{"id":12710,"date":"2026-06-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/?p=12710"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:06:09","slug":"camera-based-oss-measurement-the-end-of-the-foil-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/camera-based-oss-measurement-the-end-of-the-foil-ball\/","title":{"rendered":"Camera-based OSS measurement: the end of the foil ball?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For decades, measuring a crusher\u2019s open-side setting has been a manual job \u2013 imprecise, infrequent, and not without risk. <\/em>North American Mining spoke with Ingo Neitemeier and Jayachandran Manoharan at FLS about a new technology that aims to change this.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"An
An FLS gyratory crusher.
<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Open-side setting \u2013 or OSS. It is one of the most influential parameters in crusher performance, impacting the efficiency of the entire process. Even small deviations can materially affect downstream product size, energy consumption, and liner life. And yet, in most operations, verifying it still means sending someone to the crusher with physical tools, be it a foil ball, a pressure ball, or a measuring instrument, while the machine runs in idle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FLS CrusherLensIQ is a new camera-based answer to that problem. The system is installed through the porthole in the bottom shell of a gyratory crusher. When a measurement is needed, the camera extends into the crusher \u2013 which must be idling (no load) \u2013 to measure the distance between the concave and the mantle. It then sends a reading to the operator\u2019s screen before retracting. According to the company, the entire cycle is completed within 30 seconds. When the crusher is running under load, the camera remains fully retracted inside its protective housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe system is designed to operate safely and reliably in a very harsh crushing environment while avoiding the need for manual OSS measurement methods,\u201d said Ingo Neitemeier, global service line manager for Gyratory Crusher Consumables at FLS. Camera movement is controlled either from the control room via the PLC or locally from a dedicated unit near the crusher. In either case, Neitemeier continued, the operator does not need to approach the machine to take a measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The
The CrusherLensIQ OSS measurement system installed on a primary gyratory crusher.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

SAFETY AND MEASUREMENT RELIABILITY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This has obvious implications for operator safety, as Neitemeier explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraditional OSS measurements require personnel in the crusher area when the crusher is running in idle. CrusherLensIQ eliminates these manual inspections. The OSS can be verified remotely, without sending personnel into hazardous areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neitemeier also pointed to measurement consistency as another aim of the system\u2019s development. Manual methods are inherently variable: physical tools deform, are inconsistently positioned, and produce a single data point per inspection. In contrast, CrusherLensIQ measures against the same reference geometry every time and records the result digitally, enabling trend analysis over time. \u201cField tests show significantly improved repeatability and transparency,\u201d he said. \u201cMore frequent, reliable measurement also allows operators to act on what the crusher is actually doing rather than what it is nominally set to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCustomers have responded positively to the ability to validate settings after adjustments with confidence,\u201d Neitemeier concluded, \u201crather than relying on subjective measurements or doing it by experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"CrusherLensIQ
CrusherLensIQ measures the distance between the concave and the mantle to determine a crusher\u2019s open-side setting.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

RETROFIT AND INTEGRATION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

FLS positions CrusherLensIQ as retrofit-friendly. Provided a crusher has suitable mounting locations \u2013 port holes in the bottom shell \u2013 and adequate line-of-sight conditions, explained Jayachandran Manoharan, R&D project manager, Consumables, the system can be fitted to older machines and, in many cases, to third-party equipment. On the integration side, it is designed to interface with common plant automation architectures, making OSS data available to the control room alongside other process variables, including power draw, throughput, and product size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the control system, CrusherLensIQ fits naturally into FLS\u2019s broader digital and optimization ecosystem, according to Manoharan, \u201cwhere it can serve as a data source for performance monitoring, wear tracking, and advanced advisory tools.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEXT STEPS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Manoharan described CrusherLensIQ as a building block rather than an endpoint. \u201cThe next development focus is tighter integration,\u201d he said, \u201cdeeper connection with crusher control strategies, automated alerts when OSS drifts from target, and the fusion of OSS data with wear profiles, power draw, and throughput figures. The focus is on closing the loop between measurement, interpretation, and action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More broadly, both Neitemeier and Manoharan see primary crushing moving toward data-driven operation: a direction, they argue, that depends on replacing periodic manual checks with continuous, reliable measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnologies like CrusherLensIQ reduce reliance on assumptions and manual intervention, replacing them with continuous insight,\u201d Manoharan concluded. \u201cDigital solutions must deliver practical value on site. CrusherLensIQ was developed with operators and maintenance teams in mind \u2013 solving real safety, reliability, and consistency challenges rather than adding complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For decades, measuring a crusher\u2019s open-side setting has been a manual job \u2013 imprecise, infrequent, and not without risk. North American Mining spoke with Ingo Neitemeier and Jayachandran Manoharan at FLS about a new technology that aims to change this. Open-side setting \u2013 or OSS. It is one of the most influential parameters in crusher performance, impacting the efficiency of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"\u201cThe system is designed to operate safely and reliably in a very harsh crushing environment while avoiding the need for manual OSS measurement methods,\u201d said Ingo Neitemeier, global service line manager for Gyratory Crusher Consumables at FLS. Camera movement is controlled either from the control room via the PLC or locally from a dedicated unit near the crusher. In either case, Neitemeier continued, the operator does not need to approach the machine to take a measurement.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[4635,4077,51,1679],"coauthors":[1644],"class_list":["post-12710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-crusherlensiq","tag-fls","tag-flsmidth","tag-gyratory-crusher"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Crushing_-_TSUV_Gyratory_crusher_1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12714,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12710\/revisions\/12714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12710"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}