Newcrest Mining Tool Manufactured by Swift Metal

A mine operated by Newcrest Mining in Papua New Guinea needed to replace filter screens for their air filtration system. The existing panels were corroding, which increased inefficiency and the risk of system failure. The team at Swift Metal was contacted for their solution – there were no drawings available, and the samples were corroded, but useable. Samples were airfreighted to Swift, and we proceeded with reverse-engineering them. Critical dimensions & functionality were discussed with the client and were taken into account, as, due to corrosion, some of these details weren’t immediately obvious when looking at the samples. Among the new criteria was the need for stainless steel to mitigate corrosion, and the panels needed to have a textured surface. We researched the textured surface requirements – the best solution was a pre-textured finish from Rimex.

Special tooling was developed to form the fins in the panels - these had to be in the left and right orientation. Having a pre-formed rippled surface in the material presented its own set of challenges, however, this was taken into account in the tooling design. The end result was a fantastic looking product that was fully functional and added years to the life of the system.