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Compact Crushing & Sand-Making Line: Perfect for Small Quarrie

    For small quarries—like the family-run granite operation in northern Portugal, or the limestone quarry in rural Thailand—full-scale 100+ TPH crushing lines are overkill. They take up too much space (often requiring 1,000+ sq. meters), cost $200k+, and need 5+ operators to run. A compact crushing & sand-making line solves these pain points by shrinking equipment size, cutting costs, and simplifying operation—all while hitting 50-80 TPH capacity, the sweet spot for small producers.

    The Small Quarry Pain Points This Line Fixes

    Before upgrading to a compact line, the Portuguese granite quarry faced three critical issues:

    Space constraints: Their 500 sq. meter site couldn’t fit a standard jaw crusher + cone crusher setup.

    High labor costs: Running standalone machines (a small jaw crusher + manual screening) needed 3 operators, eating into profits.

    Inconsistent output: They struggled to supply 50 TPH of 0-5mm sand to their local concrete mixer client, losing 15% of orders monthly.

    A compact line turned these problems around by designing a “stackable, simplified” workflow that fits tight spaces and needs just 2 operators.

The 4-Core Compact Line Design (50-80 TPH)

    Unlike full-scale lines, compact setups use smaller, integrated machines that work in a linear (not spread-out) layout—ideal for sites under 800 sq. meters. Here’s how the Portuguese quarry’s line was configured:

1. Feeding: Mini Vibrating Feeder (0.8m Wide)

    Instead of the 1.2m-wide feeders in large lines, this compact feeder is just 0.8m wide, fitting against the quarry’s rock face. It uses a low-power motor (5.5kW) to feed 60 TPH of granite chunks (up to 300mm) into the crusher—enough to keep the line running without overloading. A built-in metal detector diverts nails or rebar (from old construction debris in the quarry) to avoid damaging the crusher, cutting jam-related downtime by 90%.

2. Crushing: Integrated Jaw + Impact Crusher (2-in-1 Machine)

    The biggest space-saver is the 2-in-1 jaw-impact crusher. Instead of separate jaw and cone crushers (which take up 400+ sq. meters), this machine combines primary jaw crushing (breaking 300mm chunks to 50mm) and secondary impact crushing (refining 50mm to 15mm) in one unit. It’s just 3.5m long and 2m wide—small enough to fit on a concrete pad the size of a parking space.

    For granite (a hard stone), the impact crusher’s high-speed rotor (1,500 RPM) creates uniform grit, avoiding the “blocky” particles that manual screening can’t fix. The Portuguese quarry saw a 40% drop in uneven particles after switching to this 2-in-1 machine.

3. Shaping: Mini VSI Shaper (1.2m Diameter)

    Compact VSIs are designed for small-capacity needs. This 1.2m-diameter model runs on a 37kW motor, shaping 15mm grit into 0-5mm cubical sand at 50 TPH. It uses a “low-wear” rotor (lasting 800 hours vs. 500 hours in full-scale VSIs) to cut maintenance costs—critical for small quarries with tight budgets. The Portuguese team now produces sand with a 90% cubical rate, meeting their concrete client’s strict standards.

4. Screening: 2-Layer Compact Vibrating Screen (2.4m×6m)

    Instead of 3-layer screens (used in large lines), this compact 2-layer screen sorts material into two grades:

    Oversized (over 5mm): Sent back to the impact crusher for reprocessing (closed-loop recycling).

    On-spec (0-5mm): Sent to a small sand washer (1.5m diameter) to remove dust.

    The screen’s low height (2.8m) means it can be placed next to the VSI, creating a linear flow that uses just 200 sq. meters of space. For the Portuguese quarry, this eliminated the need to move material with a wheel loader—saving 1 hour of labor daily.

    Real Results: The Portuguese Quarry’s ROI

    After 6 months with the compact line:

    Capacity: Hit 55 TPH consistently, fulfilling 100% of their concrete client’s orders (up from 85% before).

    Costs: Labor costs dropped by $3,000/month (2 operators vs. 3), and maintenance costs fell by $1,200/month (longer-wear parts).

    Space: The entire line uses just 450 sq. meters—leaving room for a small storage pile of finished sand.

    The line cost $85k, half the price of a full-scale setup, and paid for itself in 11 months.

    Who This Line Is For

    Compact lines are ideal if:

Your quarry is under 1,000 sq. meters.

You need 50-80 TPH capacity (supplying local clients, not national distributors).

You have 2-3 operators (no need for specialized technicians).