Keestrack crushing and screening machinery from SMA is giving waste recycling business EWS Group the precision and feedback it needs to generate a circular economy for Sydney’s concrete
“Getting parts was impossible. We couldn’t get hold of parts locally with our previous supplier.”
For Peter Kalajiovski, the general manager of concrete waste recycling business EWS Group, it was the familiar frustrations of trying to source spare parts for his crushing equipment that first led him to SMA (Screenmasters Australia).
As the authorised distributor for Keestrack machinery in Australia, SMA worked with EWS Group to develop a processing train that could handle the waste concrete and process it into a variety of useful end products, with the minimum of fuss.
Recycling concrete
With facilities in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, EWS Group processes concrete agitator waste and recycles it back into the industry – an area seeing significant growth, Kalajiovski says.
“We’re definitely seeing an increase in demand, particularly in areas that traditionally wouldn’t have used recycled product, such as putting aggregate back into concrete,” he says.
“Traditionally, you’d do a non-spec road base, and then it became a spec road base, and now it’s actually going back into structural concrete. So there’s a circular economy taking place.
“The waste concrete comes from agitators, and we crush it, screen it, and it gets repurposed.
“Demand for this recycled product is being driven by the overall sustainability push within the economy as well as cost savings.
“Particularly in Sydney, the logistical benefits of having an artificial quarry in the middle of Sydney, versus carting in a virgin product from elsewhere can’t be overstated.”
Specialist solution
For the recycled aggregate being produced by EWS Group, quality of the final product is paramount. The crusher needed to process concrete pieces up to 400mm in size into different end products, including 20mm and 10mm aggregates as well as sand.
Turning to SMA for a more reliable machinery solution, the Keestrack distributor suggested a R3h tracked impact crusher and C6 triple deck classifier, supported by an SMA 8036 stacker and Sensortechnik OBS weighing scales – providing a processing capacity of around 150 to 170 tonnes per hour.
Kalajiovski says that consistency of product is key, particularly when supplying material to the structural concrete market.
“We needed a crusher that could produce an aggregate that was of particular roundness and shape, as well as consistency in grading,” he says.
“The Keestrack R3h has allowed us to achieve that consistency in the quality, particularly particle shape and particle size distribution. The effectiveness of the screens allows us to maintain a grading on that product that gives confidence to the concrete suppliers.
“We also produce a specified road base, which doesn’t go through the screener, just straight off the crusher, and we get a consistent good quality product through the afterscreen installed on the Keestrack R3h.”
Kalajiovski adds that, compared to the previous crusher being used, Keestrack has stood apart in terms of the attention to detail that went into the machine.
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“It has a unique design with two chocky block designed wear plates in the crushing chamber that direct the material towards the centre of the blow bars,” he says of one design feature that has been a benefit to the smooth throughput of material.
“The pre-screen at the top is also structured in such a way that it spreads the feed out. Every little detail they’ve thought about and refined, so it just makes running the machines quite seamless. Problems are easy to diagnose and, in terms of support, I call Screenmasters and they’re down here in half an hour.”
The Sensortechnik OBS weighing scales that sit on the end of the discharge conveyor have also helped EWS Group to optimise its operations by supplying real-time data to the team.
“We input the density of the material that’s going through and the scale determines how much we’re producing per minute,” he says.
“This allows us to give live feedback to the operators and means we have an insight into the product we’re putting through the machine, so we can refine as we go. If, for example, we’re seeing a drop in the tonnes per hour rate, we’ll look at the blow bars and the closed side setting, and close it in to increase the efficiency of the machine. This allows us to get the most out of the production hours that we have, and obviously it brings down the cost per tonne.”
Screenmasters support
Kalajiovski says that, alongside the high performance of the Keestrack machinery, working with SMA over the past year has been a great experience for the EWS Group team.
“They always return phone calls and are always willing to give advice on optimising the machines,” he says.
“Their technicians and fitters are awesome in terms of providing our operators advice on the best way to maintain the machines and things that they could improve.”
EWS Group gets a fortnightly service report from SMA, which Kalajiovski says may be unusual for crushing and screening equipment, but which makes sense for keeping the operation running smoothly.
“With most yellow machines it’s generally common practice to have a fortnightly inspection schedule,” he says.
“Not so much on a crusher, but why treat it differently to other machinery? So that’s the view we took. It’s better to be ahead of issues and prevent them, rather than deal with catastrophes after the fact.
“Overall, I’d recommend the Keestrack machines and the SMA team to anyone,” he says.
For more information on Keestrack equipment from SMA, visit: www.screenmasters.com.au