Case Study: Cobre Panama Mine

ABEAR Pulley Lagging Outperformed Global Competitors
Background

The Cobre Panamá mine, operational from 2019 to 2023, is Central America’s largest open-pit copper mine, producing around 330,000 tons of copper in 2023, amounting to roughly 1–1.5% of global copper output. The site operated some of the largest conveyor systems in the industry, with pulleys up to 3.6 meters wide driving high-tension belts.

Premature lagging failures had become a persistent problem. At least three internationally recognised suppliers had attempted solutions, each failing within months. Failures included:

Rapid Wear

Bond Failure

Fatigue and Bond Breakdown

Fatigue and Bond Breakdown

The Challenge

The mine needed a solution that could:

  • Withstand high loads and abrasive conditions.
  • Deliver long service life beyond the 3–4 months that the other lagging suppliers had achieved.
  • Be installed in-situ, avoiding significant downtime, costly pulley removals and cross-border freight for hot-vulcanisation.
  • Reduce downtime and total cost of ownership.
Our Solution

In March 2020, ABEAR Industrial supplied 25mm Cold Bond Gecko Tread lagging for the 3600mm wide pulleys. Later pulleys were fitted with either Gecko Tread, Onyx Tread, and Triangle Lagging at thicknesses ranging from 12mm to 25mm – all successful and exceeded the performance and service life of prior suppliers by orders of magnitude.

Key advantages of our approach:
  • Cold-bonded in-situ: installation without removing pulleys, saving major downtime.
  • Engineered design: rounded tile corners prevent stress concentrations; hyperbolic tread grooves improve material dispersion and prevent tread root failure.
  • Superior bonding layer: genuine CN bonding system cross-linked with chloroprene adhesive, resistant to chemical removal (some competitors’ products could be stripped with solvents whereas ours require mechanical removal).
  • Advanced rubber compounds: stable cure profiles with a high resilience (60%) reducing heat build-up during operation, and slower aging compared to competing products. The graph below demonstrates two high resilience compounds with stable cure profiles (one more so than the other), the graph was one of the outputs of some recent Research and Development at ABEAR Industrial.

MDR Comparison of Two Stable Compounds, Cured at 160’C

Results
  • Zero failures or replacement over 3.5 years of continuous operation (until mine closure in Nov 2023).
  • Maintenance contractors projected a realistic service life of 8 years for ABEAR lagging in this application based on the condition of the lagging at the point of the mine closing.
  • Downtime minimised: avoided shutting down of the conveyor systems and international shipping for hot vulcanisation, by cold bonding on-site.
  • Proven reliability: where multiple global competitors failed within months, ABEAR’s engineered lagging lasted years.
Why ABEAR Industrial
  • Backed by rubber technology experts and ongoing R&D.
  • Deep understanding of how design and rubber compounding interact.
  • Hands-on installation expertise and experience, feeding directly into continuous product improvements. Ease of installation directly correlates with product performance and reliability.
  • Confidence to offer warranties when our recommendations are followed.
Conclusion

At Cobre Panama, ABEAR Industrial demonstrated the power of engineered pulley lagging. By delivering exceptional service life, avoiding costly downtime, and outperforming recognised global competitors, we saved the mine millions and proved that real engineering delivers real results.