Things are rapidly changing in the rock crushing business, so it is important that people in the industry stay abreast of what’s happening. That was the aim of the seminar recently held at the Fitchburg, Mass., facilities of Whitney and Son.
Approximately 40 people participated in two separate workshops (Feb. 19 to 20 and 21 to 22) on rock crushing, sponsored by Metso, one of the primary manufacturers of crushers in the world.
“There is always turnaround in personnel and an evolution in the machinery, so there is always a need for training,” explained Billy Dickerson, one of the Metso trainers.
He and Seth Wheeler conduct approximately 30 of these training sessions every year throughout North America and Scandinavia. Metso is a Finnish company with manufacturing plants located on every continent. This is the second time Metso has joined forces with Whitney and Son at its Fitchburg facilities.
Installation, jaw die removal and adjusting engine speed were just some of the topics discussed on the first morning of the session.
There are certain procedures that must be followed when operating crushers. For example, the crusher must be kept in a level position while the operator drives the machine (five degrees from side to side and 15 degrees from front to back).
Safety, Dickerson said, also was something that was especially important for people operating the machinery, even though many people tend to simply gloss over that part of the training.