SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT
ORIGINAL and BEST
R
eplicating spare parts for slurry pumps is a serious issue in the mining industry, for both solution providers and the mine
operators who utilise them. As commodity prices continue
to drop, mining operators are under intense pressure to minimise operational costs. As a result, initial costs are often more important than total ownership costs, making non- OEM spare parts more appealing. “During these tough economic times, it is understandable that operators need to reduce their maintenance costs, but they must also focus on maintaining their productivity. T ese cost savings are often at the expense of productivity,” says John Otten from Weir Minerals. It is widely recognised within the
industry that replicator parts host considerable limitations, and can often cause more harm to slurry pumps than benefi t. Non-OEM parts are notorious for
their unreliability, and often decrease plant productivity, but why do they have this reputation? To answer this question, it is important for end users to truly understand how replicators and their processes operate.
Reverse engineering Most replicators produce their spare parts through the process of ‘reverse engineering’. T ey will often purchase or obtain a genuine spare part and
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The negative implications of using replicator spare parts on slurry pumps
take measurements to reconstruct a component drawing from which tooling, moulds, patterns and so forth, will be made. T ere are three signifi cant
defi ciencies in this process: the absence of knowledge of optimum tolerances; material properties; and methods of manufacture. “Our engineering experts understand our Warman slurry pumps and possess superior technical knowledge on how they operate. We use this in-depth knowledge to deliver spare parts that ensure our slurry pumps achieve their maximum performance and deliver the customer optimal productivity,” explains Otten.
Defi ning materials T e next challenging task replicators face is creating the right materials for the slurry pump. Slurry pump wear parts are made
from a range of materials, specially developed for the application. Replicating slurry pump materials from just a sample of materials is very diffi cult. A material’s resistance to slurry wear, corrosion and impact resistance is a fi ne balance of a combination of factors, including chemical composition and methods of manufacture. “If replicators use the wrong materials the parts could erode quickly, resulting in greater frequency of repair and loss of production,” states Otten.
Warman slurry pumps are a popular choice among mining operators
Tolerances Tolerance is defi ned as the amount a dimension or feature of a component is allowed to deviate from the nominal. When replicators produce non-OEM parts, the control of the fi nished product dimensions is very tight to ensure interchangeability of parts. Slight deviations in the dimensions of the part can have a detrimental eff ect on the wear life of the pump and its performance, bringing higher maintenance costs and production losses. “T e complexities behind reverse engineering leave little chance of replicators producing an exact replica required for a successful fi t-up, satisfactory hydraulic performance and acceptable wear life,” Otten explains.
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