Surface miners cut, crush and load the material in one single machine pass – meaning that one single machine completes the job of many different pieces of equipment. The mining operation thus becomes simple and economically efficient, because there is no need to co-ordinate different sub-processes.

Selective mining of coal and useful minerals

Mining coal

Selective mining of coal and interburden with surface miners from Wirtgen improves the coal quality, resulting in an increased calorific value and lower ash contents. Improved quality of the run-of-mine coal reduces the processing effort, meaning coal washing. Selective mining also reduces the volume of overburden to be transported to the spoil pile.

Mining iron ore

Selective mining of iron ore deposits with Wirtgen surface miners enables areas with different ore contents to be mined in separate operations. The production of small-sized material considerably facilitates processing, while cutting costs at the same time.

Cutting trechnes, surfaces and embankments with precision

Cutting trenches

A somewhat different approach to earthmoving: Cutting trenches or lowering the floor of water reservoirs is yet another profitable field of application for the Wirtgen surface miners. The machines cut the cross-section of trenches or reservoir floors cleanly and with utmost precision, strictly adhering to the specified tolerances.