the icing on the cake.
“But it also makes it attractive in multiple applications such as in urban and city sites, underwater applications and other environmentally sensitive locations such as groundwater areas which are bound by strict operating regulations,” Matti said.
“Also, we believe that our dealers and end-customers appreciate a green option like this in our offering.”
Rockin’ Aussie Mining
The use of advanced hydraulics, materials technology, strength calculations, impact wave theory and production technology have cemented the Rammer’s position as the go-to rockbreaker solutions provider for the Australian mining industry.
With powerful and durable rockbreakers equipped with the revolutionary RD3 remote monitoring device, 28-boom system options and specialty demolition attachments, there is a Rammer solution for virtually any demanding breaking application that requires a boom-mounted percussive tool.
Rammer Excellence Line rockbreakers are fitted with membrane-type accumulators to assist with power strokes, whilst providing protection against hydraulic spikes, and they have field replaceable lower tool bushing and a low maintenance design which ensures optimum rockbreaker uptime, higher availability levels and a reduced owning and operating cost.
However, there is more to being one of Australia’s most trusted brands than technology and innovation, it is about listening to customers and their application specific needs.
Rammer products are developed with their customers across the world to help them reduce breaking times and avoid unnecessary downtime.
So in addition to developing technically impressive products and considering their environmental impact, Rammer has also taken the modern workforce into consideration.
With integrated smart technology and customer-focused features the company has created great experiences for its customer, and the fact that they return to their local dealer to acquire more of its equipment speaks for itself.
These same customers were concerned about climate change and wanted to actively reduce their impact on the natural world, so Rammer got to work and created BIO Tool Grease.
Committed to the Future
Rammer and its big brother, global engineering giant Sandvik, are very open about their commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment.
According to Matti, it is vital for the companies to develop high performing products that are also environmentally friendly.
“It is very important, safety is our priority, this goes for everything at Rammer and Sandvik, so naturally also for the environment,” he said.
“We are very proud of this product launch as it goes beyond the achievements that we have already made in our own business operations and demonstrates our commitment and efforts to positively contribute to the environmentally-friendly and sustainable operations of our dealers and end-customers through our products.”
BIO Tool Grease is looking like a good business decision too.
“As with all product development projects, it has been a good mix of market, commercial and technical aspects within an ambitious vision,” Matti said.
SOURCE
Total Rockbreaking Solutions
E [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
W www.totalrockbreaking.com.au/
