DIAMOND

FLEX-MAT Type D

Lesotho diamond mine

Situation

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Diamond recovery rate was at a very low, causing the mine to work inefficiently and recirculated diamonds to break and lose value.

PROBLEM

Classic polyurethane panels with poor screening efficiency caused recirculation and blinding.

  • Low open area.
  • Due to severe pegging, open area was further reduced.

SOLUTION

Switched to FLEX-MAT D Type using OptimumWire.

  • Pegging resolved.
  • Increased open area by over 100%.

BENEFITS

  • Misplacement reduced from over 30% to 6.4%.
  • Improved screening efficiency, reducing recirculation.
  • Increased average diamond size.

We were losing two hours per day because of recirculation at the tertiary crusher, our biggest bottleneck. Now, we no longer have to stop and we are surpassing the historical production rate of 850 tons per hour. For all areas tested, pegging was eliminated compared to the polyurethane panels used before.