Columbia Steel - Press Releases

Unique TwistLink® dragline chain makes every bucket count.

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 2008 - Dragline operators sometimes need to watch their weight -- rigging weight, that is.

When Columbia Steel was looking for a way to improve the design of conventional dragline chain, "it was all about the weight," says product engineer Steve Doan. "We wanted a design that would reduce weight and still maintain flexibility and strength."

Why reduce weight? "When removing overburden, you want to make every bucket count," explains Tony Miotke, Columbia Product Engineering Manager. "Weight reduction translates into increased production, because lower rigging weight allows for more payload per bucket."

TwistLink chain has demonstrated excellent reliability in both hoist and drag applications. The unique double-pitch design can reduce chain weight up to 18% when compared to conventional chain. Its increased surface area in the bite region of each link and increased cross-sectional strength improves wearability. TwistLink's notable resistance to abrasion and ability to handle impact are the results of Columbia's H-series alloy, which combines high tensile strength and toughness.

Columbia Steel is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The 86-acre facility is home to an on-site product design and engineering department and full-service steel casting foundry. They will be exhibiting at Booth 6075 in MINExpo's Central Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, from September 22 to 24, 2008.

All trademarks or product names are the property of their respective owners. Columbia, CS mark, and TwistLink are trademarks of Columbia Steel Casting Co., Inc. All other names, trademarks and descriptions are used for reference purposes only.

Xtralloy® proves its worth to crusher operators for two decades.

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 2008 - This year marks the 20th year anniversary for Xtralloy, a unique high carbon and manganese alloy from Columbia Steel that changed the way the aggregate and mining industries think about wear part life in tough, abrasive applications.

Although high carbon and manganese steel from Europe began making inroads in the States in the early 1980s, it wasn't until 1986 that high performance crusher wear parts significantly hit the market, when metallurgists at Columbia Steel developed a way to produce thick, heavy sections of the new alloy.

That process included an extensive field review of crusher operations throughout the U.S. in the early 80s by Columbia Product Engineer Chuck Hendrickson. "I visited 55 customers in 17 states in 21 days," recalls Hendrickson about the whirlwind tour. What he saw convinced Chief Metallurgist Phil Belding back at the Portland, Oregon, foundry that they were on to something.

"Heavy section cone liners were a casting type which had been universally avoided by all of the other premium manganese steel producers in this country," says Belding. By experimenting with both ingredients and processes -- specifically heat treating - Belding and the Columbia Steel foundry found a solution to these problematic thick castings.

What was the first product made from the new Xtralloy alloy? "We started by manufacturing 7-foot Symons cone parts," says Chuck Hendrickson. "Nowadays we produce a large volume of different cones and jaws, as well as gyratory concave segments, and even rolls for shredders."

All trademarks or product names are the property of their respective owners. Columbia, CS mark, and Xtralloy are trademarks of Columbia Steel Casting Co., Inc. All other names, trademarks and descriptions are used for reference purposes only.

Replacement wear product numbers pose the question:
"Are you using the right parts?"

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 2008 - In preparation for ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008, Columbia Steel Casting Co. recently audited its jaw and cone patterns for wear parts, all manufactured at its U.S. foundry, and the numbers may come as a surprise in an industry in which outsourcing is increasing.

Columbia Steel offers over 1,900 replacement jaw designs engineered to fit over 380 jaw crusher models. Among these, the PIONEER® 30x40 represents the model for which Columbia manufactures the greatest number of jaw wear parts, accounting for 52 jaw designs and 136 matched pairs for customers' specific crushing needs.

"In calculating these latest numbers, alloy choices and duplicates that can be used on different crushers were not included, leaving only unique designs to be counted," explains Alan George, Communications Manager, adding, "As part of the criteria for the cone crushers counted, only those with bowl liners were considered."

Those cone designs added up to over 1,100 available for over 120 cone crusher models. One popular example is the NORDBERG® 4-ft. short head cone crusher, for which Columbia offers 51 replacement cone designs. For this model alone, 74 matched cone pairs have been made available to Columbia customers.

