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44 www.coalage.com May 2017 product news OEMs Will Showcase Equipment at Longwall USA The two leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for longwall mining equipment, Komatsu Mining Corp. and Cat Global Mining, will display products and services at Longwall USA, which takes place June 13-15 at the David L. Lawrence Con- vention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Komatsu Mining Corp. (formerly known as Joy Global) will be highlighting a variety of underground equipment and solutions at Longwall USA 2017, explained Caley Clinton, global public relations manager. "Those products include items such as re- placeable inserts for shearer trapping shoes and cameras for roof supports," she said. "In addition to longwall mining equipment, we will also be promoting the 14ED25 entry development min- er-bolter as well as service products and consumables such as hydraulics hoses, filters and bits." The replaceable inserts for shearer trapping shoes are made from lighter components, which reduce the risk of injury during changeout — 70-lb inserts vs 600- to 1,000-lb shoes. The replace- ment process is also simplified, which reduces downtime to an estimated 20 minutes from two hours. In addition to their use on roof supports, Joy is planning to ex- pand the use of cameras on other underground equipment, such as continuous miners. The new cameras have enhanced resolu- tion and full color capabilities, along with Wi-Fi capabilities. Joy has made a number of improvements to the hydraulic system on the 14ED25. They have reduced the number of compo- nents and the hosing, which should improve troubleshooting ca- pabilities for maintenance crews. By pre-modeling the hydraulics prior to manufacturing, they have improved the access to com- ponents. Hinged covers now allow complete access to fittings. Joy will also stress balance and efficiency with the 14ED25. As an ex- ample, mid-inlet porting for sump and shear sections should im- prove hydraulic balance, while the independent manual function for dust collection will improve efficiency. www.komatsuamerica.com/mining Cat Presents Advanced Automation Cat Global Mining returns to Longwall USA with digital displays of its complete line of longwall products — roof supports, shear- ers, plows, face conveyors, stage loaders, drive systems and au- tomation technology to optimize operations. The company will present advanced automation technologies that have played key roles in several Australian longwall mines attaining million-ton months. One mine exceeded 360,000 tons in a week. In addi- tion to increases in productivity, integrating control of all long- wall components increased equipment availability and reduced in-panel parts usage. Caterpillar will also present an update on the new HTD4100 High Torque Drive for armored face conveyors (AFCs). The new drive system consists of two main components — a variable fre- quency converter and the motor-gearbox combination. In the new Cat system, a medium-voltage converter-controlled torque motor replaces the AC induction motor. The control principle of the drive is Direct Torque Control — the most advanced AC-drive control technology available. The system enables a higher level of automation for enhanced speed and torque control and real-time monitoring, and its modular design simplifies installation and maintenance. The system offers fast response and precise control to reduce conveyor chain wear and failures, and the high-torque motor delivers maximum torque inde- pendent of speed to optimize production while minimizing wear. Cat also will emphasize its proven shearer line, featuring the EL1000, which was announced at Longwall USA 2013. Designed specifically for low- and medium-height seams, the EL1000 has since proven to deliver the power, production, controllability, and reliability required to address high production demands and varying geological conditions. The MineStar Detect Personnel system for longwall systems will also be a focus. Integrated with the Cat PMC-R electrohydrau- lic roof-support control system, Detect Personnel is designed to identify the presence of personnel in longwall faces through RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and to avoid collisions between