At their Labrador City, Newfoundland, Canada, pellet plant, the Iron Ore Company of Canada utilizes Pekay Mixers prior to balling drums to mix bentonite and iron. The bentonite serves as a bonding agent in forming green balls prior to the induration cycle.

These mixers are composed of a series of rotating wheels following each other in an enclosure. This enclosure is installed within a close distance from the conveyor belt which transports the iron and bentonite mixture. The bentonite is applied on the surface of the iron ore. The rotating wheels of the mixer pick up the material from the conveyor into the enclosure then, mixing all the ingredients to eventually produce green pellets.

The rotating wheels of the mixer wear rapidly. The system utilized previously by the Iron Ore Company of Canada consisted in applying a type of hardfacing which is applied by welding. The results obtained were that the blades were very rigid and also distorted.

Metal 7 has proposed to replace this previous method of wear protection on the blades with a superior coating which would have a much better performance than the previous.

The wheels are also fabricated using an exterior diameter equal to the run out of the wheels and the blades with a more uniform coating. This assures a closer distance to the belt surface.

Metal 7 has provided the Iron Ore Company of Canada with this new product improvement to obtain and mix more effeciently a uniform ore mixture with the required bonding agent. The life cycle has improved significantly and are replaced for reasons other than blade wear.