According to Product Engineering Manager Chuck Hendrickson, the record number of designs is a direct result of developing wear parts in response to customer requests to resolve specific crushing situations. "When applied properly, some designs -- like concave and convex profiles -- significantly affect jaw crusher performance. Even minor differences in physical appearance can improve operating performance: for example, shortening the discharge point on a movable jaw to allow a better stationary and movable match-point on closer than normal run discharge settings. For the customer this can mean improved wear life of up to 25 percent -- sometimes more."

"We get more positive results with the proper or improved geometry being used in the wear part than from alloy selection. The material specification is secondary in 7 out of 10 situations. This is true assuming the material is as good as it can be and is properly applied, in terms of wear-ability and fatigue resistance," Hendrickson adds.

PIONEER® is a registered trademark of Astec Industries, Inc. NORDBERG® is a registered trademark of Metso Minerals Industries, Inc. COLUMBIA® and the CS® mark are trademarks of Columbia Steel Casting Co., Inc.

Columbia Steel, USA, Opens Office in Amman, Jordan

PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 2007 - In a move to better serve overseas clients in the cement and aggregate industries, Columbia Steel announces its new office in Amman, Jordan.

Columbia representative Johnny Khoury, General Manager, offers on-site support and problem solving. The office service area includes Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Algeria, Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar, and Tunisia.

"Jordan is centrally located -- you can travel easily from Amman to almost anywhere in the area in just a few hours," commented Carel Verlinden, Columbia Steel Business Development Director, who recently completed a tour of area cement plants. "And it eliminates the middle man for our customers, they can deal directly with us."

Additional regional outreach was made available through a Cement Wear Parts Seminar last March in Sweimeh, Jordan, hosted by Columbia Steel. The three day event featured topics such as alloy comparisons, case studies and technical Q and A opportunities.

Columbia Steel is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The 86-acre facility is home to an on-site product design and engineering department and full-service steel casting foundry. Columbia Steel serves aggregate, cement, metallic mining, recycling, and coal-generated power companies with a wide range of replacement wear parts in a variety of alloys.

Replacement wear parts now a click away for Spanish-speaking industrial users

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 2007 - With an eye toward convenience for customers in Central and South America, as well as Hispanic and bilingual customers in the U.S., Columbia Steel announces a Spanish language version of its website, www.columbiasteel.com.

"We've offered some of our most popular product literature in Spanish for many years" said Alan George, Columbia Steel's Marketing Communications Manager, "so it's a logical next step to improve our customer service."

Easy access to the translated website is located on the Columbia Steel homepage and throughout the site, via a link in the upper right of each page. In addition to company capabilities, the Spanish site offers the same helpful features as the English counterpart, including a site search engine, free product recommendations and literature, and agent and employee recruitment information.

The website is also intended to support representation of the U.S. wear parts manufacturer by its authorized distributors. "We want to make it easy for Spanish-speaking industry professionals to learn more about us and how our wear parts can improve their operations", said George.

Columbia Steel is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. The 86-acre facility is home to an on-site product design and engineering department and full-service steel casting foundry. In addition to metallic mining industries, Columbia Steel also serves aggregate, cement, recycling, and coal-generated power companies with a wide range of replacement wear parts in a variety of alloys.

Click to view Spanish site >

Getting the answers to your crusher wear parts questions just got easier: Columbia Steel joins "Ask the Experts" online

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 2007 -- Need to optimize your feed size? Puzzled by the sheer number of jaw profiles out there? Wondering if those high manganese alloys are worth it?

Sure, you can "Google it"... or you can get straight talk from someone who's been there and done that. Nothing beats real-world experience, and Columbia Steel is pleased to announce our extensive wear parts expertise has joined the resources now available online from "Ask the Experts" at Rock Products Magazine.

Ask the Experts offers a panel of relevant professionals who are ready to answer industry questions. Readers can check out experts' biographical information, review an archive of answers to previous questions, and ask their own through a simple online form. The Q and A pages are easy to read and easy to navigate.

Columbia's resident crusher expert Chuck Hendrickson invites readers to benefit from his nearly 40 years of experience.

Click to ask your question now >

All trademarks or product names are the property of their respective owners. COLUMBIA® and the CS® mark are trademarks of Columbia Steel Casting Co., Inc. All other names, trademarks and descriptions are used for reference purposes only.