Gold mining is a tough business. The rock is hard. The work is harder. You need the right equipment. Choosing a crusher is a big decision. It affects your profit. It affects your downtime. Many miners make mistakes here. They buy the wrong machine. They lose money. This article helps you choose correctly. We will look at facts. We will look at data. We use our experience at SBM. We will guide you step by step.
First you must know your rock. Not all rock is the same. Gold ore is often found in quartz. Quartz is very hard. We measure hardness with the Mohs scale. Gold ore is usually Mohs 5 to 7. This is hard. It is also abrasive. Abrasive means it wears down metal. It acts like sandpaper.
If you use a soft rock crusher. It will break. The parts will wear out in days. You need a hard rock crusher. This means a Jaw Crusher. Or a Cone Crusher. These machines use compression. They squeeze the rock. They do not hit the rock. Hitting works for soft rock. Squeezing works for hard rock. This saves you money on parts. Because compression plates last longer.
The first stage is primary crushing. The rock comes from the mine. It is big. It can be 500mm or larger. You need a Jaw Crusher here. The Jaw Crusher is simple. It has two plates. One moves. One stays still. The rock falls between them.
The moving jaw pushes the rock. This is the toggle movement. The rock breaks. It falls down. The gap at the bottom controls size. This gap is the CSS. CSS means Closed Side Setting. It determines the product size. For gold mining. We recommend the SBM PE Series. It is heavy. It uses a cast steel frame. It handles high stress.
Why do we use it? Because it has a deep crushing cavity. This means a high crushing ratio. The ratio is input size divided by output size. A good jaw crusher has a ratio of 4:1 to 6:1. This is industry standard. See Mining Engineering journal data. It confirms these ratios are efficient.
| Model | Feed Opening (mm) | Max Feed (mm) | Power (kw) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE-600×900 | 600×900 | 500 | 55-75 |
| PE-900×1200 | 900×1200 | 750 | 110-132 |
The rock leaves the Jaw Crusher. It is now smaller. Maybe 150mm. But this is too big for the mill. You need secondary crushing. The best choice is a Cone Crusher. Do not use an Impact Crusher. Impact crushers use blow bars. Hard gold ore breaks blow bars fast. You will change parts every week. That is expensive.
The Cone Crusher uses a mantle and concave. The mantle spins. It wobbles. It squeezes rock against the concave. This is called lamination crushing. It breaks rock along natural cracks. This creates a good shape. It creates more fines. Fines are good for gold recovery. Because the ball mill works less.
We look at the SBM HPT Series. It is hydraulic. It protects the machine. If iron enters. The hydraulics open the chamber. The iron drops out. The machine does not break. This is vital. Mines often have tramp iron. Old drill bits. Shovel teeth. You need protection.
This is a common pain point. Many customers ask this. “My liners last only 200 hours.” This is too short. The problem is usually the material. Standard manganese steel is Mn13. This is okay for soft rock. For gold ore. It is too soft. You need Mn18 or Mn22. These are high manganese alloys.
Another reason is the cavity choice. Cone crushers have different cavities. Fine, Medium, Coarse. If you feed big rock into a Fine cavity. The liner wears at the top. This is bad. It wastes metal. If you feed small rock into a Coarse cavity. The liner wears at the bottom. This is also bad. You must match the feed to the cavity. Consult the SBM manual. It shows the feed zones. Correct matching doubles liner life.
Let us look at a real job. The location was Zimbabwe. The customer had hard gold quartz. The capacity required was 200 tons per hour (TPH). They used old machines before. Breakdowns were frequent. They lost production time.
Equipment List:
– Feeder: GZD-960×3800
– Primary: SBM PE-750×1060 Jaw Crusher
– Secondary: SBM CS-160 Cone Crusher (2 sets)
– Screen: 3YZS-1860
The Solution:
We analyzed the rock. It was Mohs 7. We installed the PE Jaw. We set the CSS to 100mm. The rock went to the CS Cones. We used “lamination crushing” principle. We reduced the size to -20mm. This went to the ball mill.
Customer Feedback:
“The SBM jaw crusher is a beast” said the site manager Mr. Dube. “We run 16 hours a day. It does not stop. The maintenance is easy. We just grease it. The cone crusher creates many fines. Our gold recovery went up. Because the mill works better.”
You might ask this. Impact crushers are cheaper. Why not use them? Here is the truth. Impact crushers use impact energy. A fast rotor hits the rock. For soft limestone. This is great. For hard gold ore. It is a disaster. The wear parts are high chrome bars.
