A new cutting drum expands the range of applications for Wirtgen Surface Miners in hard rock and stone

Story Highlights

• Wirtgen Group
• MINExpo 2024
• Wirtgen Surface Miners
• Cross Application Miners
• freze miniere de suprafata
• surface mining
• cutting drum

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Wirtgen Surface Miners and Cross Application Miners are deployed around the world in open-cast mining operations and on infrastructure projects. Cutting drums are the core element of the machines. At MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, the highlights from the Wirtgen Group will include insights into its cutting technology solutions. The focal point will be a new cutting drum that now also enables the cost-efficient extraction of resources with uniaxial compressive strengths of over 100 MPa UCS (14,500 psi).

Limestone, Gypsum, Anhydrite, and Other Hard Rocks and Minerals
The new cutting drum is equipped with HT14 toolholders and features a redesigned cutting geometry. The field-proven and established central-drum concept, which ensures optimum utilization of the machine weight, and the direct belt drive that guarantees the transfer of high usable power to the cutting drum, also contribute to the ability of Surface Miners to profitably extract even very hard rocks and minerals with uniaxial compressive strengths of 100 MPa UCS (14,500 psi) and more – for instance limestone, gypsum, or anhydrite.

The Wirtgen 280 SM(i) with the New Cutting Drum in Action
The new cutting drum celebrated its premiere in practice on a limestone quarrying job carried out by a Surface Miner 280 SM(i) in Louisville, Nebraska. In addition to the extraction of very hard limestone at the quarry, the elimination of the need for drilling and blasting made it possible to extract previously unexploitable limestone deposits and extend the working life of the quarry and all downstream production systems by several decades. For the quarry operator, surface mining is a cost-effective extraction solution that also contributes to safeguarding jobs, increases safety in the quarry, and enables responsible management of resources.

Faster Infrastructure Projects
Wirtgen expanded its portfolio of products and applications with the Cross-Application Miner 260 SX(i) two years ago. The Cross Application Miner speeds up construction times by eliminating the need for drilling and blasting, with the construction of stable embankments, in-situ grading of railroad tracks, and the recycling of the extracted material in-place for use in further construction.