A new ground-breaking vertical shaft impact crusher (VSI) is set to hit the market offering customers increased profitability.

The concept behind the development project, lead by Pilot Crushtec International, was the construction of a product that could deal with South Africa’s notoriously hard rock while delivering high volume output at the lowest possible cost per tonne.

National sales manager Nicolan Govender believes the new TwisterTrac VS350E represents a major step change in tertiary and quaternary crusher technology and performance.

“From the outset this product was intended to add significant value to our customers’ operations. We have evolved from the traditional diesel-hydraulic drive package to a diesel-electric drive. Customers will enjoy substantial gains in output and at the same time experience reduced fuel bills and maintenance costs,” he says.

“The product is ideal for the road building, quarrying and construction industries and is able to produce quality G1 and G2 sub base material, shaping aggregate and producing large volumes of fines from diverse rock,” explains Govender.

Unlocking profitable opportunities 

Design manager Dawie Scholtz explains the logic that has achieved these advances and how it has resulted in some important features that will unlock profitable opportunities for TwisterTrac operators.

“The fuel efficient Volvo Engine coupled with a large generator is used to generate electrical power which drives the machine’s crushing, tramming and conveyor functions. All control systems are now electronic thus operators will no longer have to deal with the complications of piping and oil servicing or inefficiencies associated with hydraulic systems.”

Additional features incorporated in the VS350E design include a load volume control which ensures that the crushing chamber is always fully loaded but never overloaded, while variable rotor speeds can be set when the machine is in operation.

Yet another benefit is the crusher’s cascade facility which allows feed that does not need processing to bypass the rotor in the crushing chamber. This can raise output to an impressive 400 tonnes per hour, eliminate unnecessary fuel consumption and reduce wear on critical parts within the chamber.

All of these combined deliver the product’s outstanding fuel economy and Govender says that the diesel in its 1,100-litre tanks is sufficient to cover more than two back to back 10-hour shifts.