Puzzolana: Leveraging R&D for Advanced Crushing & Screening Equipment
Puzzolana leverages R&D to develop cutting-edge crushing and screening equipment, including high-capacity jaw and cone crushers, for optimized production and reduced costs per ton.
Abhijeet Pai - President, Puzzolana
How are Puzzolana solutions enhancing production while reducing costs?
Engineering is constantly innovating and upgrading to meet the ever-changing technological demands. At Puzzolana, we keep developing newer products - the most recent being a new series of jaw crushers capable of handling and crushing boulders of up to 1200 mm, and a capacity range extending to 1000 tph. To address secondary applications, we have developed and commissioned a cone crusher with a capacity of up to 700 tph.To prolong the lifespan of wear parts, especially in challenging conditions such as abrasive ores like quartzite, we have conducted extensive research on wear patterns and profiles of jaw plates and cone liners in such crushing plants. This research has led to the creation of customized designs, specifically for these applications, resulting in increased wear part durability.
Enhanced durability of wear parts not only reduces maintenance needs, but also extends operating hours, and integration of larger machines optimizes plant configurations, requiring fewer crushers, while automation improves production capacities and facilitates maintenance, thus reducing operational costs and manpower requirements.
In essence, these advancements contribute to a reduction in the overall cost per tonne of production and enhance system efficiency, ultimately leading to a decrease in the cost per ton of production.
What advanced technologies are being applied at Puzzolana?
At Puzzolana, R&D is an integral part of our growth strategy. Based on feedback from customers on aspects like quality, aggregate sizes, capacities, logistics, pollution norms, mobility, etc. we develop and make improvements in our equipment and plant engineering. Our team of designers, engineers and servicemen are continually looking at new ways to upscale by adopting the latest technology.We have introduced SCADA systems into our plants to economise the cost of operation and to monitor productivity. We have undertaken digitalisation of the complete processes of the plant and automation of all the equipment for monitoring the feed and output, and the VFD‘s, wherever required. We have in place safety features for all the conveyors like pull chord and zero speed switches. The plant operation can be monitored through PLC and HMI Panel for seeing the plant’s performance.
We have also introduced the following:
- Alternate power sources like solar and wind power in manufacturing
- Bio Mining and C&D waste handling equipment
- High capacity (TPH) crushers to reduce the number of machines in the circuit to conserve power and reduce environmental pollution
- Automation and Digital technology to optimise and bring flexibility in the operation and maintenance of our plants.
What forward-thinking strategies or collaborations is Puzzolana planning in order to meet challenges and tap new opportunities?
We believe in our in-house potential for undertaking research and development of path breaking technologies. Our made in India new designs and technological advancements will be the cornerstone of our brand value as they will help address the challenges that the global crushing industry faces.How does Puzzolana ensure timely after-sales support and manage the need for spare parts and skilled labor?
We have our service teams located at all the crushing zones, and separate teams at our branch offices in all regions and also at our associates’ locations. We have enhanced our in-house foundries’ capacities to take care of wear parts and we have added manufacturing facilities and stock points to handle the requirement for spares.Puzzolana has developed a training programme for all its customers and students. The company holds a certificate from the Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council as “Approved Training Partner of Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council”.
NBM&CW - July 2024
