Electric rope shovels have been successfully removing overburden and ore on mine sites around the world for more than a century. Driven by a vision to make these highly productive machines safer, more reliable and even more productive, we challenged the status quo and built an electric rope shovel that’s better.
AC IGBT Electrics
Simple, Safe and Robust Electrics
Tried and True AC IGBT Electric Drive System
You will experience greater machine uptime, lower operating costs, and faster cycle times via our AC electric rope shovel designs that leverage institutional knowledge built on 30 years of experience commissioning more than 200 AC equipped machines worldwide.
A Simpler System
A streamlined AC system design that runs smoother, has fewer parts, and is easier to maintain, are the benefits you will realize, and the result of three decades of continuous improvement.
- A single, centralized control rack reduces parts requirements, eliminates communication issues between racks, and simplifies maintenance
- A single, compact drive cabinet houses the controller and drives to simplify assembly, troubleshooting, and maintenance
- Fuses, circuit breakers, and line filters have been eliminated reducing potential points of failure and overall parts requirements
- Parallel inverters have been removed to prevent uneven loading and to reduce the number of inverters required by the system
- The IGBT modules have been designed to be interchangeable between inverters and Active Front Ends (AFEs) and between motions and machines
A Safer System
Your safety remains our highest priority, and is evident in our AC system design.
- The high voltage DC bus is located in the back of the drive cabinet and is never exposed during maintenance or troubleshooting
- The centralized control rack keeps maintenance personnel away from high voltage components when troubleshooting the controller
- Shielding blocks induced currents eliminating the need for high frequency bonding
A Robust System
Helping to ensure your rope shovel remains in service, our AC system is designed to perform in the toughest mining conditions.
- The robust, welded drive cabinet was designed to withstand severe and consistent vibration
- An isolated, positive-pressure room houses the drive/controller cabinet to protect it from dust and debris
- Mine-grade components are used to ensure system performance and long, trouble-free life
Operator’s Cab
Maximize Operator Comfort and Safety to Boost Productivity
Comfort Infused, State-of-the-art Operator’s Cab and Station
Providing more comfort, added safety, and greater reliability, our newly designed state-of-the-art operator’s cab will help you produce more. The product of a multi-year collaboration with mining companies and rope shovel operators from across the globe, our Design Engineers, armed with insights into the aspects most desired by you, have designed what we believe to be the most comfortable and productivity-enhancing operator’s cab in the industry.
Improved Performance
Increase productivity, and your bottom line, with our comfort-infused cab.
- Reduced fatigue-causing vibration resulting from bolstered support and stability of extended machinery house underneath isolator mounted cab
- Operator seat, armrests, and footrest adjust to perfectly fit a wide-range of body sizes
- Effortless operation and improved control response resulting from new, Hall Effect joysticks (patent pending), with custom-designed ergonomic handles and “finger touch control” spring tension
- Reduced cognitive fatigue and enhanced productivity via the intuitive and visually aesthetic display screens
- Display screens adjust for brightness and contrast to meet operator preference
- Climate control system automatically maintains a preset temperature
Enhanced Safety
Ensure the safety of your operators with industry-leading cab safety features.
- For safer double-side loading and reduced crawler link damage, the large windshield, side windows, and floor window provide superior far-side and vertical line of sight for industry-leading visibility
- Augmented line of sight and improved operator situational awareness via external camera system with direct feed to five overhead monitors in cab
- Dual door design facilitates easy entry and exit from the cab and provides for rapid escape in case of highwall collapse or other emergencies
- Reduced trip hazards with no-step floor
- Enhanced safety during operator training with additional emergency stop button within reach of trainer seat
Better Training
Reap learning and performance benefits from the enhanced training environment of our first-in-industry three-seat cab design.
- State-of-the-art, ergonomic operator’s seat maximizes operator comfort and productivity
- Adjacently positioned trainer seat provides optimal view of working face, facilitates communication during training, and provides ready access to the trainer emergency stop button
- Elevated observer’s work station, positioned behind the operator seat, provides space for laptop and optimum visibility of operator station and digging environment
More Reliability
To ensure consistent and reliable performance in the harshest mining conditions, cab components were carefully selected for ruggedness.
