Company converts from rotating drum system to vibrating drum system to tumble the high-chrome grinding media, removing sand and agglomerations gently.

Magotteaux Grinding Media South Africa (MGMSA), which is now majority owned by Magotteaux, has invested in a General Kinematics Vibra-Drum system for sand and casting conditioning of its HiCr grinding media. The Vibra-Drum system was installed in February 2025, about 8 months after planning began on installing a new shakeout system for the tons of grinding media in various sizes that the company manufactures. Sizes vary from 17mm to 100mm and they are manufactured in various grades of metal, depending on the industry where they are to be used.

Grinding Media South Africa’s improvement plan began over four years ago when the company made a major investment in its melt shop revitalisation programme to reduce the company’s environmental impact. The company converted from electric arc furnace melting to induction furnace melting to reduce emissions to achieve environmental compliance, achieve quality improvements, reduce direct costs and enhance its safety incident awareness accordance.

One of the main suppliers for MGMSA new induction furnace melting plant, Inductotherm, introduced a number of firsts for the South African metal melting industry while installing three 10-ton Inductotherm coreless induction furnaces.

The same scenario has played out with the introduction of the Vibra-Drum system.

Magotteaux Grinding Media South Africa (MGMSA), which is now majority owned by Magotteaux, has invested in a General Kinematics Vibra-Drum system for sand and casting conditioning of its HiCr grinding media

“The new drum is offering us many benefits with quality and cost being major factors. But you don’t just buy one of these machines off the shelf. Each situation is unique, more so for us with the type of product we manufacture. Over a lengthy period, in conjunction with General Kinematics, we designed the machine to suite our products. Grinding media is manufactured in a ball shape. That in itself is a challenge,” said George Devenier, head of projects at MGMSA.

“At the time when we invested in the rotating drum it suited our needs and it has performed very well for us. But as the years went on it started to develop issues and the downtime became more frequent. So we had to address the situation.”

“Depending on your unique application, different equipment solutions may fit your operations, such as sand preparation, pouring, moulding, and casting better than others. In the past separate units would be used for sand conditioning, casting cleaning and cooling. However, General Kinematics offers a solution that will save space while providing all three functions in one unit. Proven in hundreds of applications worldwide, General Kinematics’ Vibra-Drum sand and casting conditioners have revolutionised high volume mould/sand handling for foundry applications and situations like ours. This versatile Two-Mass system gently tumbles castings – balls in our case – and provides accelerated casting cooling through equalising of sand/casting temperatures and evaporation of moisture. This tumbling action reduces sand lumps to original grain size and blends sand to equalise shakeout sand temperature – all in one continuous, energy-efficient operation.”

“The gentle tumbling action of the Vibra-Drum keeps the castings in a free bed of sand, never dropping or creating impact during the shakeout process. This action provides the gentlest shakeout in the industry, allowing the automated shakeout of fragile castings.”

“The two-mass Vibra-Drum delivers continuous shakeout operation, plus superior material motion for efficient sand casting processing. Natural frequency vibration produces a beneficial drum-like material rotation that quickly reduces sand lumps without casting damage. High-frequency agitation efficiently reduces sand to original grain size. This provides a simple, easy-to-maintain, non-rotating design with all the environmental benefits of a totally enclosed drum – but with no air handling, sealing, or interface problems, and no casting damage.”

Magotteaux, a global leader in high-performance grinding media, announced in 2023 the successful further acquisition of 36% of the shares of Grinding Media South Africa (GMSA), reaching a majority stake (51%) in GMSA, a prominent company manufacturing grinding balls in South Africa. This acquisition marked a significant milestone in Magotteaux’ s longstanding association with the South African market, solidifying its position as a leading player in the industry.

After the acquisition of the majority stake, Magotteaux remains in partnership with its two equity partners, IDC and Main Street, ensuring a seamless transition and continued support for MGMSA’s operations and growth.

The IDC acquired GMSA from Anglo American in 2012 with the intention to introduce strategic equity partners.

Magotteaux has a rich history of collaboration in South Africa, dating back to 1986 when the company established a long-term technical and commercial agreement with Scaw Metals Group, a local industry giant renowned for manufacturing a wide range of products, including castings and grinding balls. Following Scaw’s division into three separate entities in 2012, Magotteaux acquired in 2018 a 15% equity share in GMSA and assumed the general management responsibilities of the high-chromium and forging plants.

Over the years, Magotteaux has diligently overseen the marketing and distribution of GMSA’s products through its local sales team in Magotteaux Pty Ltd, firmly establishing a strong market presence in Southern Africa. The region, particularly South Africa, has been an essential market for Magotteaux’ s high-quality grinding media products, largely owing to the extensive presence of major mining companies.

For over 35 years Grinding Media South Africa has been supplying grinding media for the platinum, gold, ferrochrome, base metals, power generation and cement industries. The company’s first manufacturing plant – a high chromium ball plant – was commissioned in 1985 to meet the requirements of the cement and platinum industries, while still under the stewardship of Scaw Metals, a company within the global mining company Anglo American plc. Subsequent investments saw major technological improvements and capacity expansions at the company’s Union Junction base in Germiston, Gauteng.

“When we designed our last line – it was done in conjunction with Magotteaux. The whole group, worldwide, has got similar setups in the manufacturing plant area. We are now the first to install a General Kinematics Vibra-Drum and there is already now consideration to deploy the same machine in our plants in Thailand and Brazil, once we have had a successful installation and test period.”

“The initial planning for this investment began in 2023. Part of the plan was to 3D laser scan the whole of the plant. It took our draftsman close to three months to draw up the 3D scans to capture data information on existing structures, equipment, utilities and manufacturing processes. Now we have made a 3D model of the whole plant.”

“This we will be of great benefit going forward especially when it involves taking current equipment out and putting the new equipment in once we have decided to invest.”

“The actual installation time period of the Vibra-Drum was relatively short. What was more challenging was implementing our high level of compliance for electrical controls and other service processes. We have a much higher standard in South Africa, built over many years due to our ties with the mining and steel industry, than seems to be the standard in European foundries.”

“The installation of the General Kinematics has taken us a long way forward in our mission statement which is to reduce emissions to achieve environmental compliance, achieve quality improvements, reduce direct costs and enhance our safety incident awareness accordance,” concluded Devenier.

For further details contact Magotteaux Grinding Media South Africa on TEL: 011 842 9000 or visit www.magotteauxGMSA.com