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A mining equipment steel frame (also called a chassis, base frame, or support structure) is the welded steel skeleton that carries the mechanical components of mining machinery. It provides:
Structural integrity — Supports crushing forces, vibration, and dynamic loads
Component mounting — Precision-machined pads and bore holes for motors, gearboxes, and bearings
Load distribution — Transfers equipment weight to foundations or crawler tracks
Protection — Houses and shields hydraulic, electrical, and drive systems
MetalKeen produces OEM-quality steel frames for original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket rebuilders, engineered to your 3D models, drawings, or physical samples.
Table
Frame Type | Equipment Application | Key Design Feature |
|---|---|---|
Jaw Crusher Frame — Main frame, swing jaw frame, pitman frame | Primary crushing of hard rock and ore | Reinforced stress-relieved weldments; machined bearing bores |
Cone Crusher Frame — Main frame, adjustment ring, bowl frame | Secondary and tertiary crushing | High-precision threaded or clamped joint surfaces |
Impact Crusher Frame — Rotor housing, frame base, apron housing | Soft to medium rock impact crushing | Thick wear-plate lining; replaceable liner bolt patterns |
Vibrating Screen Chassis — Screen box frame, support structure, drive base | Ore sizing and classification | Vibration-resistant gusset design; dynamic stress analysis |
Conveyor Frame — Head/tail frame, intermediate truss, drive station | Bulk material transport | Modular bolt-together or fully welded; crowned pulley mounts |
Feeder Frame — Grizzly feeder base, pan feeder frame | Primary ore feeding and scalping | Heavy-duty spring or isolator mounting pads |
Drill Rig Base — Mast support frame, crawler carriage, platform | Blast hole and exploration drilling | High torsional rigidity; leveling jack mounts |
Pump & Compressor Skid — Base skid, guard frame, piping support | Dewatering and air supply | Integrated lifting lugs and anchor bolt patterns |
Table
Material | Grade / Standard | Yield Strength | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
Carbon Structural Steel | Q235B / ASTM A36 / S235JR | 235 MPa | General structural frames, guards, skids |
High-Strength Low-Alloy | Q355B / ASTM A572 Gr.50 / S355JR | 355 MPa | Main crusher frames, screen chassis, heavy conveyors |
Ultra-High-Strength Steel | Q690 / ASTM A514 / S690QL | 690 MPa | High-stress boom arms, compact high-load structures |
Wear-Resistant Steel | NM400 / NM500 / AR400 / AR500 | 1000–1500 MPa (hardness) | Liner plates, impact zones, high-abrasion areas |
Stainless Steel | 304 / 316L | 205 MPa | Corrosive environments, coastal or chemical mining |
Material Selection Guidance:
Standard frames — Q355B offers the best balance of strength, weldability, and cost
High-impact zones — NM400/AR400 wear plates bolted or welded to Q355B substrate
Weight-critical designs — Q690 high-strength steel reduces frame weight by 30–40%
Corrosive service — 316L stainless for coastal mining or chemical processing plants
Table
Step | Process | Quality Control |
|---|---|---|
Engineering Review — Drawing, BOM, and weldment analysis | CAD/CAM review (SolidWorks, Tekla, AutoCAD) | DFM (Design for Manufacturing) feedback; weld access verification |
Material Preparation — Plate cutting, beam profiling, pipe cutting | CNC plasma, flame, or laser cutting; beam line processing | Dimensional tolerance ±1 mm; edge quality inspection |
Forming & Bending — Plate rolling, press brake, section bending | CNC press brake, 3-roll plate bending | Angle and radius verification |
Fit-Up & Tacking — Jig assembly, tack welding | Modular welding fixtures | Squareness and alignment check |
Welding — Frame seam and joint welding | MIG/MAG (GMAW), FCAW, or SAW per WPS | 100% visual inspection; RT/UT/MT/PT per specification |
Stress Relieving — Post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) | Furnace normalizing or vibration stress relief | Hardness verification; distortion measurement |
Machining — Bearing bore milling, pad facing, hole drilling | CNC boring mill, CNC machining center | CMM dimensional report; bore concentricity check |
Surface Treatment — Shot blasting, painting, or galvanizing | Automated blast room; spray or dip coating | DFT (dry film thickness) measurement; adhesion test |
Assembly — Liner plates, guards, fasteners, and accessories | Torque-controlled assembly | Fit and function verification |
Final Inspection — Dimensional, visual, load simulation | Inspection report per EN 1090 or client spec | Full documentation package |
Mining equipment frames demand defect-free welds under cyclic fatigue and impact loading.
