- The Mining Division of the Liebherr Group has launched R 9600 hydraulic excavator, EVO backhoe bucket
- The new R 9600 aims towards the highest standard in terms of safety, sustainability, performance, lifetime, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and ease of maintenance etc.
- The R 9600 is built to last over 80,000 machine operational hours
Liebherr Group has launched R 9600 hydraulic excavator, a successor to the R 996B, to start with the Australian market. This new development is based upon the successful R 9800 800-tonne excavator, and 8 units will be operating in Australia by end of 2021. The R 9600 is expected to start its serial production at the end of 2021.
A customer-centric approach: Innovation by Liebherr
According to the Liebherr Group, customer input has played a vital role in the development of this new machine. Engineering, sales, and marketing teams collected and analysed feedback and insights from mine site equipment operators, maintenance personnel, and procurement groups as well as executive management to have a clear understanding of the challenges that they face. The new R 9600 aims towards the highest standard in terms of safety, sustainability, performance, lifetime, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), ease of maintenance, and more.
The first R 9600 pre-series excavators commenced operation in iron ore and coal applications in Australia, after testing the first prototypes at the factory proving grounds in Colmar, France, in early 2020. Liebherr, along with its two important customers BHP and Thiess, validated the first two units in the field.
A diverse offering of powertrains including electric drive
The R 9600 is equipped with two QSK50 Cummins with advanced combustion technologies. Liebherr has developed and implemented LPE solutions (Liebherr Power Efficiency) upon understanding that fuel costs form the major portion of the TCO for mining machines.
As per the company, these proprietary management systems substantially reduce fuel consumption without compromising the overall productivity of the machine. These new features may also grant an added step toward the Liebherr emission reduction solutions.
US EPA Tier 4f / EU Stage V compliant version is available with the latest SCR after-treatment technology for emission-regulated regions. The SCR system reduces nitrogen oxides by injecting a liquid reductant into the exhaust stream. An electric drive version will also be available soon.
Weight-optimized attachment
The R 9600 attachment uses the patented “EVO” backhoe bucket, hydraulic cylinders, shift levers, bucket links and attachment pins which result in an increased overall production rate without compromising component lifetime. The excavator is equipped with a 37.5 m3 / 49.1 yd3 bucket to deliver an ideal truck/shovel match with Liebherr mining trucks. 190t trucks can be loaded in 3 passes, T 264 240t trucks in 4 passes, T 274 300t trucks in 5 passes, and T 284 375t trucks in 6 passes. A face shovel configuration is also available, equipped with a 37.0 m3 / 48.4 yd3 shovel, as standard with a heavy-duty wear package.
The R 9600, according to Liebherr, is built to last over 80,000 machine operational hours. The undercarriage structure is also newly developed completely to further improving machine reliability. The undercarriage’s fatigue-resistant steel structure is enhanced with a new hydraulic track tensioning system. Patented roller path design and registered trackpad design are incorporated in the standard sealed for life heavy-duty carrier and track rollers.
The latest cabin generation
The R 9600 features a brand-new cabin designed by the operators and for the operators with a 14 m3 / 150 ft3 working space. The design lowers vibrations and limits noise to 69 dB, providing a comfortable working environment for the operator.
To allow for the best possible working conditions, Liebherr engineers have placed the cab on the left side. The operator’s seat has been shifted to the far left as possible in order to provide the best visibility of the attachment and working area. Ambient and low-level LED-lights are used to make working at night easier and safer. The operator station is equipped with touch screen displays. The air conditioning system for the cabin is a modular design concept that is easily exchanged as a rotatable component, as single or dual AC systems are available. Vacuum cleaner, premium cooled seats, HEPA filtration system, and much more are also available to further enhance the operator’s comfort.
A machine perimeter visibility system comprising of four cameras placed at strategic locations on the rotating uppercarriage is also offered. The dedicated monitor inside the cabin displays continuous 270° vision around the machine.
Assistance Systems and on-board controls
The R 9600 comes with the Liebherr Assistance Systems. These on-board applications are designed to make the working more efficient through analytics and actionable insights from live data.
The Truck Loading Assistant allows the operator to attain optimal productivity and efficiency with 99% measurement accuracy.
It measures the instantaneous bucket payload and provides real-time information to the operator. The Truck Loading Assistant strategizes and also provides a progressive update about the number of passes required to achieve the target payload of the truck.
The Bucket Filling Assistant, the first Liebherr hydraulic excavator (HEX) Automation Product introduced to the Mining Industry is an adaptive or semi-autonomous digging product that is available as an option for the backhoe version of machines.
Even in the toughest digging conditions, the assistant allows for easier and faster bucket filling with a consistent bucket fill factor thus increasing productivity.
Designed for safe 24/7 operation and maintenance
Centred around protecting the customer’s most important assets, the R 9600 was designed with respect to global safety standards for operators and maintenance personnel, ensuring that safety remains a top priority at all times. The upper carriage of the excavator is designed to allow for quick and easy maintenance activities and is accessible via a hydraulically controlled ergonomic 45° stairway. Inspections and maintenance at all levels of the machine can be safely conducted due to the enlarged walkways with handrails and non-slip perforated steps. All major parts of the R 9600 have been designed and positioned to allow easy access and maintenance, reducing potential downtimes.
To know more about Liebherr in India, do write to Subho Basu at lid.mining@liebherr.com. For more details, visit https://www.liebherr.com/en/ind/start/start-page.html