The Data Comparison:
We did a test. Same rock. Different machines.
– Impact Crusher wear cost: $1.50 per ton.
– Cone Crusher wear cost: $0.35 per ton.
The Conclusion:
The Cone Crusher costs more to buy. But it costs less to run. In six months. The savings pay for the machine. Do not look only at the price tag. Look at the operating cost. This is the smart way. SBM advises cones for anything over Mohs 5.
How big should your crusher be? You must calculate. Do not guess. Here is a simple decision tree. Start with your target output. Let us say 100 TPH.
1. Check the Feed Size. Is it 500mm? You need a PE-600×900 Jaw. Its max feed is 500mm. Its capacity is 60-130 TPH. This fits.
2. Check the Discharge. The Jaw outputs 100mm rock. The Cone must accept 100mm.
3. Check the Cone. An HPT-300 Cone accepts 200mm. This is safe. Its capacity is 120-250 TPH. This is plenty.
Always choose a machine slightly bigger. Maybe 20% bigger. Why? Because feed is not constant. Trucks are late. Rock gets wet. A bigger machine handles surges. It runs smoother. SBM engineers always add a safety factor.
| Param | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 20 Hours | High availability |
| Power | 280 kWh | Efficient |
| Product | 90% < 20mm | Good for mill |
This project was different. The location was Indonesia. The climate is wet. It rains a lot. Sticky mud was a problem. Sticky mud blocks crushers. It stops production.
The Challenge:
Processing 300 TPH of wet gold ore. Previous machines clogged. The cleaning took hours. Workers were tired.
The SBM Design:
We changed the feeder. We used a Wobbler Feeder. It separates mud before the crusher. Only clean rock enters the Jaw. For the secondary. We used the SBM HPT Hydraulic Cone. It has a “clearing” function. If it jams. One button clears it. The hydraulics lift the top. Material drops. Production restarts in 2 minutes.
Customer Voice:
“The rain used to stop us,” said the Plant Engineer. “Now we run through the rain. The SBM HPT is very smart. The hydraulic clearing saves us hours. We are very happy with the output shape. It is cubic. Not flaky.”
A good machine needs a good foundation. Concrete is key. It absorbs vibration. If the foundation moves. The bearings fail. Pour thick concrete. Let it cure. Use chemical bolts. They hold tight.
Daily Maintenance List:
– Check oil level. Low oil kills bearings.
– Check temperature. If it is over 60°C. Stop. Check the cooler.
– Listen to the sound. A smooth hum is good. A loud knock is bad.
– Tighten bolts. Vibration loosens them. Check them weekly.
SBM provides a manual. Read it. Train your workers. A trained worker saves machines. An untrained worker breaks them.
Return on Investment is the goal. You want profit. To get it. You need efficiency. Focus on energy. Crushers use electricity. A lot of it. An old motor wastes power. A new motor saves it.
Use soft starters. They reduce the startup spike. They save the grid. They save money. Also focus on wear parts. Buy genuine SBM parts. They fit perfectly. Fake parts leave gaps. Gaps cause damage. Genuine parts last longer. The cost per ton drops. This increases ROI.
1. Can I crush wet ore?
Yes you can. But be careful. If water is >5%. It creates paste. Paste blocks the chamber. Use a scalp screen first. Remove the fines. Remove the mud. Then crush the rock. This keeps the chamber clean.
2. How much power does it use?
It depends on the model. A PE-600×900 uses 75kw. A cone crusher uses more. Maybe 160kw. But look at “kWh per ton”. This is the real metric. Efficient crushing is usually 1.5 to 2.5 kWh per ton. SBM machines are optimized for this range.
3. What is the best reduction ratio?
Do not try to do everything in one step. That is a mistake. A jaw crusher should do 4:1. A cone crusher should do 3:1 or 4:1. Split the work. It reduces stress. It extends life. Two stages are better than one overworked stage.
Choosing a crusher is science. It is not guessing. Know your rock hardness. Know your capacity. Choose a Jaw for primary. Choose a Cone for secondary. Avoid Impact crushers for gold ore.
Look at the total cost. Not just the buy price. Look at wear parts. Look at power. Look at downtime. SBM helps you calculate this. We have the experience. We have the data. We have the machines.
Your gold mine deserves the best. Do not compromise. Build a strong plant. It will pay you back. For years to come. Contact us for a design. We are ready to help.
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