RKM Roller Company’s Perth facility provides greater support for clients seeking fast turnarounds and custom-made rollers.
Opening a manufacturing and warehouse facility in Western Australia has proven to be a prudent plan for the RKM Roller Company.
The manufacturing facility, located in the Perth suburb of Maddington, enabled the company to help more bulk-handling operators in need of a quick production turnaround.
RKM also has a manufacturing site in DongGuan, China, which manufactures RKM’s expansive portfolio of steel and composite rollers and accessories.
“Sometimes you haven’t calculated enough rollers for a shutdown, or you’ll realise you’re short on rollers and need a fast turnaround for rollers, which is why we started manufacturing in Perth,” RKM Roller director Brett Maiden said.
“Having both factories gives us the opportunity to offer flexible pricing. It is a bit more economical from our China factory due to the scale they produce at, but if the client can’t wait, Perth can deliver it faster.
“It allows us to assist with the customer’s needs with either a quick manufacturing option or the cheaper option pricing wise.”
RKM Roller’s Perth manufacturing base can make and deliver parts within two weeks while the delivery from the company’s Chinese headquarters is around eight weeks.
From full-length shafts, steel tubing and composite tubing (up to 2.3 metres), RKM Roller Company can manufacture for all applications from lightweight grain and quarrying mix through to iron ore and gold mining.
RKM uses fully automatic milling machines for shaft slots, and semi-automatic machines for shaft and Tube cutting, while CNC machines are used for bearing housings, shaft journals and circlips. Purpose-built press machines are used for the fitting of housing to tube, seal kits and cover caps to allow for a precision fit.
RKM stocks a wide range of conveyor components at its Perth warehouse, including off-the-shelf rollers and stock for its supply contracts. The company stocks from 600 belt widths up to 1500 for stock standard roller solutions but also stocks an array of shafts, tubing, seal kits, bearings, and housings to make application-specific solutions.
The heavy-duty composite roller and low-noise steel rollers are among RKM’s most popular products and can be manufactured in Perth.
The heavy-duty composite roller was created in collaboration with Wagners. Together, they developed a heavy-duty, lightweight composite tube suitable for handling some of the highest-duty cycles. It weighs around half as much as a traditional steel roller but maintains the strength and durability to handle heavy-duty applications like iron ore mining.
The roller uses the company’s RS seal package and is also equipped with a primary heavy-duty nylon protective outer dual labyrinth shield. The shield provides protection against contaminant ingress and eliminates rock jamming.
Dynamic balancing machines are used by the Perth-based company to ensure the rollers meet AS3709 G16 and achieve the best possible total indicated rollout (TIR) and maximum instantaneous slope (MIS).
The company has also witnessed uptake for its heavy-duty Cast poly disc return rollers. The cast-poly Disc returns reduce the risk of belt damage due to carryback on belts. . Compared to a steel return, which can rip expensive belting when worn away, the poly Disc roller can be made with a hollow shaft to make a lighter alternative
“The steel roller or return roller, if it is allowed to be worn through, can damage the belting which is expensive,” Maiden said.
“The composite roller is able to stay there until maintenance can be performed, and it will just wear itself down rather than damage the belt.”
RKM is capable of handling any customer requests with its two manufacturing facilities in Maddington, Perth and DongGuan, China.
“If it isn’t on the shelf, or they need more than the stock provided, or it’s a special design part, we will make it,” Maiden said.
“They can provide a basic sketch or drawing and then our drafting team will provide a detailed drawing, We can also do a full design review on the roller from a profile and data sheet, we can design a roller and bearing solution for them.
“This helps limit failures because it has been under-designed and ensures they are receiving a quality product.”