In November 2018, WipWare Technical Specialists Marty Wanner and Andrew Palangio visited 3M’s Greystone operation in Wausau, Wisconsin, to commission a Momentum 5 Conveyor Particle Analysis System. The visit included verifying the existing camera installation, establishing system connectivity, configuring particle detection parameters, and completing calibration. The team also demonstrated WipFrag fragmentation analysis using UAV and ground-level imagery.
3M’s Greystone Quarry, located near Wausau, Wisconsin, has been an important part of the company’s mineral processing operations since the 1930s. The quarry produces crushed and screened rock used in the manufacture of roofing granules, which provide colour, durability, and protection for asphalt shingles. The operation is closely tied to 3M’s history in Wausau, where the company established its first business outside Minnesota in 1929. With decades of experience in mineral processing and materials innovation, 3M has become a leading supplier of specialized roofing granules to the construction industry.
The Momentum 5 camera assembly had been installed by 3M personnel before WipWare’s arrival. The installation was well organized, with electrical cables properly protected and routed.
Following an inspection of the camera, control box, and associated connections, WipWare established communication between the camera and workstation. Edge-detection parameters were then configured, allowing the system to begin collecting particle size data from the conveyor.
While Momentum 5 collected data, the WipWare team demonstrated additional fragmentation measurement capabilities using WipFrag software.
A UAV flight was conducted over a muckpile to capture imagery for fragmentation analysis. Ground-level photographs were also collected using WipFrag for iOS on an iPhone.
The UAV photographs were processed into a GeoTIFF orthomosaic containing embedded scale and geographic information. The team used this imagery to demonstrate UAV-based fragmentation measurement and compared the results with analyses performed using ground-level photographs.
The specialists also demonstrated merged analyses, illustrating how multiple image measurements could be combined to characterize material across a larger sampling area.
After completing the WipFrag demonstrations, the team reviewed the particle size data collected by Momentum 5 and fine-tuned the system’s calibration.
The commissioning was successfully completed through cooperation between WipWare and the 3M Greystone team.
WipWare thanks 3M personnel for their preparation, assistance, and support throughout the visit.
WipWare continues to provide particle measurement solutions for quarrying, mining, and industrial processing applications. Explore the Solo Conveyor Analysis System for continuous material monitoring, or WipFrag for field, laboratory, and UAV-based fragmentation analysis.
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