- Custom cabinets designed to eliminate rattling
- Heavy-duty refrigerator built to withstand shovel vibrations
- High efficiency, adjustable LED lights optimize visibility
Front-end Design
Reduced Front-end Weight, Reliable Structural Strength
Safety, Reliability and Productivity Advantages Afforded by Our Unique Design
Greatly improved digging efficiency, safety, and component life are the results of our unique, yet robust front-end design, particularly when compared to rack-and-pinion systems.
Faster Cycle-times, Improved Line-of-sight, and Safer Maintenance
Enhance both loading safety and productivity at your mine with a lighter front-end that affords better line-of-sight and serviceability.
- Faster swing times resulting from reduced swing inertia of lighter front-end
- Improved left-hand line-of-sight with deck-mounted crowd machinery that reduces visibility-impeding components on the boom
- Reducing fall hazards, deck-mounted crowd machinery allows the majority of crowd maintenance to be completed from the protection of the machinery house deck
Reduced Cracking and Extended Component Life
Experience greater uptime and component reliability with our unique, yet robust front-end design.
- Highly crack resistant one-piece, forged dipper handle
- Extending boom and dipper handle life, rotating handle design transmits torsional stress into the hoist ropes
- Reducing wear and cracking at the boom/dipper handle junction, crowd and retract ropes or hydraulic fluid absorb kickback force caused by dipper colliding with poorly shot material
- Replacing racks and pinions with tubular handle and ropes or hydraulic cylinder greatly reduces lube usage
Easier, More Efficient Digging
Realize more productive and efficient digging facilitated by our wide-set boom point sheaves.
- Twin hoist ropes balance dipper pull in the bank via wide-set boom point sheaves, automatically distributing digging force where it is needed most
Simplified Maintenance
Get your primary loading tool back to work quickly with simpler, more straight-forward maintenance.
- Design facilitates handle installation and requires fewer adjustments
- Crowd and retract rope adjustments are made from the safety of the machinery house roof - rather than on the boom, as required by rack and pinion systems
- Elimination of bi-annual, major maintenance handle re-racking procedure with tubular handle instead of racks
Description of Cat Front-end:
- Stress-relieved, impact resistant steel boom with twin box girder design – 100% penetration and UT quality welds on all major splice joints
- Modular, deck-mounted crowd assembly includes AC motor, spring-set air-release disc brake, and hydraulic power pack
- Maintenance-free, one-piece, high-alloy, forged steel handle designed to rotate freely in the saddle block
- Saddle block, with one-piece liner, rotates about shipper shaft on a manganese bronze bushing, guiding the longitudinal movement of the handle
Crowd System
Reduce Torsional Stress and Extend Component Life with Our Innovative Design
Results Are What You’ll Get from the HydraCrowd System
The HydraCrowd system provides outstanding performance and high reliability. This innovative system goes a step further than the Rope Crowd system, making maintenance more predictable and keeping your rope shovel in production longer.
Eliminates Routine Crowd/Retract Rope Replacements
HydraCrowd extends maintenance intervals and improves your overall productivity with a patented innovative design that replaces crowd and retract ropes with a hydraulic cylinder.
- Increases uptime and enhances productivity via reduced scheduled maintenance hours
- Eliminates routine crowd/retract rope changes
- Extends major maintenance interval to two years
- Maintains the benefits of our unique front-end design
Description of HydraCrowd
- Four bent-axis, fixed-displacement pumps feed a single cylinder inside the tubular dipper handle
- Hydraulic power pack located in the front of the machinery house
- System controlled by proven Cat IGBT technology
- Large-capacity, dirt-tolerant cartridge valves provide high reliability and long service life
- Diagnostic software and troubleshooting system with step-by-step instructions inherent in the PLC controls
LatchFree Dipper System
Preventing Downtime with a Revolutionary Approach
Avoid the Leading Cause of Rope Shovel Downtime for Over a Century
Spend more time digging, and less time performing unplanned dipper maintenance with the LatchFree Dipper System. The first successful solution to the number-one cause of rope shovel downtime, the LatchFree Dipper System replaces the maintenance-intensive latch assembly with a strong steel link mounted to the dipper back, away from material flow. To ensure you achieve maximum benefits, the system comes complete with a comprehensive training program.
