The latest in a long line of innovative vertical shaft impact (VSI) crusher designs produced by Pilot Crushtec International was recently purchased by Kimberley based crushing specialist OMV Crushers.

The Twister VS350 VSI was bought to produce road stone, a particularly challenging application as it is critical that the end-product conforms to exacting specifications in respect of both shape and particle size distribution.

Oranje Mynbou and Vervoer is a company with decades of experience in producing high quality construction aggregates and ready mixed concrete at their numerous operations. When looking for a new crusher, OMV had to look no further than Pilot Crushtec International, who has a long standing history (celebrating 25 years in 2015) manufacturing in-house, market leading crushing & screening equipment.

According to Pilot Crushtec International CEO Sandro Scherf, two major factors influenced the purchase.

“Important upgrades recently introduced to the product’s specification have made the design increasingly user-friendly, both in terms of day-to-day operations as well as time-saving innovations to reduce down-time during routine maintenance procedures,” he says.

Scherf cites important features, including a quickly removable bearing cartridge, the introduction of rubber mountings to dampen vibration, the addition of an on-board hydraulic hoist to facilitate easy rotor removal as well as a number of dust control measures.

OMV managing director Laurens Goudriaan is well pleased with the new acquisition which, owing to the characteristics of the Pilot Modular design concept, fitted seamlessly into an existing crushing train.

“The Twister has already completed more than 500 hours of operation trouble-free and is producing products in line with our customer’s specifications. We are using the VSI to produce both a 19mm and a 13mm product from a variety of stockpile materials available from our quarries,” says Goudriaan.

He adds that an additional factor is the consistently high standard after sales service and support rendered by Pilot Crushtec International following his initial purchase of a large mobile cone crusher in 2012.

Features at a glance

The Twister VS350 VSI crusher is a semi-mobile, heavy duty skid mounted crusher designed for use in tertiary and quaternary crushing operations. It has the ability to create cubically shaped, high quality aggregate from an extensive range of materials. The Twister VS350 has also been designed to deliver a wide range of sand qualities, including bituminous, mortar and plaster sand, and high quality concrete sand.

Its relatively low purchase price and modest running costs also position the Twister VS350 as a versatile product that can be used for a wide range of industrial applications, including the processing of industrial minerals, pre-ball mill size reduction and the increasingly important role of glass recycling.

Depending on the material application and the selected choice of crushing technique (rock on rock or rock on metal), the Twister VS350 VSI can deliver product at a rate of up to 400 tonnes an hour.