Telestack has designed a titanic solution that helps to take the pain out of unloading.
Across the country bulk handling sites that utilise side tippers are dumping material directly onto the ground before moving it via front end loaders to create stockpiles.
This multi-step method isn’t particularly efficient. MPS area manager of capital sales, Gerry McGuigan, said sites need additional operators, loaders, and all the associated fuel, servicing and accommodation costs just to move the material from where the truck tips to create a stockpile or feed downstream plant. Astec’s Telestack Titan S1600 is designed to solve these issues by eliminating this intermediate handling step. Instead of the traditional method, trucks can simply pull up alongside the unit and side tip directly into its reception hopper.
Earthworks are minimal as the required ramp is relatively low, typically about 2.5m high, and can be as low as 1.8m in certain cases.
From the reception hopper, the material is conveyed directly through the plant and into a telescopic stockpiler, which can build stockpiles up to 67,000m3– the equivalent of around 200,000 tonnes of iron ore. For lower density materials like limestone, this can equate to approximately 100,000 tonnes.
“This direct-to-hopper system removes the need for loaders, reducing fuel burn, labour costs, and equipment wear and tear,” McGuigan said. “It’s all about simplifying the process and lowering operating costs.”
Rapid deployment
One of the key advantages of the Titan S1600 is its modular design, which allows for rapid deployment at remote mining and port sites.
“It’s fully assembled in our factory in Ireland before being shipped to Australia, so we know everything fits together perfectly,” McGuigan said. “On-site, there’s minimal civil work required – typically just some concrete around the truck unloader and a few isolated slabs for the conveyor system.”
The largest piece of site preparation is the truck ramp itself, but even this is relatively straightforward.
“If you want to keep the ramp low at 1.8m, you sacrifice a bit of hopper capacity. With a 2.5m ramp, you can get about 38m3 of material into the hopper. It can even be a simple dirt ramp with a basic retaining wall if needed – the focus is on fast, practical deployment with minimal disruption,” McGuigan said.
Automation driving efficiency
The Titan S1600’s automation features further enhance its value for remote operations, where truck arrivals can be intermittent.
“The system uses sensors to detect incoming trucks, automatically starting and stopping the plant based on truck presence and material flow,” McGuigan said.
This automation has several benefits.
“For one, the system only runs when material is actually being unloaded, which reduces unnecessary wear on components and cuts energy costs. The feeder itself uses a hybrid apron-belt design – you get the positive drive benefits of an apron feeder and the sealing capabilities of a belt feeder – but you don’t want that running when it’s not needed,” McGuigan said.
Once the truck tips its load and drives off the system detects there’s no truck present and then when the material has fully cleared the system it can shut down automatically.
“This hands-off approach reduces the need for constant operator supervision and lowers overall maintenance requirements,” McGuigan said.
Versatility for multi-method loading
The Titan S1600 is also designed to work seamlessly with multiple loading methods. This versatility is especially valuable for sites handling multiple materials.
“For example, you might have iron ore arriving by side tipper from one location and being fed direct to the S1600. You could also have smaller quantities of other products such as lithium ore or garnet being unloaded and stored using more traditional loader methods. If at a later point you wanted to build a large spodumene stockpile using the telescopic conveyor this stored product could also feed the Titan S1600 via a front end loader. The Titan accommodates all these approaches,” McGuigan said.
“You can bulk out the iron ore stockpile created direct from the side tipper feed or slew the telescopic stacker to a new position and then switch to building stockpiles of other materials using side tippers or loaders.”
A niche solution
While the Titan S1600’s capabilities are highly specialised, McGuigan believes there is a clear niche for the technology in Australia’s bulk handling landscape.
“It’s ideal for inland ports and stockyards handling multiple products destined for final shipment through coastal ports,” he said. “These are sites where materials arrive in smaller, varied batches, is stockpiled for consolidation, and then transferred to port when there’s sufficient volume for a vessel.”
In these situations, the Titan can deliver significant cost savings.
“The reduced handling steps, lower capital & labour requirements, and more efficient stockpiling process all add up,” he said.
“For multi-user stockyards, where you might have several producers sharing infrastructure, the ability to share costs and handle different materials efficiently makes the Titan an invaluable tool.”
By reducing double-handling, minimising operational costs, and delivering automation-ready performance, Astec’s Telestack Titan S1600 is helping Australian bulk handling operations rethink the way they move material.
