Terex Washing Systems officially launch Aggresand

On 5 September Terex Washing System’s (TWS) officially launched Aggresand, their newest modular aggregate and sand washing plant. The modular wash plant brings together aggregate and sand washing on one modular chassis, producing three aggregates and two sands on one machine.

The official unveiling and live demonstration took place at Dowling Quarries, Abbeyleix as part of the TWS Annual Dealer Forum held at the Heritage Golf & Spa Resort, Killenard, Co.Laois, Ireland.

More than 40 TWS distributors from around the world attended the exclusive premiere event, where they saw for the first time ever a live demonstration of the Aggresand modular plant. TWS report that the reaction to the new plant has been remarkable to date and enquiries resulting from the event have been phenomenal.

Elaine Donaghy, marketing manager of TWS, commented: ‘TWS are delighted to officially launch the Aggresand washing plant after what has been an eagerly awaited event for TWS distributors and customers. Following the event, we are already witnessing a huge surge of enquiries. The Aggresand plant will undoubtedly set TWS apart from other providers in the market, and this particular system will revolutionize the wash plant market by continuing to serve our customers’ needs around the world.’

The main objective in developing the Aggresand plant was to meet customers’ needs for a modular system that can efficiently wash and produce multiple aggregates and sands within one machine. The Aggresand plant’s design achieves this by providing a throughput capacity of 250 tonnes/h as well as having a quick set-up time allowing the plant to be erected in one day. Through the expertise of dedicated TWS engineers, the newest modular plant is also designed for efficient transport by fitting into six shipping containers. During the packing process at the TWS factory the containers are loaded and arranged in a specific manner to help speed up installation time once on site. A quick set-up time is also achieved through essential ‘plug and play’ plumbing/pipework and electrical wiring, compared to traditional methods where this work is carried out onsite after installation.

The first Aggresand machine is currently working in Dowling’s Quarry, Abbeyleix, Co.Laois, where it is processing glacier sand and gravel material formed during the ice age.

Quarry owner, Humphrey Dowling, commented: ‘We are delighted to be the first quarry to install and operate the world’s first ever Aggresand, which truly is a superb wash plant. This plant replaced an older Terex wash plant that was installed 13 years ago and so far I am very impressed with the functionality of the Aggresand. The plant arrived on site and was installed in approximately 10 hours. I like the idea of the modular aspect, allowing it to be moved to another site later. The throughput currently being achieved on the plant is excellent and the quality of the aggregates and sands being produced is very impressive. The high-performance two-deck vibrating grid allows us to feed material directly from the face of the quarry, at 200mm, large material is scalped off while the minus 50mm material goes straight into the wash plant. This eliminates the need for expensive pre-screening of the feed material.’

The Aggresand plant at Dowling’s Quarry is fitted with a 12ft double-deck vibrating grid with 100mm bofor bars and 50mm woven wire mesh, this particular plant separates 0-40mm to the wash plant that gives three aggregate materials and two sands. Reject material from the live head is stockpiled and later crushed when accumulated into 50,000-tonne stockpiles and then crushed into 6f2 material by a Terex crusher.

On the bottom deck the <50mm product is delivered by the feeder belt to a 1,000mm wide electrically driven inclined feed belt. This wide conveyor is fitted with an integral wash box to pre-soak the material and deliver the material to the full width of the screen thus utilizing the full screening area. The 16ft x 5ft (4.9m x 1.5m) three-deck screen is electrically driven producing an aggressive 6mm throw and is fitted with eight individually controlled spray bars on each deck.

The sized and rinsed aggregates produced by the screen are stockpiled on three integral 9m stockpilers. The dual sand plant includes two rubber-lined centrifugal pumps and two heavy-duty rubber-lined cyclones which remove silt (<75 micron). The silt-free sand is delivered to a split 12x5 screen to produce two grades of dewatered (12% moisture) silt-free sand. The sand stockpilers are radial powered through electrical wheel drives and have a stockpiling capacity of 350m3.  The end products are used as follows: 6-14mm, 14-22mm, 22-40mm. The 0-3mm sand is used for plastering and block making, the 0-5mm sand is used in the production of concrete. Overall there is zero waste from the plant and minimum sand being lost to ponds.

Mr Dowling added: ‘From the initial engagement with TWS through to the final launch event the entire team has been efficient and professional. The quality of the construction and design of this plant as well as the excellent manufacture quality was instantly recognizable. I particularly like the modular design and the control system, which is the most advanced and user friendly I have seen on any wash plant. The Aggresand has been working effectively for us at the quarry since the installation and is producing a top-class quality of aggregates and sand.’

Commenting on his favorite feature of the plant, Mr Dowling said: ‘My favorite feature on the entire plant is the radial sand stockpiling conveyors which provide great capacity and save on re-handling. The sand is also coming off the conveyors extremely dry. I also like the hydraulic operation of the feeder and the vibrating grid which works well and gives great levels of control. I can safely say the Aggresand compares to nothing else currently on the market.’

John Hamm, plant operator, at Dowling’s Quarry added: ‘The plant is a dream to operate. Initially, I was apprehensive about the advanced control system, however this was quickly addressed once I had the opportunity to use and familiarize myself with the system. The control panel is extremely user friendly and provides a simple interface, while at the same time being very effective and offering full control of the plant remotely, for example the ability to radial the sand conveyors from the cab is an excellent feature. I was also impressed by the construction of the machine and level of access for service to pumps and screens.’

After speaking to some of the distributors who attended the event, TWS UK distributor, DUO plc’s Fintan McKeever, commented: ‘I am extremely impressed by the build quality and features of the machine and really believe that this is a world class machine with nothing comparable on the market. I am confident it will serve my market particularly well.’

Giuro Kralev from Powerscreen, Bulgaria, commented: ‘I can witness at first hand the excellent job of TWS at this fantastic showcase. The Aggresand is an extremely good concept for washing, with the ability to produce five products, including two sands. I am amazed by the quality and build of this unique machine, which demonstrates what washing should be. I really believe it will be a good product for our market.’

Sean Loughran, director of TWS, added: ‘The Aggresand washing plant is already proving to be a market leader based on enquires and demand following the initial soft launch back in March at Bauma Germany and this has grown exponentially following the official launch event at the beginning of September. The Aggresand plant definitely serves our customers various demands and needs worldwide and will continue to meet and exceed customer expectations. This machine is the first in a line of planned modular plants to be released over the coming 24 months that will quite simply change the very nature of how aggregates and minerals are washed and managed throughout the world.’