Mpumalanga plant
Witbank Cone Campaign
Mantle and concave set aligned to one change window.
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Situation at the Witbank plant
A coal processing operation in the Mpumalanga Lowveld, just outside Witbank, needed a coordinated change-out of their cone crusher's mantle and concave. Their previous set had reached the end of its wear life after a hard campaign through abrasive feed. The window for change was tight, driven by production targets and the realities of Eskom power cuts. Downtime had to be minimal, and the new wear parts had to drop in without any surprises or delays.
The plant team had flagged uneven wear and growing gaps in the closed side setting, making it tough to maintain target product sizing. Their maintenance crew also noted signs of poor feed distribution, which can ramp up spot wear and threaten chamber geometry. Planning for the change was built around a single shift with enough hands to manage both the mechanical and lifting work safely.
Supply and change process
Crusher Consumables supplied an OEM-profile manganese mantle and concave set, matched to their chamber spec and feed blend. The parts were delivered to site pre-checked for casting integrity, with certified lifting lugs. We included new backing compound, liner bolts and locknuts so the crew could complete the install without hunting for spares.
On the day, the plant team followed all lockout procedures and used our step-by-step liner change guide. The old liners came out cleanly, and we advised them to inspect the seating faces and check for any loose material before setting the new parts. Backing compound was poured in with the correct cure time observed, even with the Highveld morning chill slowing things a bit. The mantle and concave were torqued down to the values recommended in the crusher’s OEM manual. Our field rep assisted with pre-start checks, ensuring correct nip angle and closed side setting before handover.
- OEM-profile liner geometry for feed blend
- Backing compound and fasteners supplied
- On-site support during liner change
- Torque and cure times followed as per manual
Post-Change actions and lessons
After the change, the plant crew kept up regular wear profiling, measuring closed side setting and watching for any changes in product curve. They managed feed distribution closely, making sure the chamber stayed choke fed and spot wear was avoided. Routine torque checks on the new liner bolts were scheduled to prevent loosening under vibration.
If we had to run this again, we would recommend the client consider ceramic-reinforced mantles for future campaigns with similar abrasive feeds. We would also encourage earlier stock holding at site before campaign end, to buffer against transport delays. The teamwork between the plant and our field support made the change straightforward, but ongoing training for safe lifting and lockout is always worth reinforcing.
- Routine checks of closed side setting
- Choke feeding and measured wear profiling
- Bolt torque monitored post-change
- Consider alternative liner materials for high-abrasion feeds
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