How do you turn a 25-tonne screener into a desk ornament? Quarry speaks with Powerscreen to find out.
Powerscreen is no stranger to engineering new versions of its machinery. In fact, the company’s flagship screener, the Chieftain 1700X, is based on several iterations from its 1700 series.
However, the company found it much more complicated than expected to make a version that is 50 times smaller than the real-life version.
Dermot McCracken, marketing manager at Powerscreen, told Quarry that a lot of work has gone into designing and producing a scale model of the Chieftain 1700X.
“This is a new initiative for us, but it’s something that has been spoken about for a long time – it’s 20 to 30 years in the making,” he said.
“Dealers and customers have been asking for them for some time. They’re quite an investment to make, with significant startup costs in getting it over the line.
“We’ve never done a scale model before, but Terex is established in the model crane market. When it comes to crushing and screening equipment though, there aren’t many that offer scale models, especially in the 1:50 scale.”
Powerscreen has previously made some models on a one-off basis for long-term dealers or retiring staff, but nothing that needed mass production.
The company took inspiration from how other industries have constructed similar models, such as crawler cranes. It needed a model that was robust, true to life, and required minimal assembly.
McCracken said several unique features emerged from this research and development process.
“We wanted to make the machines as close to the real thing as possible, and one of the benefits of the Chieftain is it can be rapidly set up from ‘transport mode’ to ‘working mode’ in as little as 10 to 15 minutes,” he said.
The Chieftan 1700X is available with a hydraulically folding extended auxiliary conveyor, complete with a transfer conveyor that allows easy re-circulation. Alternatively, the conveyor can run in reverse with a quick valve change, effectively turning the machine into a two-deck screen, allowing maximum versatility with a single plant.
The conveyors on the scale model are mounted onto the chassis and fold out in a similar way to the real thing and can fold in and out of transport mode.
“We put in some minor tweaks to strengthen the conveyors to make it more robust,” McCracken said.
“These models are not toys – but we’ve designed them so that if they’re knocked off a desk or a child gets a hold of it, it won’t be easily broken.”
The Chieftan 1700X also features a radio-controlled tipping grid, which has also been included on the model as a moveable feature.
One of the highlights is that it comes fully assembled except for two jacking legs for stability, which are pinned at the back of the machine.
McCracken said the Powerscreen brand has built up a lot of loyalty from its customers over the past 60 years, which has led to a lot of the demand.
“Even across other industries, our equipment is famous. A lot goes into the logistics of sending our screens from Ireland to Australia,” he said.
“We have had a lot of demand from trucking companies for the model and have heard about people who would love to connect the Chieftain to a scale model of their truck.”
In Australia, the models are available from Powerscreen’s exclusive Australian dealer, Lincom Group.
Established in 1995, Lincom Group has supplied Powerscreen equipment to Australia for almost 30 years.
As part of the strategic partnership between the two companies, Lincom provides feedback to Powerscreen to help engineer equipment for the local market.
McCracken said Lincom Group placed a significant pre-order of the scale models and is one of the first dealers globally to receive them.
“The feedback from Australia has been fantastic from customers,” he said. “One thing we weren’t expecting was the demand from collectors.”
“When we started thinking about the models, we didn’t have collectors in mind – we had thought it would appeal to customers, dealers and some of our staff.
“We’ve been blown away by the ongoing demand.”
The demand has been so great that Powerscreen has put through another consignment order for a second wave of the miniature screening machines. It has also sparked interest in a potential follow up-model – potentially a crusher.
McCracken also thanked Lincom for being part of this process.
“They’ve been a fantastic dealer and have been phenomenal to work with from day one,” he said.
“They regularly fly over, and we love to have the Aussies over. Lincom has done a great job supporting the industry, and its service is second to none.”
This article was published in the December issue of the Quarry magazine.