CPS was contracted by Rio Tinto to provide all design, engineering and manufacturing requirements for the idler package. The Silvergrass Project included multiple conveyors of 900–1,800mm in width and 1,350mm 8km ultra-high-tolerance belt, which required frames to be designed to a ±0.5mm tolerance after galvanising. The total idler package for the project included ~19,000 rollers and ~6,000 frames. 

Value Delivered

CPS utilised Polyurethane Disc Rollers on the return side of the belt to optimise roller selection and optimised the seal arrangement to lower the rim drag. The CPS team also utilised FEA frame design to optimise frame strength and life.

CPS Polyurethane Composite Disc Rollers are specifically designed by CPS to provide a safe and reliable solution when dealing with return rollers on the underside of the belt. These rollers are manufactured using highly wear-resistant polyurethane discs, reducing roller weight by up to 45%.

Roller design, engineering and manufacturing were all conducted at the CPS Welshpool facility. Frame design and engineering were completed by the CPS Engineering Team in Welshpool, with the fabrication work completed by a sub-contractor.

CPS took 22 weeks to design, engineer and manufacture the idler package for the project—delivering conveyor performance under the stipulated power demand requirements set out in project specifications.