Arizona Copper Mine Ahead Of Schedule.

Staff

Strong collaboration with Metso Minerals allows Phelps Dodge Mining Co. to commission Safford Mine ahead of schedule

The first copper mine to be commissioned in the United States in nearly 30 years is in its last stages of construction and preparation and Metso Minerals equipment will play a large role in the processing plant on site.

The Safford Mine is located outside of Safford, Ariz., northeast of Tucson. The mine, which will be commissioned late this year, will produce 240 million pounds per year of copper cathode through a heap leach process. The production plant is designed to process 114,000 tons of crushed stone each day from which the copper will be extracted.

All the crushers, screens and feeders at Safford's primary, secondary and tertiary plants are supplied by Metso Minerals.

The Equipment

In the primary plant, stationary and vibrating grizzlies as well as apron feeders help direct oversized material to the primary crusher, a Nordberg C160 jaw crusher which can process from 680 to 960 short tons per hour. This unit crushes plus-12-inch material which is then conveyed to the secondary and tertiary crushers.