Six Ways Industrial Weighing Scales Give Mining Companies a Competitive Edge
Written by Kevin Hill at Quality Scales Unlimited
An overloaded haul truck puts the safety of a mining site at risk. The safety of the employees would also be compromised. If the haul truck carries too much load regularly, the structure of the truck will be under severe stress. Industrial weighing machines ensure the haul trucks carry loads within the permitted weight limits.
Here are six reasons to use weighing scales in mining sites.
1. Helps in Increasing Production
Mines can increase production output by adhering to payload compliance. Industrial weighing machines enable you to load units within the haul truck’s target payload range.
The hauling and loading operators must track the remaining tons-to-target on the scale’s real-time dashboard. The data synchronizes between units and the dispatcher.
Thus, you can respond correctly to the current payload. The payload must be within the target range to avoid accidents and structural damage.
2. Improves the Return on Investment
Modern weighing scales help in reducing losses and increasing efficiency, thus increasing ROI. The technology’s ability to deliver reliable information to the right people at the right time determines the ROI. You can make the necessary adjustments to the production using this data.
On-board truck scales also improve operational efficiencies and promote cost-effective operations. This also helps in improving the ROI.
3. Helps with Validation of Payload
Overloading a haul truck causes structural damage, increases fuel burn, and reduces tire and component life. Repeatedly fixing the truck or its components will increase costs.
Follow the 10-10-20 rule for truck loading in mining. No more than 10 percent of loads should exceed 10 percent over target payload. And no loads should ever exceed 20 percent over target payload. This rule ensures you haul the right load without slowing haul speeds. You can also avoid spending money on repairing the wear and tear of components due to overloading.
You can be sure of paying and charging for the correct load with minimal risk of overcharging.
4. Cuts Down on Operation Time
Are your haul trucks overloaded? If yes, the operators will have to spend extra time unloading the truck. This is a huge time-waster if it happens regularly. The operation time will also increase.
Efficient modern truck scales will reduce employee operation time. The employees can then spend the ‘saved’ time on troubleshooting malfunctions. They can also spend their time on other business issues.
5. Reduces Fuel Usage
Weighing scales integrated with a fleet management system help in reducing fuel usage. It calculates the optimal times and locations for hauling units to travel for fuel. It also considers time for a break for shift changes, meals, and other pauses in production.
The system manages the queuing of hauling units at fueling stations and reduces wait times using operational data. This feature automatically dispatches the haul trucks to locations with the shortest queues.
Small improvements like these add operating hours to mines each year. It enables you to cut energy usage and minimize your carbon footprint too.
6. Extends the Life of Equipment
Overloaded trucks compromise the life of the trucks’ body, tires and components. Industrial weighing scales ensure the haul trucks carry loads within the permitted weight. This extends the life of the haul truck.
Weighing scales integrated with a mining management system help in managing equipment. The data gathered by the system helps in identifying overloaded trucks. Use the data to identify haul trucks with frequent tire blowouts, excessive tire wear and engine overheating.
Final Words
Overloaded mining haul trucks can even damage haul road surfaces. They reduce the efficiency of the truck and increase site maintenance costs. Moreover, you may face unplanned downtime or premature failure. Implementing quality truck scales will eliminate all such issues and cut costs.
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