Weir Minerals has designed specialised lifting tools for safer maintenance of slurry pump parts in response to the progressively increasing equipment size.
It was only in the 1990s when a Warman AH 20/18 pump was one of the largest available. Now it is regarded as a medium sized model, eclipsed by the likes of the mammoth Warman MCR 760 pump.
Lifting tools can safely disassemble and reassemble machinery, reducing the risks associated with lifting components.
This is often an overlooked component despite the tools’ ability to maximise equipment life and reduce pump rebuild times.
“When lifting pump parts weighing more than two tonnes in restricted areas, there is little room for error,” Weir Minerals Australia trials manager David Russell.
“Often, the components will be worn and it is crucial they can still be secured and lifted safely in accordance with the strict global standards that Weir Minerals adheres to.”
Normal wear can cause razor-sharp, jagged edges on components, with the potential to damage lifting slings and chains and injure maintenance personnel.
Weir Minerals has designed a range of lifting tools for use when performing wet-end overhauls during slurry pumps maintenance.
Specific lifting tools are used for impellers, throatbushes, suction covers, frame plate liner inserts, stuffing boxes, casings and volutes.
Weir Minerals has also designed lifting tools to lift multiple components together to make rebuilds easier and quicker.
For example, a lifting beam has been developed that lifts a suction cover squarely with the throatbush still attached to it.
Weir Minerals’ commitment to innovative development also relates to impeller lifting tools.
While some competitors may employ a simple hook design, increasing the risk of the impeller falling off, Weir Minerals has developed a tool with a fixed locking jaw so that the impeller eye is locked in position and the component is properly secured prior to being lifted.
This positive engagement across two points of contact ensures that components are lifted evenly and securely with minimal risk of injury.
“Safety is central in everything we do at Weir Minerals. We are an original equipment supplier who complies with global safety standards and we adopt a stage-gated development process incorporating risk assessments and product stewardship best practice for equipment design and lifting,” Weir Minerals aftermarket manager for Warman pumps Joel Goodwin concludes.