Productivity boost for Pattison Sand

Weir Minerals deliver custom-designed plant for unique sand and gravel operation in the US

PATTISON Sand, a family-owned sand and aggregates company based in Iowa, in the US, produce a diverse range of products to service several industries, including infrastructure and construction.

After successfully using a number of Weir Minerals’ products at their site, Pattison Sand desired a custom-designed plant capable of producing more than seven materials: concrete stone, roadstone and base material, asphalt stone, asphalt chips, railroad ballast and manufactured sand – a challenging demand given that most aggregates sites in the region typically focus on producing only a few products.

‘We are very close to Pattison Sand, and spend a lot of time with them on site brainstorming ideas and working together. When they have a problem, we work tirelessly to find a solution that fits their needs and enables them to service their end market efficiently,’ said Eric Jones, global service director of Comminution Aftermarket for Weir Minerals.

‘When Pattison Sand presented the ambitious plan for their sand plant, our integrated solutions team worked with them to make it a reality.’

The unique facility, comprising both an underground and s surface mine, is located on the Mississippi river. Processing highly abrasive materials combined with the physical diversity of the site presented a number of technical and engineering challenges.

With a demanding timeline of three months to deliver and commission the plant, Weir Minerals’ Integrated Solutions team was determined to meet Pattison Sand’s exacting requirements.

‘We develop these solutions with Weir Minerals through a lot of trials, successes and failures, and end up getting the results that we need to continue to survive in the marketplace,’ explained Chance Harvey, director of Engineering at Pattison Sand.

‘A lot of the options that other equipment manufacturers supply are standard and by the book, but Weir Minerals have the ability to work with us to create solutions for our individual issues.’

The site has a unique rail load-out setup whereby product is dispatched to customers as soon as gradation and quality data is approved. This meant Pattison Sand needed an efficient, dependable plant to meet stringent delivery requirements.

To make Pattison Sand’s vision a reality, Weir Minerals supplied a number of products to create two primary and secondary crushing stations. These included a Trio TF5220 vibrating grizzly feeder, two Trio EF3603 pan feeders and two Trio TP450 cone crushers. Trio scalping, incline and wet incline screens and as well as a Trio TSW4432 fine material washer were also supplied.

Full training and support was provided, with Weir Minerals regularly on site to help Pattison Sand optimize their entire process and achieve the desired result.

The flexibility of the custom-built plant has allowed Pattison Sand to operate more efficiently, exceed production targets and increase their product range. Since commissioning the plant, Pattison Sand has been able to produce 500–800 tonnes of consistently high-quality aggregate material per hour, which equates to around 2.5 million raw tonnes annually. Four hoppers provide a load-out rate of 500 tonnes/h, allowing Pattison Sand to produce a diverse range of products and still meet demanding customer delivery schedules.

‘When customers purchase Trio products they are buying years of experience from people within an organization that is dedicated to the industry and its customers,’ said Eric Jones. ‘We constantly strive to be closer to our customers. It’s not always perfect, but we work through projects together and are honest with each other. It’s that transparency and working with customers such as Pattison Sand which really drives the end solution.’

Visit www.problemsolved.weir to watch a video showcasing this project and how it operates.