The Wirtgen Group with a Trade Show Premiere at MINExpo 2024

A New Cutting Drum Expands the Range of Applications for Surface Miners in Hard Rock and Stone.

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, from September 24 to 26, 2024 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the highlights from the Wirtgen Group will include insights into its cutting technology solutions. The focal point on Booth 6815 at the show 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).

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 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.

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. 

At MINExpo 2024, trade and industry visitors to the show will also be able to talk with surface mining experts from the Wirtgen Group about all other aspects of the solution – for example deployment and project assessment, recommended machines and equipment, related cost and performance estimation, and financing solutions.