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Mine hoists

Trust FLS mine hoists for safe and productive mining

Built on over a century of mine hoist experience, with 500+ installations, our range of hoist types and configurations offers extensive customisation to meet specific application needs. Our hoist solutions ensure the highest standards of safety and reliability, essential for the success of every mine shaft.

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Key benefits of FLS mine hoists

  • Most experienced mine hoist supplier

    Our experience covers a range of hoisting technologies, including Koepe, single and double drum, and Blair multi-rope hoists. In fact, we have designed and manufactured more Blair multi-rope hoists than any other supplier. We were also the first company to design and deliver a mining hoist with a winding depth of 3150m.

  • Diverse, customisable hoist designs

    Every underground mine is unique and so needs unique solutions – and that includes the hoisting system. Our hoists are available in single and double drum layouts of <1.0m to >7.0m diameter, with various drive configurations and a range of motors. We can also create unique designs for special applications and requirements.

  • Innovative brake control systems

    Drawing on years of experience in developing brake control systems, FLS offers reliable and proven brake systems for every application. Whether you need a simple constant torque system or a sophisticated closed-loop control, we leverage our extensive field experience to provide dependable solutions.

Our mine hoists

Koepe hoists

Koepe (or friction) hoists rely on the friction generated between the hoisting rope and a rotating drum to move the conveyances, with balance/tail ropes ensuring sufficient friction force transmission. Ropes experience a greater stress range the deeper the wind, making Koepe hoists unsuitable for depths >1500 m, unless using oversized ropes. Rope OPEX is also significant compared to drum hoists.

  • Lower CAPEX

  • Low complexity

  • Lower installed power

Maintenance & Service of mine hoists

The hoisting system is the vital link between the underground mine and the surface. Lose the hoist, and you lose that link. Production grinds to a halt. Workers are stranded. Reliability and ease of maintenance are thus crucial to mine hoist design and engineering. 

Our hoist drums are meticulously engineered to exceed international fatigue design standards, utilizing advanced finite element analysis techniques to maximize the machine's lifespan. But premium design and manufacturing need not come at a premium cost. As a leading mine hoist equipment manufacturer, our in-depth knowledge of equipment systems, components, and designs allows us to provide cost-effective solutions, using a ‘designed to manufacture’ concept and integrating standard components, such as bearings and clutches, into our customised designs to control costs.

This support continues aftermarket with customised upgrades, retrofit and rebuild services to enhance productivity, re-certification and inspection services, equipment loading/discharge and wear analysis, and capacity increase and cycle time audits.

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Frequently asked questions

FAQs on mine hoists

A mine hoisting system is used to transport materials and personnel between the surface and an underground mine. Operating within a vertical hoisting shaft, the hoisting systems is a critical piece of equipment for underground mine operations and performance. 

The key components of a mine hoist include the hoist motor, hoist ropes, skip or cage for material handling, headframe, sheave wheel, braking system, and control system. 

There are three principal types of mine shaft hoists: Koepe (or friction) hoists, drum hoist in either single or double configuration, and Blair multi-role (BMR) hoists. FLS supply all three types.

Mine hoisting systems are equipped with several safety measures including controlled braking systems, limit switches, overload protection, temperature control, and rope condition monitoring. Frequent checks and maintenance are also crucial to identifying and correcting any potential issues before they pose a safety risk. Modern designs also include a range of diagnostic features that allow early warning and prevents failure.

We have delivered mine hoisting systems with winds of more than 3000m.