In the mining industry, machine availability is key to operating efficiency and maintaining high productivity. Therefore, minimising unplanned downtime is essential. To achieve this, the condition of every component along the mining value chain – from the quarry to the processing plants – must be monitored continuously.
Planetary gearboxes play a crucial role in these operations, as they are installed in most types of mining machinery and equipment, including hydraulic or electric shovels, trucks, conveyor belts, crushing and sizing machines and fine-grinding equipment.
As machine requirements have evolved and engineering technologies have advanced, today’s gearboxes have become more compact while transmitting significantly higher torques. At the same time, mining applications demand highly robust gearboxes due to harsh environmental conditions such as continuous operation – day and night – heavy loads, abrasive dust, moisture, and extreme temperatures. These factors make the gearboxes particularly susceptible to wear and potential malfunction or failure.
A solution from ZF Industrial Drives
ZF Industrial Drives has been developing and manufacturing various planetary gearboxes for decades and has delivered more than 25,000 mining gearboxes worldwide. The ZF product portfolio for the mining industry includes travel and swing gearboxes, as well as pump drives for a wide range of mining machinery such as hydraulic and electric shovels, drills, excavators and stationary equipment like apron feeders or grinding mills. ZF has been a reliable supplier of these applications for many years and continuously advances its products using design and manufacturing technology, along with integrated digital services.
In this context, condition monitoring systems have emerged as a critical component, enabling operators to detect developing issues early and maintain continuous production by avoiding unplanned downtime. The system was originally designed for ropeways, such as ski or urban transportation systems, with dozens of installations already operating successfully. Since then, the technology has been transferred to other applications and gearbox types, including thruster drives for marine applications; mobile waste recycling machines; and stationary mining equipment such as apron feeders and grinding mills.
As market demands have grown, the proVID system is now also available for ZF mobile mining gearboxes. A recent installation on a large mining shovel has been completed and delivered to the customer. In this installation oil quality and torque is monitored.
The oil quality is evaluated based on actual operation and uses torque analysis to calculate the remaining service life of the system. Instead of relying on fixed service intervals, maintenance can now be performed at the right time and with the appropriate intensity, reducing downtime while taking seasonal operating patterns into account. The solution supports early resource planning and extends component life. All collected data is stored centrally in a cloud system and can be accessed via the ZF Dashboard, allowing operators to optimise maintenance intervals. Nevertheless, other options to integrate into customers’ systems or clouds are also available.
Successful implementation of condition monitoring, however, requires more than just technology. It depends on a clear understanding of equipment behaviour, the establishment of reliable baseline data, and the integration of monitoring results into maintenance decision-making processes. Equally important is the selection and installation of robust sensors capable of withstanding the demanding conditions of mining operations.
Growing with the industry
The ZF condition monitoring system proVID enables mining operators to precisely assess the current condition of ZF mining gearboxes, improve their maintenance schedules, and avoid unplanned downtime. As the industry continues to evolve, the importance of condition monitoring for maintaining planetary gearbox performance will only increase. In an environment where even short periods of downtime can result in significant financial losses, the ability to anticipate and prevent failures represents a decisive competitive advantage. By combining proven monitoring techniques with emerging digital tools, mining operators can ensure that these critical components continue to perform reliably – even under the most challenging operating conditions.
This growing global demand is supported by ZF’s extensive worldwide service network, providing local support to customers in all major mining regions.
For more information visit: www.zf.com/industrialgearboxes
