December 15th, 2014 – Santasalo has been awarded the contract to supply a design upgrade D-Series gear unit for an underground conveyor application at Agnico Eagles’ LaRonde gold mine in Canada. The order, which was placed by Canadian Bearings of Val-d’Or Quebec, is the first order placed of this design specification, establishing a new power range for Santasalo’s three stage bevel-helical conveyor series gear drive.
The Agnico Eagle LaRonde gold mine is located in the Abitibi region in northwestern Quebec and a recent expansion and upgrade project has taken place in order to increase the mine’s life expectancy to 2025. This includes a new underground conveyor system to convey mined ore to the 2.2km deep mine lift hoist which will bring the ore to the surface for further processing at the plant.
Santasalo’s gear unit was selected as the most reliable technology for the tough conditions surrounding this application along with the operational experience of the business. The Santasalo D-Series helical gear unit will be mounted on a swing base and directly connected to the conveyor pulley shaft via our Zapalex ridged flange coupling.
“This project has helped us build a strong relationship with our partner, Canadian Bearings, and also assisted in promoting our brand image with a key mining/producing company like Agnico Eagle,” said Joe Sitta, Director of Capital Sales Americas.