Improved Safety
- Enhances safety by eliminating daily maintenance on the latch bar, latch keeper, shims, and inserts
Greater Uptime
- Improves reliability by eliminating the electric rope shovels’ leading downtime occurrence: maintenance on the latch assembly
More Productive Digging/Loading
- Increases efficiency by reducing lost loads
Better Component Life
- Reduces component wear by relocating components away from the harsh conditions of the lower dipper door
Description of LatchFree Dipper System
- A strong steel holding link and eccentric replace the traditional dipper latch assembly
- Components are mounted to dipper back, rather than dipper door, away from the material flow
- The door closes by gravity as the dipper is lowered
- Comes complete with a comprehensive training program
Dipper Options
Longer Dipper Life
Meet the Challenges of Any Mining Environment with Two Design Options
Providing extended dipper life and optimal fit with your application, our FastFil™ and Straight-Side Dippers help you move more.
- Manufactured from cold-weather, impact-resistant, high strength steel for strength and durability
- Stress relieved dipper back to prevent cracking
- Key welds inspected using nondestructive testing
- Expertly sized for your application
- Designed for easy repair
Straight-Side Dipper – Maximized Payload Capability
Offering a larger payload range, our Straight-Side Dipper maintains quality and reliability of our FastFil Dipper design.
- Box shape design accommodates larger dipper sizes
- Available in sizes up to 61.2 m3 (80 yd3)
FastFil Dipper – Faster, Fuller Dipper Loads
Improving fill factors and helping you hit your productivity targets the trapezoidal shape of our FastFil Dipper accommodates the natural configuration of the load, eliminating voids that occur with box-shaped dippers.
- Trapezoidal shape eliminates the void that occurs at the back of the dipper with the traditional dipper shapes
- Improved maneuverability and faster swing times resulting from reduced dipper size and weight
- Improved bank penetration and elimination of bulldozing for material turbulence due to optimized lip and rake angles
- Reduced load and dump times facilitated by shorter dipper body
- Fill factors average > 100% (110% typical)
- Available in sizes up to 49.7 m3 (65 yd3)
Loading/Hauling Efficiency
Move More Material with Optimal Pass Match Pairings
Achieve Targeted Loading/Hauling Production with Perfectly Paired Cat Rope Shovels and Mining Trucks
For full truck payloads with minimum loading time, an efficient loading/hauling system begins with an optimized equipment match. Cat electric rope shovels are matched with Cat mining trucks to maximize volume of material moved at the lowest operating cost per ton.
Third Rail Swing System
Faster Cycle Times and Extended Component Life
Providing optimum speed and cycle time, all while extending component life, our swing system is designed to help keep your rope shovel swinging longer and filling trucks faster.
Even Loading
Achieve maximum component life with our swing system design that ensures reduced and even swing rack wear.
- Eliminating the need to rotate the swing rack, two swing gearcases, positioned 180° apart, produce even swing rack wear
- Reducing wear on the swing rack and swing pinions, straddle-mounted, dual-output pinions decrease tooth loading
Better Serviceability
Mean-time to repair is reduced, as most repairs involve the third rail, rather than the rollers.
- The easy-to-replace third rail, rather than roller flanges or the swing rack, serves as the primary wearing part in the system, greatly simplifying maintenance
- Provides roller access without jacking up the upper half of the machine
Cat MineStar and Technology Solutions
Evolving Your Mine for Greater Safety and Productivity
Helping You Enhance Safety and Productivity Through Technology
Aimed at enhancing the productivity and profitability of your rope shovel, we currently offer a combination of Cat Electric Rope Shovel technology solutions including MineStar offerings.
Cat MineStar
Helping you achieve your goals for enhanced mine site safety, improved efficiency, reduced operating costs, and greater profitability, Cat MineStar provides the most comprehensive suite of mining technology products in the industry. It consists of a number of configurable capability sets – Fleet, Terrain, Detect, Health, and Command – that allow you to scale the system to your mine site needs. Cat MineStar helps you manage everything from material tracking to sophisticated real-time fleet management, machine health systems, autonomous equipment, and more.
