Archive: Sep 2013

As Everyone Is Going for Gold Again, Conveyors (and Clutches) Keep Things Moving

Leave a Comment

Demand for gold is on the rise again around the world, and this demand is driving an increase in gold mining activities. Everyone seems to be going for gold! Recent news reports talk about the global gold mining push and growing demand:

  • “Gold fever” is striking Asia again: The countries of India, China and Thailand are the world’s three largest consumers of gold, together representing more than 60% of the global gold market.
  • The Dominican Republic’s gross domestic product expanded 2.8 percent in the second quarter of this year, and this growth was attributed to the opening of the country’s biggest gold mine.
  • In the U.S., gold prices bounced back after the government shutdown earlier this month, as new investors see lots of opportunity in gold.

All mining operations, including gold mining, rely on heavy machinery and equipment to explore, extract, break and move minerals through various processing phases. In gold mining, basically, there are three phases: extraction, separation and refining. After extraction of the ore, ball crushers and mills pulverize and separate gold and sulfides. Beyond the ball crushers and mills, the gold goes through several processing phases to eventual refinement. Just about every step in the gold mining process relies on conveyors to move the raw materials, and clutches are needed to keep conveyors – and gold mining operations, in general – running smoothly, from extraction, to distribution and packaging.

BLM Automatic clutches keep conveyors moving in any industry where material handling is involved, including the mining industries. We design and manufacture many types of centrifugal clutches for both large and small applications. They’re not just for gold mining operations, but BLM Automatic centrifugal clutches are considered the “gold standard” in all industries.