Equipment Used in the Mining Industry

Mining is an important part of the modern world since most consumer products these days require the use of mined minerals. Additionally, coal and uranium also provide a huge contribution to the nation’s energy and nuclear power supply. With a demand that large, it should not be a surprise that mines can be found in all fifty states. Since mining is so essential for modern life, mining equipment is also in high demand. Different types of heavy equipment are used in the mining industry to meet the requirements of mining operations. 

Equipment Used in Different Types of Mining 

Mining can either be done underground or at the surface level. There are a couple different factors that determine the type of mining that is required and what equipment will be needed for it. These factors include the type of material you will be mining and the environment you will be working in. 

There are three main steps involved in the mining process.  They are: 

Extraction

In the extraction process, there is drilling, blasting, and digging involved to remove material from the mining site.

Material Handling

The second step in the mining process involves sorting and loading material. The material then goes to either the waste area or the processing site. 

Material Processing

The last step of the process includes grinding, refining, and smelting the mined ore and turning it into the final finished products at an off-site plant.

Heavy Equipment Used in Mining

There are a lot of different types of equipment that are used at a mining site. This can include everything from large mining trucks and dozers to electric rope shovels. While mining trucks and loaders were made specifically for this industry, there is other equipment used in mining that was not designed specifically for the industry. 

Wheel Loaders

When it comes to picking up and moving material around on a mining site, there is not anything that can do it like a large wheel loader. Wheel loaders are extremely versatile, and as the size of the machine increases, so does the capacity of its bucket. This means that the load capacity increases as well. While they are able to handle heavy loads, it is important that you match the loader’s capabilities with the material’s density and volume. 

Motor Graders

Most mines do not have any direct access to roads. You will find that even the mines that are near huge roadways need to have separate roads built within the area to move material and transport mined goods outside the site. Motor graders can be found working around mining sites to make these roads, and people in the mining industry often search for used CAT graders for sale to utilize in maintaining these roads as they are known to be reliable machines. This type of equipment also ensures that the roads are properly graded at all times and have proper drainage. Since motor graders maintain the roads that are used to transport material around the mining site, they are crucial for ensuring efficient mining operations. 

Draglines

These are huge excavators with a bucket that collects material from the ground and dumps it elsewhere on the site. Draglines are used a lot in surface mining as they can move and prepare the surface. These excavators are great for the job as they create less emissions than other removal methods and can also cut into high walls and remove material.