Long-distance material conveying (over 500 meters) in mines often faces challenges such as: complex terrains (steep slopes, gullies) making it difficult to layout fixed conveying equipment, which leads to high infrastructure costs and frequent detours; traditional truck transportation having high fuel and labor costs, being restricted by weather and nighttime safety, failing to achieve 24/7 continuous conveying and thus unable to adapt to large-scale production; single conveying equipment having low handling capacity (mostly less than 300 TPH) and short power endurance, easily causing "supply interruption" downstream or "material accumulation" upstream and breaking the conveying chain. Using only mobile stackers is insufficient, as they lack designs for stably receiving upstream feeding and matching downstream conveying speed, making it impossible to connect the front and rear ends of long-distance conveying; a single hopper feeder also has limited capacity and cannot undertake long-distance transfer needs. How to use mobile hopper feeders to realize long-distance material conveying in mines is an urgent problem to be solved.

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Characteristics of Mobile Hopper Feeders

ZOOMRY's mobile hopper feeders are not just simple "feeding equipment" but "mobile power units" tailored for long-distance conveying scenarios. Their performance parameters and structural design are deeply matched to the core needs of long-distance transfer in mines.

Performance Parameters

The core of long-distance conveying is "continuous and stable feeding", and ZOOMRY's mobile hopper feeders achieve this goal through parameter optimization: the handling capacity ranges from 200 to 550 TPH, allowing flexible selection based on the mine's daily output (from thousands to tens of thousands of tons). For example, the ZR120D model with a handling capacity of 550 TPH can provide continuous material input for long-distance belt conveyors, avoiding idling of the conveying line due to insufficient feeding; the Conveyor Belt speed is 2.0-2.5 m/s, which forms a scientific match with ZOOMRY's long-distance belt conveyors (conventional speed 2.5-3.0 m/s). The "slow front, fast rear" speed gradient reduces material accumulation at the connection of equipment; the equipment length supports customization from 15 to 30 meters, and with a stockpiling height of 6.5-8.0 meters, "transfer nodes" can be set in the long-distance conveying path to relieve the pressure of single-segment conveying.

In terms of power configuration, the entire series supports diesel-electric dual-mode switching: equipped with 11-15 kW chassis power and 18.5-37 kW conveyor belt power. Remote mines without electricity can realize 24/7 continuous operation through the optional built-in diesel generator set; in areas covered by power grids, switching to electric drive reduces energy consumption by more than 30%, meeting the dual needs of "cost reduction + environmental protection" for overseas mines.

Structural Design

Long-distance conveying paths in mines often cross terrains with height differences and uneven hardness. ZOOMRY's mobile hopper feeders overcome terrain limitations through structural optimization: the crawler chassis adopts a high-strength carbon steel lattice frame with a strength-to-weight ratio of 1:3.2 (better than the industry's conventional 1:2.8), which can travel stably on complex roads such as slopes with an inclination of ≤18 degrees and gravel grounds. Equipment positioning can be completed without large-scale site leveling, significantly reducing the pre-construction costs of long-distance conveying; some models can be optionally equipped with crawler tail frames to further improve trafficability on muddy and soft grounds, ensuring "full coverage without dead ends" in long-distance paths.

The equipment also features an ultra-low receiving hopper (minimum height ≤1.2 meters) and a "foldable conveyor arm" design: the former can directly connect to feeding equipment such as excavators and wheel loaders without the need for additional unloading platforms; the latter reduces the transportation size by 40% after folding, facilitating delivery to the mine site via long-distance transport vehicles (such as 40" HQ containers) and solving the problem of "difficult equipment entry" in overseas projects.

Ensuring Long-Distance Continuous Operation

The biggest concern for long-distance conveying is "midway shutdown". ZOOMRY's mobile hopper feeders build guarantees from both endurance and safety aspects: the fuel tank capacity supports 12 hours of continuous operation (optional large-capacity fuel tank can extend it to 24 hours), and real-time fuel level monitoring (displayed on the HMI touchscreen) avoids power interruption; the electrical system adopts IP54 protection level, and its dustproof and waterproof performance meets the needs of open-pit operations in mines, enabling stable operation even in rainy and dusty long-distance conveying environments.

