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FLS is targeting cone crusher performance improvements through engineered liners, monitoring and maintenance strategies.
As mining operations continue to optimise existing assets, attention is turning to the performance of secondary, tertiary and pebble-crushing stages.
Cone crusher and liner provider FLS is no stranger to dealing with these phases and the complexities of mineral processing.
According to the company, changes in ore characteristics, brownfield expansion requirements and maintenance constraints are increasing the importance of understanding how cone crushers perform within a circuit.
FLS’ focus is on improving the availability and consistency of cone crushing by looking beyond the cost of individual wear components and instead considering how equipment performance influences maintenance requirements and downstream processes.
Cone crushers play a key role between primary crushing and grinding, controlling the size and consistency of material entering the next stage of processing. In circuits where throughput requirements are increasing, or ore characteristics are changing, maintaining that consistency can become more challenging.
FLS said three applications demonstrate where cone performance can become a key consideration: pebble crushing in semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) circuits, tertiary crushing in spodumene processing and satellite feed operations supplying central processing facilities.
In pebble crushing applications, increasing ore competency can increase recycle loads, placing additional demands on crushers. In spodumene circuits, maintaining a controlled top size into dense media separation places greater emphasis on crusher chamber performance and wear management.
According to FLS, the issue is often not a complete equipment failure, but a gradual change in performance as wear alters the crusher’s operating profile.
The company’s approach is to assess the wear mechanism affecting a specific application and match liner material and chamber design accordingly.
An Australian gold operation provides one example of this approach.
The site had been using 18 per cent manganese liners, achieving approximately 24 days of service and 300,000 tonnes per set.
After changing to a titanium carbide (TiC) product, performance improved to approximately 36 days and 450,000 tonnes per set.
FLS then benchmarked the existing performance, identified the wear mechanism and supplied a titanium carbide liner set designed for the application.
The solution combined titanium carbide inserts in high-abrasion areas with an optimised manganese matrix and a chamber profile designed to manage localised wear. Installed during a planned maintenance window and monitored through to end of life, the FLS TiC set delivered approximately 42 days of service and 540,000 tonnes per set.
FLS service line crushing representative Luka Jukic said the process of understanding wear behaviour was central to selecting the right solution.
“There is no universal liner. What works is measuring what is actually wearing, and where, then engineering the material and the profile against that. Everything else is guesswork with a purchase order attached,” Jukic said.
While the results represent a single operating application, FLS said the broader lesson is the importance of using performance data to guide liner selection rather than relying on standardised approaches.
The company identifies maintenance duration as another area where cone crusher design and support can influence operational outcomes.
FLS said liner change-out times are influenced by factors including design, tooling and work sequencing.
Some FLS cone crusher designs remove the need for backing compound in smaller frames, reducing requirements associated with curing time. The company also provides purpose-built lifting and extraction tooling intended to support repeatable maintenance tasks.
FLS said monitoring technologies can provide additional visibility into crusher condition between maintenance events. Shutdown scanning can provide measured wear profiles and remaining-life estimates, while condition monitoring tools can track crusher settings during operation.
The company’s broader approach combines equipment, wear solutions, monitoring and maintenance support to help customers better manage crusher performance throughout the operating cycle.
This focus sits at the heart of FLS’ offering, helping operations understand where performance is being lost and identifying opportunities to improve availability, maintenance product consistency and make better use of planned maintenance windows.
This feature appeared in the November 2026 edition of Australian Mining.