History of the Cone Crusher

older image of a cone crusher on a site

The cone crusher, introduced by the Symons brothers in the 1920s, wasn’t quite a big deal when it first came out, but today, it is a valuable and integral part of most rock crushing companies.

A cone crusher, considered by most in the industry as a secondary or tertiary position machine to the jaw crusher or the gyratory crusher, is capable of crushing all types of medium-hard mineral rocks and stones. The cone crusher offers many advantages over other crushers, such as low energy consumption, reliable and efficient operation, and a high reduction ratio.

Despite being present in many other industries, it is most commonly used in construction and mining and has had a major influence on the history of the cone crusher. With the rapid development of the construction and mining industries, the cone crusher is being modified constantly to become the perfect crushing tool. However, it has not always been a common crushing tool.

Introduction to the Symons Cone Crusher

The cone crusher was developed in the United States by the Milwaukee Symons brothers, who are believed to be the designers and inventors of the spring cone crusher. The Symons genius lies in its durability and simplicity – there are only nine moving parts to these heavy-duty machines.

By the end of the 19th century, the U.S. began to use the cone crusher more frequently. After many years of constant development and research, the spring cone crusher became one of the most efficient crushing machines.

The first hydraulic cone crusher was developed in 1948. This cone crusher can pass uncrushable materials that have somehow entered the crushing chamber by opening the crushing cavity hydraulically instead of using springs. Through the following years, the cone crusher was significantly improved in all terms; efficiency, features, technologies, energy consumption, maintenance costs, etc.

The Ever-Evolving History Of The Cone Crusher

Today, there are many types of cone crushers, of which every type is most suitable for a specific range of applications and materials. The importance of the cone crusher has significantly increased, because of its effectiveness and lower operating costs.

Ease of assembly and disassembly became a nice improvement, along with enhanced production, gradation, and more versatility.

The Symons design is such that it is either a standard or short head assembly. The standard assembly was geared toward a secondary position for reduction, and the short head for a tertiary or quaternary position to create the actual product and improve shape. However, the Symons design makes it difficult to switch from a Short Head to a Standard and vice versa.

However, from the Symons came the next design, the Omnicone, which evolved into a machine where the same frame could be utilized both ways – a standard or a short head – without too many physical changes to the machine.

Next came the HP Cone Crusher, which further improved upon this flexibility making such application changes from short head to standard with a simple change of manganese liners. The HP also provided more throw, stroke, speed, and throughput as well as having a higher fulcrum point on the heads.

Cone Crusher Makes its Mark

The cone crusher can crush hard, medium-hard, and several types of materials, while providing a reliable and efficient crushing operation. In the beginning, the cone crusher was compared to the jaw crusher as having a more stable structure, higher efficiency, more economical operation and adjustable to much smaller margins.

Today, these machines have slotted into their specific niches in the quarry ecosystem and have become complementary components to each other instead of direct competition. Throughout the history of the cone crusher, the equipment has become a pivotal staple in nearly all medium to hard rock plant applications and due to its track record of adaptability it will surely continue to be so in the future.

At Mellott, we specialize in supply and service to suit all of your crushing needs. If your company is interested in learning more about the cone crusher and what it can do for you, call us at 855.554.1606 or reach out to us for a free consultation.