Mineral processing equipment tends to wear quickly, but not with the right wearing compound and product knowledge.
Mineral processing equipment operates in some of the most demanding conditions of any industry across Australia. However, even in these conditions, unplanned downtime is not an option.
Unexpected maintenance for larger miners could be as high as $US500,000 every hour.
Henkel, a global supplier of adhesives, sealants,and coatings, is working with mine sites to improve plant efficiency, strengthen plant safety, reduce costs and, most importantly, increase the reliability of equipment.
“Urgent repair – otherwise known as breakdown maintenance – is costly in terms of labour materials and production loss, and bad for production planning,” Henkel Australia Pacific application engineering lead Zhonghua Zhang said.
“Money piles up every second, minute and hour of unplanned shutdown. That’s when a fast-curing product becomes critical.”
Different site, different problems
Mine sites each encounter unique problems, so there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. This is why many mining engineers rely on Henkel to take the guesswork out of machinery protection.
With products for a range of problems and applications, such as dealing with particle abrasion in wet and dry conditions, Henkel acts as a strategic partner to mine sites, guiding decision-makers through maintenance processes.
But why are issues coming up in the first place? It’s not always because of poor product selection, but rather improper application and limited knowledge.
“Many of today’s engineers may not have a good understanding of what’s in the product. The challenge is to educate them on the chemistry and application,” Henkel APAC regional business development manager Kalyan Roychowdhury said. “A better knowledge of the product and how it works will reduce the likelihood of corners being cut.”
The company offers robust training programs to help ensure everyone on-site is on the same page about the correct application techniques and product characteristics.
Particle abrasion in dry conditions, for example, needs a ceramic-based compound containing aluminium oxide. This information is pivotal in reducing potential downtime and ensure operations can run smoothly.
Consequences of improper practice
Many sites are often in a rush to keep things operating smoothly but that can lead to bigger issues down the line, with common mistakes like lack of surface preparation, confusion over mixing instructions, or improper thickness of application becoming increasingly frequent. While seemingly small, these issues can grow into a much bigger burden.
“Taking a little extra time to ensure proper application leads to significant long-term gains, saving both time and money,” Zhang said.
This was emphasised by Zhang, who outlined the different properties of products.
“The curing time for one product may be eight hours, but that’s at room temperature. In winter, lower temperatures will alter the curing time, but the people doing the application don’t always take this into account,” he said.
When application is rushed, the potential for costly mistakes increases, with inadequate covering leading to accelerated wear and frequent breakdowns, creating repair costs that could have easily been avoided.
Henkel is no stranger to problems such as this. The company recently supported a major mining facility with bends of metal in a slurry pump house. Due to extreme abrasion the bend typically wore out within 20–25 days, but with the LOCTITE PC 7332 silicon carbide wearing compound, a layer of protection was applied designed to shield metal from direct slurry impact and wear and provided an extra 60-day lifespan of the pipe.
The outcome? Increased downtime, greater operational efficiency and cost savings of $US24,000.
With innovative products backed with deep industry experience and support, it’s no surprise Henkel is at the forefront of promoting best practice for mine maintenance.
This feature appeared in the November issue of Australian Mining magazine. Get 50 per cent off your Australian Mining annual magazine subscription during our Black Friday sale. Visit our subscription page and use the code: AMBF25. Ends on 27 November 2025.
