Published in the March 2006 American Longwall Magazine
Under the leadership of William Baker, its president and CEO, Irwin continues to excel in the design and manufacture of longwall mining specialty cars and other rail-based equipment at its 70,000 square-foot facility in Irwin, PA (near Pittsburgh), and at its Blairsville, PA operation.
Irwin has also expanded its product offerings through the recently created Irwin Mine and Tunneling Supply Division to include a wide range of drilling equipment, ventilation and safety products, conveyor equipment and tensioning products.
The company’s selection includes a wide range of explosive cars, ballast cars, pump cars, roof support cars, shield carrying cars and low boy equipment carriers. Irwin also offers a full line of Willison couplers, wheels, wheel assemblies and other rail car parts. Rail car offerings also include a complete line of battery-operated, diesel/hydraulic and DC trolley locomotives with the latest control technology.
When maintenance becomes necessary, Irwin can schedule the servicing of equipment to maximize uptime.
Irwin’s ventilation & safety products include main and auxiliary ventilation systems and mobile bases, as well as rock dusters.
Irwin’s most requested ventilation products are Spendrup Fans, which operate in mines in Australia, Canada, Mexico, South America, the Middle East and the US. These customized fans come in any diameter and can be built for low-volume/low-pressure or high-volume/high-pressure applications.
The company’s self-propelled mobile bases – known as Tracker and Scout – complement the stationary fans and can be mounted on Irwin track or wheel systems, depending upon mine conditions. These bases can help minimize overhead costs because they travel quickly from one location to another without becoming damaged in transit, and require only one worker to position the equipment in minutes rather than hours.
Given the recent spate of US mining accidents Irwin said its customers are demanding more rock dusters (or rock-dust machines) to seal methane gas in mine walls and prevent coal-dust explosions.
The company also offers a range of conveyor products such as the Ram Mucker, ideal for cleaning up underground beltheads and reducing downtime. Its aluminum bolt-up, four-foot sections help to ease transport and installation. It can be suspended from the roof, mounted to a belthead frame or supported by cribbing.
The Ram Mucker’s other key features include a telescopic mine duty double-acting 20,000lb-rated cylinder for maximum cleanout area, a flip-up blade design to prevent back plowing material on the return stroke and a PLC logic controller that adjusts the stroke rate and plow speed for the specific application.
Irwin’s Miniveyor family of portable conveyor systems is a powerful and flexible solution for the rapid deployment of a temporary conveyor system, the company said. Miniveyors are made of an aircraft-grade aluminum frame and a solid stainless steel slider bed. At only 7in high and able to operate lying on the ground, the Miniveyor can excavate below grade, through windows or in other restricted areas.
Up to six Miniveyors can be operated from a single 20-amp circuit, which makes it unnecessary to search for power at the job site. The Miniveyor’s reversible belts and foam-filled cores add strength while minimizing weight. Both the Miniveyor and its wider counterpart, the Mightyveyor, can move 25-50 tons per hour.
Irwin’s premier tension product is the Electric Constant Tension Winch (ECTW), which features state-of-the-art direct torque control electric drive with mining duty mechanical components and provides proper belt tension during all modes of operation. A remote operator station gives the miner flexibility to operate the system from up to 150ft away.
Irwin belt winders are low-profile, heavy-duty devices that offer superior line pull (up to 80,000lb) and variable speed control. Belt winders are available in direct and chain drive with manual or hydraulic turntables on permanent mounting structures. They come in belt widths ranging from 36in to 108in and are equipped with electric or diesel hydraulic powerpacks.
