FUNDAMENTALS

longwall mining
 

equipment
   

cutting machines - introduction
 

Equipment

Cutting Machines - Introduction

There have been several different types of cutting machine developed over the years, but "shearers" and "ploughs" have proved to be the most successful, especially the former and will be the only types dealt with in any detail here. Some types, such as "trepanners" were designed to produce a larger size of coal required for boilers, particularly for railways, and have dropped out of use as this need disappeared.