Small Things Can Have Big Consequences

How a tablespoon of dirt can cost mines millions of dollars!

It isn’t easy working in the Mining Industry.

Mines are the backbone of the economy, providing raw materials to meet every day needs of consumers and businesses. But they also have to contend with a tough economy, environmental and regulatory requirements, workplace safety, and skyrocketing costs. In addition to this, reports indicate that mining companies are also facing labor shortages!

Never before has maximizing productivity become such a critical issue. 

Mining is a huge and expensive business and one of the most significant contributors to operational costs is the heavy machinery that is used in the mines each day. Haul trucks, shovels and other similar equipment that move the raw materials can have operational costs of up to $500 per hour! But if you think that’s bad, the cost of taking just one of those machines offline is staggering. In his article, Extending Mining Equipment Life, David Fisk reports that, “On average, a truck that is taken offline for a shift has a financial production impact of $35,000 and, for a shovel, it can be many times that…The ability to extend the operating life of a $5,000,000 haul truck or a $17,000,000 shovel is significant with respect to the success of a mine.”

But how can you extend the life of such expensive equipment?

One way is to examine the health of the machine’s hydraulic lines. Hydraulic hoses and tubing are the bloodline of your equipment and the worst enemy of this hydraulic circulatory system is contamination. MachineDesign.com cites hydraulic component maker Muncie Power Products as saying that up to 80% of all hydraulic system failures can be attributed to contaminated oil. Furthermore, they report a Canadian study that found particle-contaminated hydraulic oil accounted for 82% of all equipment wear.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this contamination issue is that the dirt that is causing all the damage to your equipment wouldn’t fill a bottle cap. Once dirt, gunk, contamination, – or whatever you want to call it! – gets into the hydraulic system, it stays there and wreaks havoc on all the precision components that makes your system run.

But there is a solution!

Cracking down on contamination before it blows your bottom line is the most effective way to increase the productivity of your critical equipment. And there is no better leader in contamination control than Ultra Clean Technologies Corp.

Founded in 2001 to replace traditional, expensive flushing methods, our method quickly dominated the hydraulic hose, tube, and pipe cleaning market becoming the preferred supplier to the world’s top 5 mobile equipment manufacturers. Our unique, patented, pneumatic, projectile delivery system has helped hundreds of companies reduce contamination, extend equipment warranties, and increase productivity and profits. Mikko Rysa, Vice President of John Deere Worldwide Forestry Sales & Marketing, explains:

There is a new technology…called the Ultra Clean System that scours hydraulic systems by shooting a rapid-fire projectile through hose and tube assemblies. The projectile strips out internal contamination as it travels through couplings and around bends, forcing the contamination out in front of it. So oil stays clean as it reaches expensive components, which extends system and filter life.

So how does it work?

During the assembly of the hydraulic lines, Ultra Clean Projectiles are fired through the lines to strip out contamination caused by the cutting, crimping, bending, or flaring processes. Then the assembly is sealed off against atmospheric debris using the innovative Clean Seal System – a unique heat-shrinkable capsule that makes traditional screw-on caps look antiquated and cumbersome by comparison. This ensures that only clean assemblies are placed onto your equipment.

SMALL IDEA, BIG IMPACT

By cleaning and sealing the assemblies prior to installation you eliminate the introduction of new contaminates to your equipment and reduce the risk of system failures or lost productivity.

And we aren’t just blowing smoke. Independent lab reports show achievable cleanliness ISO codes as low as 18/16/13! That’s cleaner than any other comparable system on the market today.

With proven technologies, patented equipment, practical education and world-class customer service, Ultra Clean Technologies is focused on providing companies with cost effective tools to maximize profitability by extending equipment life.