Ore miner Evrazruda JSC (part of Evraz Group) has been trying to implement the new grinders meant for foreign crown bits.

According to the company’s spokesperson, three Sandvik grinders are currently used in Sheregeshskaya and Kazskaya mines. The iron ore in the deposits the company is mining is particularly hard, so having properly sharpened tools always at hand is a big issue.

Evrazruda JSC decided to use foreign crown bits and rods as early as 2004, so the produce of Sandvik, a Swedish company, was chosen after various types of equipment had been tested. Sandvik supplied about 5,000 pintle crown bits and over 1,600 drill rods in 2005.

A production line will soon be set up to ensure the proper grinding and equipment maintenance, which is predicted to reduce blasthole-drilling costs. The final decision will depend on the success of Sandvik grinders that have to be delivered in the end of March 2006.