Experts praise new Lekatech Electric Hammer
New hammer put through its paces in onerous field tests with two experienced operators
SAID to represent a major advance in hammer design and construction, the new Lekatech Electric Hammer is built for operator comfort, economy and high productivity. Light in weight and powered by new and patented linear electric motor technology, the hammer is said to deliver high power but with reduced vibrations, emissions and operating costs.
According to Finnish manufacturers Lekatech Oy, the Electric Hammer is set to transform rock breaking operations in quarries and construction sites globally, and in order to get the hammer design just right, the company undertook field trials at Seepsula Quarry, in Finland, with the help of two of the country’s most experienced hammer operators.
‘The Lekatech Electric Hammer is highly efficient and has a power-to-weight ratio superior to similar traditionally powered hammers,’ explained Lekatech’s chief executive officer, Antti Anttila. ‘Moreover, it is coming to market at the same time as electric excavators and is thus a natural partner for electric-powered equipment and the ideal choice when working in zero- or low-emission areas.
‘However, before we introduced it to the market, we wanted to be sure that its design and features were as good as we thought they were. That’s why we undertook such onerous field testing.’
Lekatech chose Seepsula Quarry, located close to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, and two highly experienced hammer operators for the field testing. The large and extensive quarry is well known as the leading aggregate supplier in southern Finland. Moreover, the experience of the quarry and equipment operators at Seepsula in using modern breaking equipment to help produce a variety of aggregates was seen by Lekatech as essential when it came to development and refinement of their new Electric Hammer.
To generate useful feedback on the hammer, choosing the operators was as important as choosing the right site. They had to be experienced and knowledgeable in order to channel their experiences of the hammer back to Lekatech.
The two operators selected for the field tests have extensive experience in hammering applications. Tatu Lehmuskoski is chief executive officer of earthworks specialists Laitilan Linnee, but from time to time can still be found sitting in an excavator working at the sharp end. The other operator, Jasper Kultanen, works for the Suomen Räjäytyslouhinta, who specialize in blasting and secondary breaking.
During the field tests both operators used the Lekatech Electric Hammer to break granite boulders measuring approximately 1m3 in size.
Commenting on his experience, Mr Lehmuskoski said: ‘At the beginning, I was really surprised because operator comfort was better than I expected. Also, I’m used to bigger hammers but there was a lot of power, even though it was a rather small hammer. All in all, the testing was a very positive experience.’
Mr Lehmuskoski was also particularly impressed by the noise and vibration levels, which he said were lower than with traditional hammers.
Likewise, Jasper Kultanen´s was very impressed with the Electric Hammer. He said: ‘The hammer starts quicker, and full power is available immediately, unlike with traditional hammers.’
One thing that did surprise him was the hammer’s controllability. ‘The controllability is really good,’ he remarked. ‘You can operate the excavator engine at low idling; the power of the hammer is not dependent on the engine revs. This is very good for non-experienced operators.’
He continued: ‘The hammer does not kick back to the excavator; I think the idle blow prevention system helps. Also, starting the electric hammer is like starting an electric car, with no delays and full power available immediately. Low noise and vibration levels were also positive surprises, and the power seemed to be quite good considering the size of the hammer.’
Pleased with the positive feedback from the operators, Antti Anttila said: ‘The Lekatech Electric hammer is purpose built and designed with operator comfort in mind. It has been built to deliver 70% better efficiency than hydraulic hammers, and to have double the impact energy and 98% less oil consumption. These benefits were highlighted during our field testing, and the positive feedback we received from Tatu and Jasper reinforces our belief that we have a game-changing revolutionary development.’
