How long does it take to build the latest generation ‘Omega’ Dragline Bucket?

Only eight weeks, according to Theo Ferreira, Optimum site manager for Parson Engineering Pty Ltd.

Parson Engineering is the licensed manufacturer of SIMCO’s range of Mining Products in South Africa and also the authorised distributor.

The ‘Omega’ Dragline Bucket recently constructed by Parson Engineering is a 60 metre class Bucket capable of moving up to 135 tonnes of material in each load!

Now finished, this impressive Bucket is soon to be fitted to Glencore/Xstrata Optimum Mine’s M8200 Dragline.

Optimum is located North of Johannesburg in the heart of the Middleburg mining region. Optimum Mine is one of South Africa’s largest thermal coal producers, and the “Omega” Dragline Bucket, no doubt, will help make this happen even more efficiently and economically.

The “Omega” Dragline Bucket has been carefully engineered using the latest in software systems Finite Element Analysis (FEA), using this high powered sophisticated piece of software allowed SIMCO Mining Products and Services Australia the ability to fully FEA a whole bucket for mechanically integrity and fatigue life.

For the last eight years Parsons Engineering has been manufacturing Caterpillar Dragline Buckets for Optimum Colliery. Possessing significant experience in the mining and manufacturing industry and a long-standing reputation for proven processes and procedures, with the highest-quality workmanship, it was for those reasons we selected Parson Engineering to undertake the welding and fabrication of the ‘Omega’ Dragline Bucket, stated Martin Simpson, Managing Director of SIMCO Mining Products and Services.

Coupled with the delivery of the latest generation “Omega” Dragline Bucket design to Glencore/Xstrata Optimum Mine SIMCO Mining Products and Services will also be delivering it’s latest generation Dragline Bucket Rigging package aimed at reducing Downtime, increasing Productivity and reducing Costs.

“Improvements such as these will only further enhance the performance of the “Omega” Dragline Bucket’s performance” Mr Simpson said.