Mobile Fleet

Norbar plays an invaluable part in getting the off road fleet of equipment going – and keeping it going.  Norbar wrenches are commonly used in the factories of the major equipment manufacturers and then again when the equipment arrives at the site for final assembly.

The most common applications are wheel bolting, track bolting and dozer wear plate bolting. All of these can be completed with ease and accuracy using Norbar’s PneuTorque® pneumatic torque wrenches.  Often, special nose extensions or reaction arms are required and these can be purpose designed where a specific application has not been covered before.

Static Equipment

Any mining or mineral refining site will have abundant need for accurate torque control.  Applications where equipment failure can result in down-time costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per day drive home the need to bolt correctly every time.

A classic example of this is mill liner bolting.  Traditionally used impact wrenches lack the required torque control to reliably attach the mill liners, and have serious health and safety implications for operators due to extended periods of exposure to noise and vibration.  Norbar PneuTorques provide smooth, continuous and controllable torque with low noise and exceptionally low vibration levels and are now a popular choice for mill liner bolting.

Due to the extremely demanding nature of the environment in which the mill liner bolt functions, a further stage of validation is often employed.  Using ultrasound, Norbar’s USM-3 can accurately establish the tension in the bolt by measuring the bolt extension due to the tightening process.  The USM-3 has been laboratory and field proven to be the most accurate, reliable and cost effective solution to bolting failures which could place workers at risk, lead to lost production and cause damage to capital equipment.

Flange bolting is another application where PneuTorques can demonstrate their outstanding combination of accurate torque control and low noise and vibration.  However, for low height applications hydraulic torque wrenches will often be the preferred method of bolting.  Norbar offers both Square Drive Series “NSD” and Hex Link Series “NHCL” hydraulic wrenches, specifically designed for extremely low height access applications.  Our robust and lightweight aluminium body completely encloses the drive train keeping the crucial lubricant inside the tool while significantly reducing the opportunity for contamination from the outside elements.

Hydraulic Ram Benches

Keeping hydraulic equipment maintained in good working order is fundamental to the smooth running of any mine site.  PneuTorque® pneumatic wrenches have proved outstanding in the application of releasing and re-tightening the gland nut on the rod assembly of hydraulic cylinders.  On the largest equipment, the gland nut release torque is sometimes in excess of 100,000 N•m and this fact has resulted in the development of Norbar’s largest PneuTorque®, the 300,000 N•m output PT18.

Valve Actuation

The combination of speed, lightness, low noise, reduced vibration and torque control makes PneuTorque® wrenches ideal for many non-bolting applications.  Of these applications, it is in the field of valve actuation and valve grinding in the alumina refining industry that PneuTorques have so far had the biggest impact.  Two speed tools have proved the most popular as they provide rapid opening and closing of the valve together with high torque for grinding the caustic deposit that accumulates on the valve seat.  However, it is not just in the alumina refining industry that PneuTorques are used for valve actuation.  The actuation of water valves and gas valves are now common applications.

Engineer To Order Product Service

The diverse needs of the mining and mineral refining industry mean that Norbar’s standard products are not always suitable.  This is particularly true with regard to difficult to reach bolts; for example, deeply recessed wheel bolts.  Very often, specially designed reaction arms or nose extensions are essential.  Norbar therefore offers an Engineer to Order service that spans a range from modified reaction arms through to one off tools or measurement systems.

If you have a unique or bespoke requirement that cannot be catered for using standard Norbar product then please enquire about the Engineer to Order service to discuss your requirements:

E. sales@norbar.com T. 01295 753 600

Sales Literature

07511 Mining & Refining Industry Sales Leaflet

ETO Project Information Sheets