The Cat 7495 is currently able to utilize three of the Cat MineStar capability sets:
- Fleet – Fleet provides real-time machine tracking, assignment and productivity management, providing a comprehensive overview of all your asset operations from anywhere in the world.
- Terrain – Terrain enables high-precision management of drilling, dragline, grading and loading operations through the use of guidance technology. It increases machine productivity and provides you real-time feedback for improved efficiency.
- Health – Health delivers critical event-based machine condition and operating data for your entire fleet. It includes comprehensive equipment health and asset monitoring capabilities with a wide range of diagnostic, analytic and reporting tools.
EMSolutions
Cat EMSolutions puts your dealer’s expertise and services to work with the latest equipment management technologies to help you reduce operating costs, get more value from your equipment and meet the unique needs of your business. With five levels of EMSolutions to choose from, you’ll get all the support you want, without paying for services you don’t need. Services can include condition monitoring (CM) services through the use of Cat Equipment Care Advisor (Cat ECA).
Optional Technology Solutions: AccuLoad
Improve productivity with real-time dipper load feedback directly to operators.
- Improves productivity by allowing operator to monitor load and shift performance
- Reduces machine and truck overloading
Optional Technology Solutions: Bearing Temperature Monitoring
Better maintenance predictability and reduced risk of failure via bearing temperature monitoring, a system that monitors bearing temperature and alerts operator of high temperatures.
- Helps predict maintenance through bearing temperature trending
- Reduces risk of major failure
Please speak to your local dealer for more information on the technology solutions for your 7495 electric rope shovel.
Major Structures
Bolstering Your Investment with Robust and Durable Structures
Rugged Structures Designed and Fabricated to Withstand Your Extreme Mining Conditions
To extend service life and ultimately reduce your maintenance cost, all major rope shovel structures are designed for durability and dependability. Extended performance in the harsh mining conditions you face daily is accomplished through selection of high-strength steels, and rugged castings, joined and thermally stress-relieved to create a reliable shell capable of one of the most productive loading tools in the industry.
- Manufactured from cold-weather, impact-resistant, high strength steel for strength and durability
- Full penetration, profiled and ground welds at critical junctures
- MT, UT, and X-ray inspections on select welds ensure quality
- Structures are stress relieved to prevent cracking
- Manholes and ladders assist inspection
- White painted interiors facilitate crack inspection
Lower Works
Keep Moving in All Mining Conditions
Enhanced Maneuverability, Extended Component Life, and Consistent Reliability Are the Foundation of This Powerful Machine
Intended to enhance digging/loading capability, ground footing, and mobility, a newly designed propel system and battle tested crawlers come standard on all Cat electric rope shovels.
- Stress relieved crawler frames resist cracking
- Lower rollers design withstands periodic single-point ground reaction caused by uneven pit floors
- Crawler-mounted propel motors facilitate maintenance and reduce misalignment
- Upward slanted propel motor shelves protect components from rocks and water
- Elevated drive tumbler isolates planetary drive from ground impact shock loads
- Sprocket-style drive tumbler lugs provide a large area of contact against the crawler links for extended tumbler and link life
- Straddle-mounted rollers improve component wear and extend life
Safety
Designed with Your Safety as Our Top Priority
Sharing your commitment to safety, and driven by our commitment to Zero Harm, we work tirelessly to design the safest machines possible to protect your most important asset; your employees.
Machine Access
- Forty-five degree rear facing boarding stair provides fast and convenient access to the machine
- Non-slip stairs, platforms and walkways facilitate safe movement around the machine
Visibility
- Panoramic view from the operator’s seat offers the best far-side visibility in the industry
- Cameras feed five in-cab, overhead monitors to augment line of sight and elevate situational awareness
Operator Environment
- Dual door design facilitates entry and exit from cab and provides a quick escape in case of a high wall collapse
- No-step floor reduces trip hazards
- Operator training seat facilitates safe operator training
- Second emergency stop button allows the trainer to stop the machine to avoid an accident
Stored Energy Warning Signs
- Stored energy locations are clearly marked with signs warning personnel of danger
Maintenance
- Reduced number of maintenance events afforded by HydraCrowd and the LatchFree Dipper System
- Easier maintenance and reduced fall hazard with deck-mounted front-end machinery
Serviceability
Designed to Get You Back to Work Fast
Lowering your operating costs and maximizing your rope shovel’s uptime and productivity is of supreme importance to us. To that end, we continually strive to automate maintenance procedures, extend maintenance intervals, and simplify maintenance activities for our electric rope shovels.