In terms of safety design, the equipment is standardly equipped with a "belt deviation switch", "emergency pull rope switch" and "hydraulic winch automatic locking system": the belt deviation can be automatically corrected, and if the deviation exceeds 30 mm, shutdown is triggered; pulling the rope in emergency situations cuts off the power of the entire machine within 0.5 seconds; in case of steel rope breakage or power failure, the hydraulic winch locks the conveyor arm within 0.01 seconds to prevent equipment falling — these designs provide a safety foundation for "unattended operation" in long-distance conveying.

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Collaborative Solution for Long-Distance Conveying Systems in Mines

A single mobile hopper feeder cannot complete long-distance conveying; it needs to collaborate with other equipment to form a "closed-loop system". ZOOMRY proposes a collaborative solution of "mobile hopper feeder + long-distance belt conveyor + telescopic stacker" to adapt to long-distance transfer scenarios in different mines.

Equipment Collaboration

• Feeding End: As the "front-end power", the mobile hopper feeder adjusts its feeding volume according to the conveying capacity of the long-distance belt conveyor (e.g., 500 TPH). It realizes "linked start-stop" with the belt conveyor through the PLC control system — the hopper feeder starts feeding only after the belt conveyor is started; the hopper feeder stops in advance before the belt conveyor shuts down to avoid material accumulation at the connection;
• Conveying End: Equipped with ZOOMRY's pipe belt conveyor (maximum turning angle of 110 degrees, far exceeding the 70-degree upper limit of conventional belt conveyors), it can bypass obstacles such as mountains and buildings in the long-distance path, reducing "detour distance"; for steep slope sections, a "steep-incline belt conveyor" (maximum inclination of 25 degrees) is selected, and combined with the adjustable discharge height (6.5-8.0 meters) of the mobile hopper feeder, "height difference crossing" is realized;
• Stockpiling End: Connected to ZOOMRY's ZR-SF radial telescopic stacker, its "radial + telescopic" function can increase the material stockpiling radius by 28% (compared with fixed stackers). It can complete "large-area stockpiling" after long-distance conveying without moving the stacker, reducing the time for repeated equipment positioning.

Reducing Energy Consumption of Long-Distance Conveying

• Terrain-Adapted Path: Using the mobility of the mobile hopper feeder, "transfer points" are set in the long-distance path (e.g., 1 unit every 500 meters), splitting the long-distance "one-time conveying" into "multi-segment short-distance conveying". This reduces the single-machine length and power requirements of the belt conveyor, and cuts energy consumption by more than 20%;
• Turning and Climbing Optimization: The pipe belt conveyor, combined with the "corner positioning" of the mobile hopper feeder, can reduce the number of turns in the long-distance path by 50%, avoiding material spillage at turns (spillage rate reduced from the conventional 3% to less than 0.5%); for climbing sections, the combination of "mobile hopper feeder + climbing belt conveyor" is adopted, and the "pre-acceleration" design of the hopper feeder reduces material slipping during climbing and improves conveying efficiency.

Avoiding "Overload" and "Flow Interruption" in Long-Distance Conveying

• Real-Time Monitoring: An "ultrasonic level sensor" is installed in the hopper of the mobile hopper feeder to detect material inventory in real time. The HMI touchscreen displays the level height (0-100%). When the level is lower than 20%, it automatically prompts feeding; when it is higher than 80%, it reduces the feeding volume;
• Linked Adjustment: Sensor data is synchronously transmitted to the PLC system of the long-distance belt conveyor. If the load of the belt conveyor exceeds the rated value (e.g., 110%), the mobile hopper feeder automatically reduces the conveyor belt speed; if the load is lower than 80%, it increases the speed — through "two-way linkage", the flow of long-distance conveying is ensured to be stable between 90% and 100% of the rated value.

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Quality Assurance for Core Components

Long-distance conveying has extremely high requirements for component service life (usually more than 50,000 hours). ZOOMRY ensures that core components meet long-cycle operation needs through "independent R&D + strict testing".

Idlers and Rollers

• Idlers: Radial runout ≤ 0.4 mm (GB standard is 0.5 mm), axial displacement < 0.4 mm (GB standard is 0.7 mm), rotational resistance ≤ 2 N under 250 N radial pressure (GB standard is ≤ 3 N) — the low-resistance design can reduce the power consumption of long-distance conveying and lower noise (operating noise 40-45 dB, lower than the GB standard of 55 dB), which is suitable for scenarios with "dense arrangement of multiple equipment" in long-distance paths; the idler material can be selected as HDPE (wear-resistant) or steel (high-strength), with a service life of more than 50,000 hours;
• Rollers: Made of high-quality 40Cr steel (diameter ≥ 133 mm, adapted to the needs of wide belts), processed by CNC four-roll rounding (ovality < 1.5 mm) and ultrasonic flaw detection. After welding, "stress relief tempering treatment" is carried out to avoid roller cracking due to stress concentration during long-distance high-speed operation — in practical applications, the roller service life can reach more than 60,000 hours, reducing the frequency of component replacement in long-distance conveying.

