The Role of Tungsten Carbide in Mining Tool-Life

Element Six products are highly wear- and impact-resistant, thanks to their strength, hardness and toughness. Improving tool life, cost efficiency and productivity can be as simple as moving from steel towards synthetic diamond or tungsten carbide.

Blasthole Drilling

Efficiency is vital when drilling through rock. The tungsten carbide inserts for drill bits made by Element Six are intended to surpass the heavy-duty drilling requirements of all common mining environments.

Haul Road Maintenance

Quality roads both reduce operational costs and improve safety. Element Six offers long-life tungsten carbide picks for use in road maintenance.

Bulk Handling

Belt cleaners are essential in maintaining the cleanliness of conveyor belts, improving their safety as well as increasing productivity by eradicating carry back. Element Six’s tungsten carbide conveyor scraper blades withstand greater exposure to harsh conditions, resulting in reduced downtime.

Mineral Processing

To access the minerals found in materials that have been extracted from the ground, they need to be reduced.  Element Six offers a range of resilient tungsten carbide parts for use in processing applications such as crushing and milling.

Extraction – Longwall 

This process, commonly used in coal mining, involves a large machine cutting along a coal face which could be hundreds of meters long. The tungsten carbide picks offered by Element Six can be used to improve productivity and reduce downtime. 

Extraction – Room and Pillar

Continuous miners can be used to clear rooms of mined material while leaving supporting pillars in place. Elemnet Six tungsten carbide tools can be used here to increase cutting speeds and subsequently improve cost efficiency.

Roof Bolting

Mine workers are kept safe by roof bolting, which reinforces the mine roof. Resin and steel rods are used to fill holes after they've been drilled. Element Six PCD or tungsten carbide bits ensure that this drilling is efficient and rapid.

Mine Development

Underground roadways and continuous mining operations require road headers. The range of tungsten carbide tools offered by Element Six provides a way of speeding up mine development as well as increasing productivity.

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Element Six.

For more information on this source, please visit Element Six.