Proven durability: No insert detachment. No fractures. No compromises.
Background
Faced with a customer challenge of stabilizing operations at a concentrator plant with a 40×29-foot SAG mill and two 27×49-foot ball mills, ME Elecmetal collaborated with site personnel to conduct a validation test of the new ME PolyLight liner configuration. Initially, the SAG mill was fitted with 30 cast SMX discharge lifters. While the SMX liners met durability and performance expectations, ME Elecmetal sought an innovative solution to better absorb drastic operational fluctuations.
Proposed Solution
The proposed solution was the ME PolyLight design — a hybrid concept combining a robust cast lifter with a ME PolyFIT™ plate. ME PolyLight™ combines a high-strength cast lifter with a resilient ME PolyFIT® plate, delivering the perfect balance of toughness, flexibility, and sustainability. It's the best of both worlds — cast durability and rubber flexibility — engineered to perform under pressure.
Implementation
To tackle the unstable operational challenges, ME Elecmetal replaced the SMX lifters with the ME PolyLight solution. Featuring a plate with rolled steel inserts paired with a cast lifter section, the design provided enhanced impact resistance while maintaining the original mill volume — avoiding the need for thicker, heavier liners.
Benefits
The PolyLight design is a hybrid solution developed as an alternative to the SMX design, aimed at providing reliability to liners by incorporating a component that better absorbs operational changes. Specifically, it is a cast device, manufactured by ME Elecmetal, attached to a rubber component, combining the benefits of cast products and ME PolyFIT® in terms of cost and wear rates, while being fully recyclable. Main Benefits:
Lower Effective Cost
By extending liner life and improving operational stability, the ME PolyLight design drives down the overall cost of production.
Recyclability
Both cast components and ME PolyFIT™ materials are incorporated into ME Elecmetal's circularity initiatives, ensuring environmental responsibility.
Reliability
Engineered to absorb operational variability, the hybrid design leverages the toughness of cast lifters and the resilience of ME PolyFIT® to protect critical high-impact areas.
Results
Over a 199-day test, during which 16.89 million tons of material were processed, the ME PolyLight solution delivered:
- A 17% reduction in wear rates.
- No insert detachment or fractures observed in cast elements.
- Successful absorption of operational variability without compromising liner integrity or requiring unplanned maintenance.
- Demonstrated that enhanced durability can be achieved without reducing internal mill volume.
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