The B\u00fcdingen-Rinderb\u00fcgen quarry in Wetteraukreis\/Germany, has been supplying the basalt that is characteristic of the Vogelsberg landscape since 1963. The basalt is currently quarried and reduced to gravel, chippings and fine flint, as well as crushed sand, by Vogelsberger Basaltwerk GmbH & Co. KG (VBW), part of the Dressler Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH group of companies. The group, now managed by Fritz and Klaus Dressler, is regarded as one of the leading names in construction planning, civil engineering, road construction and development. The group has also secured added value in materials production through its raw materials subsidiary VBW, under the slogan \u201cThe birthplace of construction\u201d. The basalt grit is used by VBW to produce construction materials to meet the requirements of several customers in the region.<\/p>\n
Bernd Krempel joined Dressler as co-director at the beginning of 2016. One of his most important tasks is continuous optimization of the basalt plant process. The first step of the modernization programme was to replace the secondary stage crusher \u2013 a 1650 cone crusher that had been in operation since 1984 \u2013 with the aim of improving capacity and product quality. Always satisfied with the service and support from Sandvik, VBW\u2019s decision makers favoured replacing the crusher with a Sandvik CH-series Hydrocone, even though they knew this decision would also impact operation of their primary crusher. However, at just the right time for VBW, Sandvik announced the new CS550 that was even more ideal for their requirements.<\/p>\n
Just to recommend, never mind purchase, a brand new innovation requires a deep, mutual trust. With no lack in trust between the consultancy partner, stationary crusher specialist Hubertus Kirschbaum from Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology\u2019s sales team in Essen and those involved at VBW, the advice was spot on. Results of quarry testing in Sweden of the pre-series models of the new Sandvik CS550 spoke for themselves. This latest, innovative cone crusher from the 500 series not only complements the two existing Sandvik CH550 and CH540 models, it\u2019s also an alternative for the popular CH660. The Sandvik CS550 uses a range of familiar components from the proven CH crushers and operates at higher pressure levels compared to traditional CS-crushers, has low-maintenance and many safety features and is less sensitive to material feed variations, e.\u2009g., a secondary crusher from the CH series. The reliable and powerful secondary crusher with its high reduction ratio comes with a completely redesigned crusher chamber, which essentially guarantees the enhanced quality demanded at the secondary crushing stage. To meet the demands of the customers, the C (coarse) crushing chamber is designed for intake of materials with a feed size of up to 350\u00a0mm, while the EC (extra coarse) crushing chamber can handle up to 430\u00a0mm.<\/p>\n
German customers were given the first opportunity to inspect the new crusher at close hand at an event in September 2016. The crusher was commissioned, and installed in February 2017 as a replacement for VBW\u2019s outdated predecessor (1650 crusher) (Figure 1).<\/p>\n
The eminent suitability of the CS550 as a viable alternative to the CH-series for secondary stage crushing at VBW quickly became clear. The large C-chamber intake to match the jaw crusher in the primary stage quickly \u201cswallows\u201d the crushed material of 250 to 350 mm in feed size, and thus offers the possibility to produce large volumes of the final grain fractions even at the secondary stage, while ensuring a high reduction ratio and an excellent shape of the end product. Between 250 and 300 t\/h of material can be processed, with seemingly no effort, to the target particle size of 0\/56 mm, with the proportion of the preferred particle size of < 32 mm being around 80\u2009%. The wide range of additional settings, together with additional, larger throws of 24\/28\/32, 32\/36\/40 and 40\/44\/48 mm provides processing flexibility if this should be needed. The reduction of fine material that is required is a strikingly positive feature compared to the old crusher. The Sandvik CS550 also clearly meets VBW\u2019s requirements in terms of oversized particles > 32\/X.<\/p>\n
Overall, the new secondary crushing stage therefore allows a more efficient process with a significant reduction in the recirculating load, while at the same time relieving the tertiary stage of some of its load. This allows the operators more time to quality assure the product. This was an essential element of the modernization plan.<\/p>\n