“SME went very well; we made lots of great contacts and saw high interest in our products,” president Bill Hensler said.

It was the fourth visit to the annual SME event by the supplier, which merged with Becker Mining in January to become Becker Wholesale Mine Supply.

While it displayed with Mine Tracer, Varis, Kenwood, Falcon Miner, Frederick Mining Controls, Falcon mining boots, Panasonic Toughbooks and new partner Becker Mining Systems, its most popular draw was its new launch – the addition of Frederick Mining Control’s Hazard Avert proximity detection system to the BWMS line.

Hensler noted that all of its spotlighted products were seriously evaluated by potential customers in Phoenix to improve the technology at their respective mines.

“We were asked to quote by many major mining companies,” he said.

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration’s 2010 SME Annual Meeting & Exhibit was held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, from February 28 to March 3.

More than 4000 guests registered and more than 450 companies exhibited the latest products, services and technology from across the mining industry including production, preparation, haulage and planning.

Other suppliers exhibiting at the show included:

CAB

Pennsylvania mine safety group CAB was at the Phoenix Convention Center with its Lifeline product.

The CAB Lifeline emergency escape line has been leading the way to safety in all types of underground mines for more than 25 years.

It is MSHA-accepted and available in rope and heavy-duty aircraft cable styles.

CAB directional indicators are molded in a large, sturdy, solid cone. The cone size and shape is specifically designed to identify the proper direction of travel and to prevent a handgrip from being broken when in use.

The Lifeline passes through the center of the cones, which are then firmly attached to the Lifeline with aircraft cable hardware.

This construction prevents the directional indicators from being dislodged, tampered with or removed from the device.

This is very different to other lifelines on the market which use small cones that can make it difficult to tell the proper direction of travel, or which have cones that unsnap and fall off the line over time.

CAB’s Extra High Visibility Lifeline features the most brilliant reflective markers in the industry. All CAB markers hang vertically and are easily seen from any direction in the escapeway.

Markers are firmly attached to the Lifeline and can’t break or fall off like other reflectors. Because they are firmly attached to the device with aluminum stop sleeves, they stay oriented to show proper direction of escape at all times.

The markers are reflective on one or both sides, and are installed at 25-foot intervals between cones.

CAB’s sturdy retro-reflective markers are the most brilliant on the market and won’t crack, shatter or fall off, as hard plastic reflectors do.

This feature greatly improves safety and reduces costly violations and fines.

CAB’s Lifeline system is setting the standard in the mining industry because it has the highest quality construction and the most advanced safety features.

It also represents the best value, requiring no assembly and comes ready to use right out of the box.

All parts are integral and securely attached with sturdy, corrosion-resistant aircraft cable hardware.

CAB has an extensive variety of Lifeline styles, and will have staff on hand at SME to discuss solutions with mines and operators.

Superior Industries

Conveyor equipment manufacturer Superior Industries put its wider pulley line on display at SME 2010.

The company introduced the enhanced line to the market late last fall. The collection now includes all available classes, including CEMA Duty, Mine Duty 1.5, Mine Duty 2.0, and Super Duty.

It showed off a new engineered class known as Core Systems Designs, which includes pulleys and assemblies, and had a full technical and sales staff on hand to field customer questions.

Grindex Pumps

Illinois manufacturer Grindex Pumps again attended the exhibition and conference, focusing on its efficient and reliable submersible pumps for heavy-duty drainage and sludge applications.

On construction sites, in mines and various industrial applications, Grindex submersible pumps are constantly being tested in some of the most demanding applications imaginable.

MSHA-approved pumps are also available for use in gassy mines or tunnels and available in dewatering and sludge configurations.

Grindex pumps include several special features, including “SMART” motor protection, that prevents the pump from single phasing, overheating and reverse rotation.

The pumps also have an air valve system to vent the stator housing and allow the pumps to run completely dry without sustaining damage.

Dewatering pumps feature a closed impeller and hard metal wear plate to minimize performance reductions caused by long-term wear.

This makes the Grindex pumps capable of operating in demanding applications with maintained capacity.

Grindex also offers a line of submersible compact, lightweight pumps for construction, tunneling, mining and clean-up jobs.

These compact, lightweight units are engineered with stainless steel, composite materials and polyurethane for strength and impact resistance.

Units are capable of processing sand, gravel and sludge without issue.

Pump designs range between 0.6hp and 140hp, and deliver up to 5000 gallons per minute with capacities of up to 750ft.

Richwood

At this year’s SME show, conveyor solutions company Richwood presented its innovative ITC belt cleaning system.

Designed as a single-blade system, the new 1C-ITC Belt Cleaner combines extra long-life blade media with a shock-absorbing tension system and heavy-duty support frames, creating an efficient belt cleaner for any application.

The design incorporates a continuous tungsten carbide edge that cleans the full width of the belt.

This eliminates segmented metal blades that allow carryback material to pass between segments or damage belting with multiple sharp segment corners exposed to the belt.

Heavy-duty frame designs are available for all types of operating conditions, including highly corrosive and extreme service environments.

Each 1C-ITC system is engineered to fit and outperform all others in mines’ operating conditions.

Richwood’s goals are to clean and dry conveyor belts while continuing to deliver the increased productivity and increased belt uptime customers have come to appreciate.

Every product provided by the company is selected by classifying applications in terms of severity, based on the individual characteristic of the conveyor in use.

Voith Turbo

Veteran SME exhibitor Voith was once again an SME staple in Phoenix, this year focusing on the long service life and long-term cost of ownership for its products.

Specifically, the company discussed the excellent service life of TPKLs first installed in 1998.

“Some of these drives have over 100 million tons of coal which they have produced, and some of these drives are only now being sent in for a complete overhaul, which will allow these customers to again produce over 100 million more tons,” the company said earlier this year.

“They could well be over 20 years old when they come back for their second rebuild.”

United Central

Visiting the SME exhibit floor again in 2010 was United Central, representing 25 branches and 1100 manufacturing partners.

The company, established in 1974, boasts more than 36 years of experience in the industry offering customers cost and production efficiency, improved safety and operational enhancements across its broad range of maintenance, repair and operating supplies.

The company’s specializations include cable, electrical products, material handling supplies, gas detection and safety items.

“United Central offers the right combination of products, technical expertise gained through field experience, and onsite training and inventory management to help customers maximize mine level productivity,” officials said, noting that the company’s fleet of 180 trucks delivers more than 60,000 line items to mine operations daily.

The 140th SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit has been set for February 27 to March 2, 2011, in Denver, Colorado at the Colorado Convention Complex.