Protecting Your Mining Operation: Essential Chemical Solutions for Equipment Longevity
Mining operations face some of the harshest conditions in industrial America. From underground coal mines to open-pit aggregate operations, equipment endures constant bombardment from abrasive materials that can destroy machinery worth millions of dollars.
Whether you're mining precious metals or operating a gravel pit, the challenge remains the same: how do you protect expensive equipment from the relentless wear that comes with moving massive quantities of abrasive materials from point A to point B?
At Lawson, we understand that downtime in mining isn't just costly—it can shut down entire operations for months. That's why our specialized chemical solutions are designed to extend equipment life, provide emergency repairs, and keep your operation running when failure isn't an option.
The Mega Ceramics Line: Your First Defense Against Abrasive Wear
The Mega Ceramics product family offers a comprehensive approach to equipment protection in the most demanding environments. This four-product lineup—Mega Tech, Mega C, Mega C Microbead, and Mega-Quick Steel—consists of advanced protective coatings that serve as sacrificial layers to absorb punishment so your equipment doesn't have to.
These ceramic compounds create a barrier between your valuable equipment and the constant sandblasting effect of moving materials. Whether it's coal dust, sand, or gravel, these coatings protect pipelines, conveyors, chutes, and processing equipment from the steady erosion that would otherwise require frequent, expensive replacements.
Mega Tech delivers ultra-pure, silicon-based ceramic protection in a thick, creamy epoxy coating that applies effortlessly by brush—even on vertical or overhead surfaces. Its smooth, high-gloss finish not only provides superior abrasion resistance but also reduces cavitation and material buildup while increasing flow efficiency. It can be multi-coated to any thickness for superior protection against rust, corrosion, chemicals, and solvents. Mega Tech creates a durable barrier that enhances both equipment protection and operational performance.
Mega C features larger ceramic beads specifically engineered to resist sliding abrasion from fine particles. This dense matrix of ceramic beads combined with silicon carbide particles creates exceptional durability for air and slurry conveyed media. The formulation works effectively on vertical surfaces, feathers to a smooth edge, and provides long-lasting protection for critical components like pump housings, transition points, cyclones, induced-draft fans, hoppers, and sluiceways.
Mega C Microbead utilizes smaller ceramic beads and silicon carbide particles to create an even denser, more durable matrix with superior hardness (88-92 Shore D). This advanced formulation excels at resisting sliding abrasion from fine particles and slurry-conveyed media while creating a flawless finish. It adheres seamlessly to vertical surfaces, feathers to smooth edges, and provides extended equipment life for critical components like pump housings, ducts, and cyclones where precision protection is essential.
Mega Quick Steel rounds out the family with steel-filled polymer and rapid-repair capabilities for emergency situations where downtime must be minimized. With exceptional tensile strength of 5,800 PSI and good abrasion resistance, this metallic gray compound provides fast repairs for bonding, resurfacing, and molding applications. It can be sanded, drilled, tapped, and painted after cure, making it ideal for resurfacing worn pump shafts, repairing cyclone housings, fixing cavitation damage, and restoring various internal valve components where precision rebuilding is required.
The beauty of the Mega line lies in its problem-solving approach. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, these four product lines can be matched to specific wear patterns, application methods, and operational requirements. If you're moving abrasive materials that attack surfaces over time, one of these ceramic solutions can extend your equipment's operational life significantly.
Wear-Flex: Emergency Repairs That Keep Operations Running
Even the best preventive measures can't stop every failure, and that's where Wear-Flex becomes invaluable. This emergency repair system tackles one of mining's most expensive problems: damaged rubber components that can shut down operations for months while waiting for custom replacements.
Conveyor belts in mining operations are typically highly customized for specific distances, angles, and material types. When a belt fails, replacement often takes six to nine months due to the custom manufacturing required. Similarly, the massive tires used on earth-moving equipment—some worth up to $30,000 each—aren't readily available and require special transportation due to their enormous size.
Wear-Flex provides a temporary but reliable solution that can extend the life of damaged rubber components by 30 to 90 days or more. This innovative urethane repair compound features a self-mixing design for quick, precise application with minimal waste, delivering 1,300 PSI tensile strength and flexibility that withstands vibration and extreme temperatures from -40°F to 250°F.
Available in cartridge form for easy field application, Wear-Flex can repair tears in conveyor belts, patch damage to off-road mining tires, and even seal cracks in concrete structures—all while resisting chemicals, grease, oil, and water.
This dependable compound is a strong bridge solution, keeping operations running while permanent replacements are sourced and delivered. For mining operations where every day of downtime costs thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, Wear-Flex provides the breathing room needed to maintain production schedules and avoid catastrophic shutdowns.
Consider the math: a $300 cartridge of Wear-Flex that prevents 30 days of downtime easily pays for itself many times over when you factor in lost production, idle equipment costs, and the ripple effects throughout your operation. For underground mines or remote operations where logistics are particularly challenging, Wear-Flex can be the difference between manageable maintenance and operational disaster.
Protecting Your Investment
Mining equipment represents massive capital investments that must perform reliably in punishing conditions. The difference between profitable operations and costly failures often comes down to proactive protection and smart emergency planning. Lawson's mining chemical solutions provide both: advanced protective coatings that prevent damage before it occurs, and emergency repair systems that keep operations running when the unexpected happens.
In an industry where downtime measured in days can cost more than equipment protection measured in years, investing in proven chemical solutions isn't just smart maintenance—it's essential business strategy. Your equipment works hard; make sure it has the protection it needs to deliver the reliability your operation demands.