Trusted Mine Shaft Hoists

Hoists engineered for endurance and customizable to your needs

Your operation is unique, so you need unique solutions. When it comes to supplying the ideal hoisting system for our clients, we provide many options for each component of the hoisting system. We also design and create hoists for specialised applications, such as stage hoists for shaft sinking operations.

Our hoists can be made with drum diameters less than 1.0 meter and up to more than 6.0 meters. This can be done with a double or single drum configuration. FLSmidth hoists can also have dual clutched drums. Since drums undergo recurring heavy loads that cause severe strain, our drums are designed in strict accordance with the international standards for fatigue design. The hoist’s drive can also be configured for geared, direct drive with overhung motors and Integral. AC Induction, AC Synchronous and DC motors are all available through a supplier.

Koepe Hoists

Koepe hoists have a lighter construction with a single-drum and lower installed power requirements. This means they are often the wise price decision because capital costs are relatively low compared to drum hoists. It is important to keep up with rope maintenance and replacement of a Koepe hoist. If dealing with large loads, the number of head ropes can be increased to accommodate large payloads.

It is not typically ideal to use a Koepe hoist for depths of wind greater than 1800 m.

Drum Hoists

Drum hoists are the most commonly used hoist system. Multi-layer coiling a double drum hoist allows for wind greater than 3000 metres.

Blair Multi-Rope (BMR) Hoists

BMR hoists have a much larger load capacity than drum hoists. The BMR hoisting system does require wide drums. This means that it can be difficult when it comes to Fleet angle control. When this is the case there are multiple solutions that FLSmidth is familiar with employing. It’s necessary to take precautions in case of emergency braking.

Brake Control Systems

Brake Control Systems are non-negotiable for hoisting systems. FLSmidth has developed our own Escort and Closed-Loop Brake Control Systems which increases repeatable control accuracy and decreases the brake’s response time. Emergency braking is especially difficult in the case of single drum hoists. However, our extensive experience in all cases means consistently designed, dependable Brake Control Systems. Most current hoists should use a disc braking system which keeps the rope taut while being loaded and protects against thermal loading.

We have the technology necessary to provide competitive hoisting systems. More specifically, we have even pioneered many technologies to make our hoisting systems rise above other designs. Our in-house finite element analysis (FEA) facilities completely analyse and model all geometric details. This gives our systems the durable and reliable reputation they have. This durability has been proven time and again using field strain gauge testing.

After observing the need to reduce dynamic rope loads when emergency braking was necessary, we developed our own improved hydraulic systems for Closed-Loop brake control. In addition, we moved ahead developing a system for Escort brake control. These improved systems result in a faster response time and increased repeatable control accuracy. These improvements have also led to reduced peak rope loads allowing for deep shaft hoisting.

We are the leading supplier of the Blair multi-rope hoisting system. The BMR hoist was invented in 1957 and was a significant improvement to hoisting systems. The invention of the BMR hoist began with Robert Blair’s idea to combine the flexibility of the drum hoist with the large load capacity from the multiple ropes in the friction hoist system. Therefore, BMR hoists have a much larger load capacity than drum hoists. It is normal for a BMR hoist to handle 32 tonnes at 2500 meters. FLSmidth supplied the first single wind hoist capable of operating at 3150 m with 23 tonnes.