Product optimisation for COMEC-Binder s.l.r.
The Austrian-Italian company COMEC-Binder S.r.l., based in Venetia, is a specialist manufacturer of machines and systems for processing mineral raw materials using crushing, screening and dewatering technologies. During the academic year 2014/15, students on the Master’s programme in Engineering and Production Management examined the company’s production lines for ways of optimising the technology.
COMEC’s machines and systems are used in the mining and recycling industries to process construction materials and aggregates, for example by crushing - an essential step in treating mineral materials. Consequently, the crushers manufactured by COMEC must be as reliable and wear-resistant as possible, even under the harshest operating conditions.
Optimisation and innovation
During the academic year 2014/15, a total of five project groups comprising students on the Engineering and Production Management programme analysed various COMEC product lines for optimisation and innovation potentials. One of the project goals was to add a new model of high-performance single toggle jaw crusher to the product range, and to develop a fully-adjustable hydraulic gap setting for the whole product line. An automatic filter cloth cleaner had to be developed for the filter press production line, and the structural mechanics and production engineering of the press frame construction had to be optimised.
Improvements go into serial production
The FH JOANNEUM student teams used modern CAD and calculation tools in their work. Powerful kinematic and FEA simulation tools were used to optimise the frame construction. The students were positive about the results. “The project offered us insights into a new branch of industry, established professional contacts with the Italian market leader in this sector, and allowed us to deepen our technical knowledge,” one group summed up. The results of their projects are being gradually incorporated into serial production at COMEC.