Automated Maintenance Procedures
- Automatic lubrication system covers all regular lube points
- HydraCrowd system self-monitors pressure, contamination, and pump condition
Extended Maintenance Intervals
- HydraCrowd eliminates routine crowd/retract rope changes extending the major maintenance interval to two years
- LatchFree dipper eliminates the daily hassle of maintaining a latch bar assembly and extends the major maintenance interval
Simplified Maintenance Activities
- Walkways provided for major service points
- Platforms provided for gear inspection
- Factory installed ladders inside boom for easy access
- White painted interiors in major structures to facilitate crack inspections
- Easy-to-remove roof hatches offer access to machinery house components
- Electro-hydraulic crowd rope take-up system simplifies crowd rope tightening
- On board accessible diagnostic system identifies faults and gives instructions to resolve issues
- Third-rail swing system offers access to center rollers without jacking up the shovel’s upper works
- Lock out tag out points for safer maintenance
Customer Support
Stay Up and Running with Service and Support from Our Unmatched Global Network
Commitment Makes the Difference
Cat dealers offer a wide range of solutions, services and products that help you lower costs, enhance productivity and manage your operation more efficiently. From the time you select a piece of Cat equipment until the day you trade or sell it, the support you get from your Cat dealer makes the difference.
Dealer Capability
Cat dealers provide the level of support you need, on a global scale. Dealer expert technicians have the knowledge, experience, training and tooling necessary to handle your repair and maintenance needs, when and where you need them.
Service Support
Every piece of Cat equipment is designed and built to provide maximum productivity and operating economy throughout its working life. Your Cat dealer is a valued partner, available whenever you need them.
- Cat Rebuild and Remanufactured options.
- Best-in-class product expertise.
- Improve your efficiency with operator training.
Operator Training
Maximize Your Investment
Aimed at advancing a novice operator to expert levels in a rapid time frame, our combination of on-site and computer-based training provides all the tools your staff will need.
To help maximize your investment in a Cat electric rope shovel, we provide on-site operator training assessments, on-site electrical and mechanical maintenance training, and a variety of computer-based training options.
Customized Training
- On-site and/or classroom training for rope shovel operators and mine operation supervisors
- Aimed at developing internal training competency for your operation
- Designed in module form to target key production issues specific to your operation
- Trainers have years of experience with hands-on and classroom training, offering the necessary skills to implement changes on all aspects of operation, machine management, and maintenance
- Utilizes cutting-edge technologies to improve knowledge retention, increase training efficiency, and create a safer learning environment via machine simulation
VAST (Value-Added Simulation Training)
- Exclusive Cat electric rope shovel simulator which replicates machine controls, responses and typical sensors found in mining operations
- Minimizes interruptions in mine productivity due to operator training while reducing shovel damage, repair costs and overall training costs
- Tracks and evaluates user progress
- Available in English, Spanish and French
Sustainability
Higher Standards for a Better Tomorrow
Meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow is the goal for all Cat machinery. The commitment to helping you operate safely and sustainably is affirmed in the production of the 7495 rope shovel.
Cat Rope Shovel Sustainability – Electric Power
More efficient than diesel powered machines, Cat electric rope shovels are entirely electric and therefore experience less heat loss.
Cat Rope Shovel Sustainability – Regenerative Power
Cat electric rope shovels use regenerative braking technology to convert kinetic energy from shovel motions into electrical energy when braking. The electrical energy that is generated is then fed back to the grid. Without regenerative braking, the kinetic energy would be burned off as heat.
Cat Rope Shovel Sustainability – Long Life Cycles
Fewer component change-outs result in less waste. Component change-out intervals for electric rope shovels are generally longer than those for similar-sized hydraulic machines.
Cat Rope Shovel Sustainability – Rebuilds
Saving you money and reducing waste in the environment, electric rope shovel motors and gearcases can be rebuilt.