Cleaning and Sealing

• Cleaning System: The mobile hopper feeder is equipped with "polyurethane (PU) cleaning scrapers" (1 set at the head and 1 set at the tail), which can remove more than 95% of residual materials on the conveyor belt surface; some models can be optionally equipped with "brush cleaners" to further clean fine-grained materials, avoiding "belt deviation caused by material adhesion" in long-distance conveying;
• Sealing Design: The hopper edge is sealed with "rubber skirts" (height ≥ 100 mm) to reduce material spillage from both sides of the hopper; a passive dust-removal chute is added at the connection between the belt conveyor and the hopper feeder, which uses air flow buffering to reduce dust emission and avoid material spillage caused by impact, reducing the material loss rate of long-distance conveying from the conventional 5% to less than 1%.

Intelligent Monitoring

ZOOMRY equips the long-distance conveying system with an "intelligent operation and maintenance module": vibration sensors and temperature sensors are installed at the idlers and rollers of the mobile hopper feeder to collect operating data in real time (such as idler vibration frequency, roller surface temperature) and transmit it to the cloud platform via 4G/5G; the platform analyzes the data through AI algorithms. When parameters are abnormal (e.g., vibration frequency exceeds 20 Hz, temperature exceeds 80℃), it automatically sends early warning messages (SMS + email) to customers and provides fault diagnosis suggestions — this module can convert the "passive maintenance" of long-distance conveying into "proactive prevention", reducing fault downtime by 60%.

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Project Implementation and Support

Modular Installation

The long-distance conveying system involves many equipment and complex installation. ZOOMRY adopts a "modular pre-assembly" mode: more than 80% of the mobile hopper feeder is pre-assembled before leaving the factory (such as conveyor belt connection, hydraulic system debugging), and only simple on-site processes such as "chassis fixing and electrical wiring" are required; a detailed installation manual (multi-language versions: English, Spanish, Russian, etc.) is provided. If customers need, senior engineers can be dispatched for on-site supervision — the on-site installation cycle of a single mobile hopper feeder is only 10-20 days, and the installation cycle of the entire long-distance conveying system (including 3 feeders + 500-meter belt conveyor) can be controlled within 45 days, far shorter than the industry's conventional 60 days.

Global Services

• Factory Direct Supply: Unconventional spare parts are shipped directly from the Chinese factory via a combination of "sea freight + air freight" to ensure delivery within 20-30 days;
• Remote Operation and Maintenance: Through the cloud platform, engineers can remotely view equipment operating data, and more than 70% of faults can be solved through video guidance without on-site maintenance — this system shortens the "spare parts waiting time" for overseas mines by 50% and increases the comprehensive equipment utilization rate to more than 90%.

International Certifications and Compliance

ZOOMRY's mobile hopper feeders and long-distance conveying systems have obtained international authoritative certifications: CE certification (EU market), EAC certification (Russian and Central Asian markets), KCS certification (South Korean market), fully complying with the safety and environmental regulations of overseas countries; the equipment design follows the standards of CEMA (Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association), ISO 9001 (Quality Management), and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). For example, the noise is ≤ 45 dB (meeting the EU industrial noise limit), and the dust emission is ≤ 10 mg/m³ (lower than the environmental standards of most countries).

Value of Long-Distance Conveying with Mobile Hopper Feeders

• Economic Costs: Compared with truck transportation, the operating cost of long-distance conveying is reduced by 30%-50%, and the investment payback period is shortened to 1.5-2 years;
• Operational Efficiency: The comprehensive equipment utilization rate is increased to more than 90%, the "supply interruption rate" of long-distance conveying is reduced from the conventional 8% to less than 1%, and the daily mine output can be increased by 20%-30%;
• Compliance Value: It fully complies with overseas environmental and safety regulations, avoiding fines for violations (fines in some countries can reach 10% of the project investment). At the same time, it enhances the enterprise's "green mine" image and helps obtain long-term operation permits from local governments.