3 Attachments to Maximize Processing Maintenance

The only guarantees in life are death, taxes and routine maintenance. There’s no avoiding it. Just falling slightly behind can lead to significant complications throughout your operation. Thankfully, maximizing efficiency for ladle cleaning, refractory removal and cupola bottom drops has never been easier, or safer. With robotic demolition, processing facilities can increase maintenance productivity up to 75%.

Getting the most out of your robot, and your maintenance process, requires the right tools. Here are the top three attachments to heat up your maintenance productivity.

Breakers

When it comes to tear outs, clean outs and heavy-duty material removal, nothing beats a breaker. That’s why every Brokk machine comes standard with a BHB breaker. These tools are perfectly calibrated to work with our robots for maximum efficiency and breaking capacity. For one Midwest foundry, this perfect pairing increased ladle cleaning efficiency by 75%. What took a two-person crew 8 hours, a Brokk, with a single operator, did in just two.

A demolition robot with a breaker is also ideal for furnace cleanouts. The unit can be lowered into the furnace while it is still warm, meaning maintenance can commence quicker. For induction furnaces, operators are able to avoid delicate coils thanks to the maneuverability and precision of the robot’s three-part arm.

Additionally, customizing your tool — including bit type and length — can further maximize productivity for your specific maintenance application.

Metal processing facilities can protect a robot’s key components with heat-resistant options, including a forced draft cooling system specifically for the breaker. This option allows the breaker to function in red-hot applications with ambient temperatures in excess of 392 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius), making it ideal for cleaning slag around ladles and copper converters.

For tap hole cleanouts, cupola bottom drops and similar tasks, longer bits help keep equipment farther from falling debris. 6- and 8-foot (1.8 and 2.4-meter) bits are available to increase robot reach for safer, more efficient maintenance.

Drum Cutters

For lighter material removal applications, like cleaning slag off runners, a drum cutter attachment is more appropriate. It provides a high degree of precision, minimizing the risk of refractory damage. Additionally, a Brokk with a drum cutter attachment can easily outperform a crew with handheld tools, resulting in less required downtime and a safer facility since employees are kept away from high-heat situations. A drum cutter can also minimize the use of torches when clearing material that might have gotten onto the vessel liner between refectory bricks.

Buckets

Before maintenance work is complete and you move on to the next task, you have to clean up the resulting debris. A Brokk with a bucket is the perfect tool for the job. Using a heavy-duty demolition robot for such a simple task might seem like overkill, but powerful breakout forces and a highly maneuverable boom make cleanup a snap. Brokk’s three-part arm increases reach and maneuverability compared to most similar-sized mini excavators, allowing you to work closer to the carrier body without needing to reposition. Additionally, the bucket can be positioned for working toward or away from the carrier for optimum versatility. A stronger boom means the demolition robot can handle larger buckets and heavier loads, as well, resulting in speedy material removal whether it’s in a kiln, furnace, trough or runner.

Minimize Maintenance Downtime

Routine maintenance might be unavoidable, but it doesn’t have to be inefficient. Robotic demolition, paired with the right suite of attachments, can lead to faster, safer maintenance. Customizing equipment to fit your specific application will maximize your efficiency. Contact our team today to build a Brokk package that will turn up the heat on your productivity.