A Distributor That Does More Than Sell Drives
Mining operations demand more than off-the-shelf components. The equipment running a coal mine — from the emulsion pumps keeping the roof supports pressurized to the conveyor drives moving tons of material per hour — has to work every shift, in conditions that would stop lesser systems cold.
The 84 Group doesn't just supply the drives. We engineer complete, mine-ready systems: designed around your application, built and tested in our Pittsburgh-area shop, and backed by the same ABB technology that powers mining operations around the world. When something needs to run, it runs.
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Custom Emulsion Pump VFD Systems
In underground coal mining, emulsion pump systems are at the heart of longwall and continuous miner operations — keeping hydraulic roof supports pressurized and responsive when miners need them most. A failure here is never just an inconvenience.
Our custom VFD packages for emulsion pump duty give operators precise control over pump speed and system pressure — delivering exactly what the roof supports demand, nothing more and nothing less. By modulating speed instead of throttling flow with valves, the drive reduces mechanical stress on the pump and piping, extends system life, and dramatically cuts energy consumption during partial-load operation. The ABB ACS880 at the heart of each system provides real torque response fast enough to handle sudden demand changes without pressure spikes or surges.
- Precise pressure and flow control through variable pump speed
- Eliminates water hammer and pressure surges that damage piping
- Soft start and stop extends pump and motor life significantly
- Built-in process protections — dry run detection, overload, and thermal monitoring
- Energy savings versus fixed-speed throttling arrangements
- NEMA 4 or 4X enclosures rated for wet, dusty mine environments
Belt Drive Systems
Conveyor belts are the backbone of coal production — if a belt goes down, the whole operation stops. Our belt drive packages are engineered to keep material moving reliably, shift after shift, without the mechanical wear that shortens conveyor life.
VFD control changes the way belts start and stop. Instead of slamming a loaded belt to full speed or letting it coast to a jarring halt, our drive systems accelerate and decelerate at controlled, programmable ramp rates. This removes the shock loading that tears belts, wears pulleys, and puts stress on splice joints. For multi-drive conveyors, load sharing keeps belt tension even across head and tail drives — eliminating the tracking problems and belt damage that unbalanced drives cause. The ACS880's Direct Torque Control ensures that even during transitions, each drive holds exactly its share of the load.
- Controlled start and stop ramps eliminate belt snap and splice damage
- Multi-drive load sharing for long, high-tonnage conveyor systems
- Smooth speed reduction for maintenance access without full shutdowns
- Belt slip detection and automatic protection against overload
- Regenerative braking capability — recaptures energy on inclined belts
- Compatible with existing motors; no mechanical modifications required
Pump Controllers
Water management is a constant challenge underground. Dewatering sumps, slurry transfer, process water circulation — mining sites run dozens of pumps, and every one of them needs to be controlled intelligently to protect the equipment and keep the mine workable.
Our pump controller packages go well beyond a simple starter. Each system integrates the VFD with the monitoring and protection logic that keeps a pump running safely in an unattended environment. Level sensors feed into automatic speed control — the drive matches pump output to inflow rate rather than running the pump full speed against a throttled valve. When the sump empties, the controller catches it before the pump runs dry. When level rises faster than expected, the drive ramps up to keep pace. Everything is logged, alarmed, and available for remote monitoring so maintenance teams know what's happening at every sump, not just the ones they're standing next to.
- Automatic speed control tied to level, pressure, or flow sensors
- Dry-run protection prevents cavitation and motor burnout
- Auto-restart after power interruptions with configurable delay times
- Remote monitoring and alarm outputs for mine-wide SCADA integration
- Duplex and triplex configurations with automatic lead/lag rotation
- Full motor protection: thermal, overload, phase loss, and ground fault
Constant Tension Winches
Whether it's managing trailing cable on a continuous miner, handling man-riding applications, or controlling material on a slope, constant tension winches require a level of precision that traditional controls simply cannot deliver. One moment of rope slack or sudden jerk can be dangerous — or catastrophic.
Our constant tension winch drive systems are built around the ABB ACS880 and its Direct Torque Control technology — the same core algorithm that gives the ACS880 the fastest, most accurate torque response in its class. DTC doesn't just control speed. It controls torque directly, at the motor shaft, faster than a hundred times per millisecond. The result is a winch that maintains true constant tension regardless of load changes, rope angle shifts, or speed variations — without hunting, without lag, and without relying on mechanical brakes to compensate for a slow drive. The system feels the rope and responds instantly. For safety-critical mining haulage and man-riding applications, that's not a nice-to-have. It's the standard.
- True constant tension maintained through ABB Direct Torque Control (DTC)
- Torque response measured in microseconds — not seconds
- Safe regenerative lowering — no brake resistors needed for descent
- Safe torque off (STO) and safe stop functions built into the ACS880
- Configurable tension setpoints for different load and rope conditions
- Anti-rope-slack and overload detection with automatic hold
Why We Build on the ABB ACS880
Every mining system we build is engineered around ABB's ACS880 industrial drive — the platform that sets the standard for torque performance, safety, and reliability in demanding industrial applications.
Direct Torque Control (DTC)
The ACS880's core technology controls motor torque directly — not through calculated approximations. The result is torque response so fast and so precise that drives can do jobs that slip through the cracks of conventional speed control.
Built-in Safety Functions
Safe Torque Off (STO), Safe Stop 1 (SS1), and Safe Speed functions are integrated into the drive hardware — not bolted on as an afterthought. Mining environments demand this level of functional safety.
Industrial-Grade Ruggedness
The ACS880 is rated for the temperature swings, vibration, and contamination that come with real industrial environments. Not a drive designed for a clean room that gets repackaged for mining — one that's built for it from the start.
Regenerative Capability
When a conveyor descends or a winch lowers a load, the ACS880 can return that energy back to the power supply rather than burning it off as heat. In continuous mining operations, the savings add up quickly.
Comprehensive Diagnostics
Real-time drive data, fault logging, trending, and communication via Profibus, EtherNet/IP, or Modbus means maintenance teams always have full visibility into system health — before problems happen, not after.
Wide Power Range
The ACS880 platform covers the full range of mining applications — from a small emulsion pump auxiliary to a large multi-megawatt hoist or conveyor drive — with consistent control architecture across the entire line.
What Makes DTC Different
Most variable frequency drives control motor speed by adjusting voltage and frequency and then calculating what the torque must be. Direct Torque Control flips this entirely — it measures and controls the motor's actual torque and flux directly, thousands of times per second. The drive knows exactly what the motor is doing and responds instantly to any change.
For mining applications — where a winch rope must stay taut, a belt must accelerate smoothly under load, or a pump must hold system pressure as demand shifts — this precision isn't theoretical. It's the difference between a system that works and one that causes problems.
Proven in Active Coal Operations
We don't just spec equipment — we stand behind it. The 84 Group has a long history of supplying and supporting drive systems at working coal mines throughout the region.
Years of Experience Where It Counts
The coal industry is unforgiving when it comes to equipment that doesn't perform. Mines run on production schedules, and downtime is measured directly in lost revenue. That's why our mining customers come back — and why they refer us to other operations.
Our team has provided drive systems to multiple underground and surface coal mining operations, including longwall mines with continuous emulsion pump demands, slope-belt operations requiring precise belt tension management, and haulage applications where constant tension winch control is critical to safe operation.
We understand mining timelines, maintenance constraints, and the difference between a system that works in a shop and one that works in a mine. We build for the second standard.
Contact Our Mining Team →Ready to Talk About Your Mining Application?
Tell us about your system — application type, motor horsepower, environment, and any existing equipment — and we'll put together a package built for your operation.