Longwall Shearers

Taking the Shearer to the Next Level Your shearer is the most critical part of your longwall production process. That’s why high-performance longwall operations demand shearers that deliver the highest productivity, availability and reliability. Cat® shearers were always designed to meet these demands. But Caterpillar has taken them to the next level. Survival of the Fittest To do this, we invested heavily in refining our successful range of shearers. We started by reviewing and analyzing all more recent shearer installations and setting goals to improve productivity, availability and reliability....

Key Improvements Cat shearers incorporate numerous new features and benefits. These are presented in the following pages by category. The key improvements include: • Extremely powerful PMC™ Evo-S control system with state-of-the-art Ethernet communication • Improved innovative downdrive design • Ranging arm with longer service life • Further development of the modular haulage and electrical control box • Enhanced power pack with easy access • Online vibration monitoring with VibraGuard™ • Clear wiring and use of plug and play for easy maintenance • Trapping Shoe Ix (Insert Exchange) for longer...

Mainframe made for Muscle... The unique mainframe of the Cat shearer is one of its key features. The fabricated structure of the mainframe with cast ranging-arm hinge points results in an extremely robust design not only to meet the toughest mining conditions and ensure reliability and long service life, but also to handle even higher cutting and haulage forces in the future. The mainframe of the EL3000 is designed to allow retrofit of 1 200 kW (1,930 hp) ranging arms and 200 kW (320 hp) haulage units. A split mainframe is available in case of transportation limitations. Benefits: • High structural...

Innovative Trapping Shoe Trapping shoes attach the shearer to the haulage rack system, part of the armored face conveyor, allowing the shearer to be hauled up and down the face. A new type of trapping shoe developed by Caterpillar – the Trapping Shoe Ix – offers numerous advantages over the conventional design: • Greater safety and ease of handling during replacement • Faster replacement • Greater flexibility • Longer service life • Lower operating costs The patent-pending Trapping Shoe Ix continues the Caterpillar principle of designing products with separate structural and wear parts to allow...

Power for the Toughest Mining Conditions Our shearers cover a wide range of cutting heights and mining conditions. They have installed cutting power to provide world-class production in the toughest mining conditions: The EL3000 with a cutting power of up to 860 kW (1,380 hp) and the EL2000 with up to 750 kW (or 1,200 hp). A new 1 200 kW (1,930 hp) ranging arm is under development and can be retrofitted to existing EL3000 shearers during rebuild. • High levels of installed power available in each class • Cutting depth of 0.85 m and 1.0 m • A range of cutter motors available to suit all mining...

Modular Haulage System Caterpillar has further developed its modular haulage concept with increased power rating, gear rating, bearing life and redundancy, leading to longer overhaul intervals based on typical usage. The haulage system is a simple design capable of achieving cutting speeds of up to 32 m/min (105 ft/min), with improved reliability and longer service life. The fully modular haulage gearbox is located in the shearer mainframe and does not form part of the shearer structure. The haulage system offers: • Simple construction, improved reliability and longer service life • Fully proven...

Tested for Reliability Downtime is extremely expensive for operators – costs continue to add up while nothing is produced. This is why Caterpillar ensures that our superbly engineered shearers are up to the job. That’s why each shearer design – which is optimized for maximum availability – is subjected to rigorous in-house testing to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises when units are in service. Shearer production quality assurance falls into three main categories: lubrication verification, endurance block load testing and production load testing. Lubrication Verification Haulage unit...

Shearer in the last manufacturing stage getting tested before delivery to customer site Production Load Testing Proven Productivity After successful endurance block load testing, the same test rigs are used to carry out production load testing of all ranging arms and haulage units. The test gradually increases the load up to full load. All temperatures and vibration points are monitored during the test, and oil samples are again collected for analysis. This extensive range of tests ensures the highest possible availability of shearers in service and maximum return on investment for your longwall...

Unparalleled Control Industry-leading Automation from the Pioneer of State-based Automation Caterpillar has developed a state-of-the-art distributed automation system for the control, monitoring and protection of the shearer. Its modular design allows it to be configured to meet individual control needs, from basic monitoring and protection to advanced automation and data transmission. The PMC™ Evo-S control system with state-of-the-art Ethernet communication and backup functionality allows the shearer to be operated even if the overall control system is not functioning. In 2002, StateBased Automation...

The Net is the Control The shearer control system uses a state-of-the-art Ethernet bus, resulting in a drastic reduction in wiring and a huge increase in flexibility. There are no interfacing problems, as equipment connected to the network only needs to be able to communicate via Internet Protocol. Commissioning, maintenance, upgrades and troubleshooting are much easier and faster, and equipment is self-configuring. The few cables that are used are standard Ethernet cables rather than application-specific cables – cutting costs and simplifying spare parts inventories. Flameproof housings are...