Andromeda Industries has a diverse range of products, not only are they a manufacturer of Superflex slings and Steel Flat woven sling , it has a division that recycles used conveyor belts for the mining industry.
Located in regional NSW on a five-hectare site in the village of Moonbi, 22 km north of Tamworth, Andromeda Industries is a proudly Australian-owned and operated, with its present entity been of a series of businesses created and operated by Raymond McLaren for close to 60 years.
One very interesting product that Andromeda makes out of the used conveyor belt is its blasting mats. The Andromeda Industries Rubber Blast Mats are massive rubber mats woven from conveyor belts using a specialised technique to fix the weft and warps together. They come equipped with wire rope slings to lift the mats, which are NATA tested to Australian Standards.
Rubber Blasting mats are designed to stop rock fly when using high explosives. The high density and weight of the rubber provides mass to absorb the energy of flying rocks while-releasing-gas-pressure.
Another application they have been used is for a barrier/protection curtain when building are getting demolished.
Being made from recycled materials with minimum embodied energy, they provide great value and durability under normal conditions.
Andromeda pulling-in cable is yet another product stocked onsite. With all the activity within the power industry at the moment the company is primed to provide this to industry.
Andromeda’s plaited wire rope is made from strands of high tensile wire. The configuration of the plait is known as four by three sinnet. In this rope four groups each three strands are closed in a special machine, known as orbital square plaiter.
Annette Williams is the General Manager at Andromeda and explains how Andromeda serves it clients.
“Andromeda Industries is National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited and we are full member of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) so everything we manufacture comes fully tested and certified to the relevant Australian standards.
“Our distribution network then provides the inspections, service, and support on the products they sell. Our distributors’ technicians are fully trained on our products but if there are issues which can’t be resolved, we can offer technical support and backup.
“If a customer is having a specific issue with a sling and it’s not performing to their expectations, we will examine the application and discuss with them if they have the right sling for the application or whether they can do something to better protect the sling, or if they could change the way they are using the sling to make it last longer and perform better,” Williams said.
As reported in previous editions of Cranes and Lifting have recently released the XL Superflex slings to the market designed to cater to heavier lifts.
New maximum capacities will be 80t in a straight lift and 330t cradled. These larger slings will retain the ultra-flexible nature of the original product by using the same wire rope construction.
Andromeda continues to develop a divers offering for the lifting sector working closely with industry experts to create impressive offerings.