KHD signs License Agreement with Weir Minerals for HPGR Technology

Cologne, Germany, April 18, 2013 – For the past three years Weir has acted as KHD’s agent for the marketing of High Pressure Grinding Rolls (HPGRs) in the minerals sector, operating on a commission only basis. KHD is an originator of HPGR technology with 2011 and 2012 order intake relating to minerals HPGRs averaging €25m a year. This agreement has been replaced by an exclusive and perpetual license agreement, giving Weir direct control over the design, manufacture and distribution of HPGR equipment in minerals processing applications utilizing KHD’s technology, in return for royalty payments on equipment sales. Several KHD technical staff engaged in applying HPGRs in minerals processing will be offered employment with Weir.

About the comminution process and HPGR technology Comminution is the process through which solid materials are reduced in size through crushing, grinding and screening before being passed through further “mill circuit” processes where copper, iron ore and other minerals are refined into raw commodities. In minerals processing, different combinations of crushers and mills can be deployed in the comminution process circuit, dependent, for example, on ore characteristics such as rock size, hardness and moisture content, with the total market for comminution equipment and services estimated to exceed £3bn.

HPGR technology is of increasing importance in the mining industry as an energy efficient comminution solution. Originally developed for cement processing, HPGRs, often in combination with secondary cone crushers, are seeing increasing acceptance in the mining industry as a replacement for the conventional SAG mill, offering significant benefits in terms of consumption of energy and consumable parts – as well as superior crushing performance.