Table
Test / Inspection | Method | Standard | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
Visual Weld Inspection (VT) | Magnification and gauges | AWS D1.1 / ISO 5817 | Detect surface defects, undercut, overlap |
Ultrasonic Testing (UT) | Angle beam on full-penetration welds | ASTM A388 / EN 17640 | Detect internal cracks, lack of fusion, porosity |
Radiographic Testing (RT) | X-ray or gamma ray on critical joints | ASTM E94 / EN 17636 | Full volumetric inspection of tension welds |
Magnetic Particle (MT) | Wet fluorescent MT on fillet welds | ASTM E1444 / EN 1369 | Surface and near-surface crack detection |
Dye Penetrant (PT) | Color contrast PT on machined surfaces | ASTM E165 / EN 571-1 | Detect open surface cracks in machined pads |
Dimensional Inspection — CMM, laser tracker | 3D coordinate measurement | ISO 9013 | Verify bore positions, pad flatness, overall squareness |
Load Test — Static or dynamic proof load | Hydraulic actuators or dead weights | Client specification | Validate frame stiffness and deflection under rated load |
Table
Treatment | Specification | Application |
|---|---|---|
Shot Blasting — Sa 2.5 surface cleanliness | ISO 8501-1 | Preparation for painting or coating |
Epoxy Primer + Polyurethane Topcoat — 2-coat or 3-coat system | NORSOK M-501 / ISO 12944 | General mining equipment; 5–15 year protection |
Hot-Dip Galvanizing — 65–85 μm zinc thickness | ASTM A123 | Coastal or high-humidity mining environments |
Wear Plate Hardfacing — Open-arc or submerged arc welding | Custom overlay | High-abrasion zones (feed chutes, impact areas) |
Rubber / Ceramic Lining — Bolted or bonded | Client specification | Extreme abrasion and impact protection |
Our custom steel frames are used in critical mining equipment worldwide:
Table
Equipment | Frame Function | Typical Material |
|---|---|---|
Primary Jaw Crushers — 50–200 ton capacity | Main frame, pitman, toggle block | Q355B + NM400 liner plates |
Cone Crushers — HP, MP, GP series compatible | Main frame, adjustment ring, bowl | Q355B; machined threaded joints |
Horizontal Shaft Impactors (HSI) — Limestone, coal, aggregate | Rotor housing, frame base, apron | Q355B + AR400 bolt-on liners |
Vibrating Screens — Incline, horizontal, banana decks | Screen box, drive base, support legs | Q355B; vibration-analyzed gussets |
Belt Conveyors — Overland, stacker, reclaimer | Head/tail frames, trusses, drive stations | Q235B/Q355B; modular or welded |
Rotary Drills — Blast hole, DTH, RC drilling | Mast frame, crawler carriage, platform | Q690 high-strength; torsion-resistant |
Slurry Pumps — Mill discharge, tailings, dredging | Pump base, motor frame, guard structure | 316L or Q355B + epoxy coating |
✅ OEM-Grade Fabrication — Manufactured to your 3D models, drawings, or reverse-engineered samples
✅ Heavy-Duty Engineering — Frames rated for 50–500+ ton equipment loads
✅ Premium Materials — Q355B, Q690, NM400/AR400, and 316L stainless steel
✅ Precision Machining — CNC boring mills for bearing bores and mounting pads
✅ Defect-Free Welds — Certified welders, WPS/PQR documentation, full NDT
✅ Stress Relieved — PWHT or vibration stress relief to prevent distortion and cracking
✅ Global Mining Compliance — EN 1090, AWS D1.1, ISO 3834, and client-specific standards
Q1: What is a steel frame for mining equipment, and why is it critical? A mining equipment steel frame is the welded structural chassis that supports and aligns the mechanical components of crushers, screens, conveyors, and drills. It is critical because it must withstand extreme impact forces, continuous vibration, and abrasive environments while maintaining precise alignment of bearings, shafts, and drive components. Frame failure leads to catastrophic equipment downtime.
Q2: What steel grade should I choose for my crusher or screen frame? For general mining frames, Q355B (S355JR / ASTM A572 Gr.50) is the industry standard due to its excellent strength-to-weight ratio and weldability. For high-abrasion zones like feed chutes and impact plates, NM400 or AR400 wear-resistant steel is welded or bolted to the frame. For weight-critical designs such as drill rig booms, Q690 ultra-high-strength steel reduces mass while maintaining load capacity.
Q3: Do you manufacture mining equipment frames from our 3D models or drawings? Yes. We accept 3D CAD files (STEP, IGES, SolidWorks, Tekla), 2D manufacturing drawings (PDF, DWG), or physical samples for reverse engineering. Our engineers perform DFM (Design for Manufacturing) review to optimize weld access, stress distribution, and machining sequences before production.
Q4: What welding and NDT standards do you follow for mining frames? Our welding complies with AWS D1.1 (Structural Welding Code — Steel) and ISO 3834 (Quality Requirements for Fusion Welding). NDT includes visual inspection (VT), ultrasonic testing (UT) on full-penetration joints, magnetic particle (MT) on fillet welds, and radiographic testing (RT) on critical tension members. All welders are certified to AWS / EN ISO 9606.
Q5: Do you provide post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) for mining frames? Yes. We offer furnace stress relieving (normalizing or annealing) for large weldments to relieve residual stresses and prevent distortion during machining. For frames where furnace size is limiting, we provide vibration stress relief (VSR) as an alternative. PWHT is recommended for all high-strength steel (Q690) weldments.
Q6: Can you machine bearing bores and mounting pads on the frame? Yes. We perform CNC machining on welded frames including bearing bore milling, pad facing, threaded hole drilling, and keyway cutting. Our CNC boring mills and machining centers maintain tolerances of ±0.05 mm on bore diameters and ±0.1 mm/m on pad flatness.
Q7: What surface protection do you offer for frames used in abrasive mining environments? We offer shot blasting + epoxy painting (2-coat or 3-coat systems), hot-dip galvanizing for coastal mines, and wear plate hardfacing or rubber/ceramic lining for high-abrasion zones. Paint systems can be specified to NORSOK M-501 or ISO 12944 corrosion categories for 5–15 year service life.
