Reengineered Reliability for a Critical Path Apron Feeder
At ASARCO’s copper mine in the Southwest, a critical apron feeder had become an ongoing source of downtime and safety risks. The OEM drive assembly repeatedly lost synchronization between its sprockets, causing chain failures, damaged components, and uneven bearing loads. Each breakdown required a full removal and off-site rebuild…a process that took weeks and disrupted production.
L&H Industrial worked directly with ASARCO to reverse engineer the apron feeder, eliminate inherent design flaws, and introduce upgrades that improved both reliability and maintenance safety. The redesigned drive assembly has now delivered nearly ten years of continuous service, with extended intervals between planned maintenance and a critical spare strategy that ensures uninterrupted operations.