Craven Fawcett, a company that specialises in the design and manufacture of a full portfolio of clay preparation machinery, recently completed a major gearbox replacement, installation and maintenance contract for a global mineral company.
Craven Fawcett manufactured the new gearbox in its factory in Wakefield, which included producing new gears and gearbox components, the majority of which were precision-engineered in-house. It was then assembled, before being delivered to the customer’s premises in Europe.
Credit: Craven Fawcett
Craven Fawcett Replacement Gearbox - Lifting the new gearbox into place
A new and upgraded Centaur 510 Extruder (Hybrid model) was manufactured, replacing the previously reconditioned machine supplied by Craven Fawcett. Heavy use and the associated wear and tear resulted in the original gearbox requiring a major upgrade.
The Extruder was located directly below a filter cake press, providing a major logistical challenge for the site team. It was part of a production line for China clay, which the company processes into a fine powder and is used as a raw material in the manufacture of ceramics, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products.
The Craven Fawcett Service Team was on site for a week to provide full logistical support and undertake the installation, which included the removal of the clutch and pulley from the existing gearbox and integrating it into the new gearbox. The gearbox was then lifted into position, and the service team carried out alignment checks and full commissioning before dry testing the machine to ensure efficiency.
Gavin Richardson, Service Manager at Craven Fawcett, explains: “This project involved close collaboration between our production and service teams to ensure the gearbox matched the customer’s exact requirements and could be installed quickly and efficiently. We have extensive experience in managing machine refurbishment, installation projects, maintenance, and service programmes, whether that be Craven Fawcett or other manufacturers’ equipment. The project was completed on time, and the Extruder was fully operational after a short commissioning period.”
Craven Fawcett has worked with this leading mineral processor for many years. The partnership has included the manufacture of capital equipment, ranging from clay preparation machines to extruders, and the provision of full support, servicing, refurbishment, and repairs.
Craven Fawcett is the UK’s largest manufacturer of clay preparation and brick manufacturing machinery, a division of Group Rhodes, and is committed to manufacturing first-class, design-led engineering solutions geared directly toward producing state-of-the-art machinery for the heavy clayworking industry.