Customer case

Goldmont revolutionizes underground mining bucket design with 25% lighter buckets in Hardox® wear plate

September 20, 2022 6 min read

A Hardox® In My Body bucket made by Goldmont

Case details

Product Hardox® 450 Hardox® 500 Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country Australia

Company Goldmont Engineering

Industry Raw material handling

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

Goldmont Engineering, a manufacturer and supplier of parts and services to the mining, transport and construction industries, has produced an innovative loader bucket using specialty steels from global steel producer SSAB. Its Outcast bucket™ is specially designed to withstand high levels of abrasion and impact wear in demanding environments.

Case details

Product Hardox® 450 Hardox® 500 Hardox® 500 Tuf

Country Australia

Company Goldmont Engineering

Industry Raw material handling

Brand program Hardox^® In My Body

Outperforms conventional underground buckets thanks to a radically different design

Goldmont understands the key role that high-quality, low-maintenance equipment plays in achieving high productivity and uptime. It uses Hardox^® 450, Hardox^® 500, Hardox^® 500 Tuf and Hardox^® 550 to help reduce the cost of wear and maximize productivity across a range of industries.
Their Outcast mining bucket is stronger yet lighter, creates a smoother profile with less resistance when digging, and is operator friendly. It has much lower wear rates than conventional buckets thanks to its unique shape and the use of Hardox^® and Strenx^® steels. The bucket is about 25 percent lighter than a conventional R290 loader bucket with the same volume.

The OutcastTM bucket, a stronger yet lighter mining bucket that also brings improves productivity and lower CO2 emissions.

The Outcast^TM bucket, a stronger yet lighter mining bucket that also brings improves productivity and lower CO₂ emissions.

Outcast bucket brings outsized benefits

The Outcast^TM mining bucket for boggers, or load-haul-dump loaders, is designed to:

Reduce weight
Reduce resistance where the lip engages with the dirt
Reduce friction inside the bucket and on its outer sides
Reduce damage from impact loading on the bucket
Reduce hang-up in the bucket (material that sticks to the inside of the bucket)
Reduce the number of replacement wear parts and the frequency of replacement.

The resulting benefits are less fuel use, reduced CO₂ emissions, less mechanical and structural stress on the loader, lower bucket maintenance costs, increased availability and increased productivity.
Another unique benefit of the Outcast^TM bucket is the ability to customize the shape of the lip and corner teeth to the needs of each customer.

Product tested, savings quantified

The benefits were confirmed in an extensive 12-week trial of the OutcastTM bucket working double shifts in an underground mine. “Outcomes from the 12-week trial equate to AU$72,000 costs saved annually,” says Michael Brown, managing director of Goldmont. “And these estimates consider savings only from less fuel and doing less maintenance. The quantified savings alone will pay back the cost of purchasing an Outcast^TM bucket in less than two years.”

Certified Hardox^® In My Body products for customer peace of mind

In the summer of 2019, the Outcast^TM loader bucket was accredited as a certified Hardox^® In My Body attachment. Each product with a Hardox^® In My Body logo has passed SSAB’s strict quality control with regard to welding quality, manufacturing process and design, and is approved as a premium product by SSAB’s board.

Each logo comes with a unique ID that is traceable and identifies the origin and material used in the bucket. This way, customers know that the product is made from genuine Hardox^® wear plate and not an inferior imitation. In addition, all Outcast^TM loader buckets bearing this logo serve as proof that the bucket delivers unsurpassed wear resistance and impact strength.

The intellectual property in the Outcast^TM bucket is protected by a Registered Design in five countries/regions.

About Goldmont Engineering

Located in the legendary goldfields of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, the company offers design, fabrication, welding and ancillary services across the state. Goldmont specializes in problem solving and supplies a wide range of equipment replacement parts and wear-parts. Goldmont also serves as a Hardox Wearparts^® Center, a global network of local stockists that sell and service parts made from Hardox^® wear plate.