Choosing a suitable basalt crusher focuses on its characteristics of high hardness (Mohs 6-7), high abrasiveness, and tendency to wear equipment. Combined with production capacity requirements, finished product applications (e.g., aggregates, sand making), and site conditions, the selection should match models based on three key dimensions: "crushing efficiency, wear resistance, and finished product quality". The specific steps are as follows:

I. Clarify Core Requirements First: 3 Key Parameters to Determine Direction

Basic requirements must be clarified before selection to avoid blind equipment matching:

1. Production Capacity Scale

Divided by "hourly output" or "annual output": small production lines (10-50 tons/hour, such as rural road construction), medium production lines (50-200 tons/hour, such as regional mixing plants), and large production lines (over 200 tons/hour, such as expressways and high-speed rail projects). Production capacity directly determines equipment specifications and combination methods.

2. Finished Product Requirements

• For aggregates (5-20mm, 20-40mm): Focus on the shape of finished products (needle-flake content ≤10%) and uniformity, suitable for roads and concrete structures;
• For manufactured sand (0-5mm): Both crushing and shaping functions are required. The finished product must meet GB/T 14684-2022 standard for construction sand (fineness modulus 2.3-3.2, continuous gradation).

3. Site Conditions

• Fixed sites (e.g., stone quarries): Optional fixed crusher combinations with stable capacity and low cost;
• Mobile operations (e.g., construction waste sites, scattered mining points): Mobile crushing plants are required for flexible relocation and no need for infrastructure.

II. Select Models by Crushing Stage: Matching Equipment in Stages

Basalt has high hardness and requires multi-stage crushing: "primary crushing → secondary/fine crushing → sand making/shaping". The adaptability of models varies greatly in different stages. Specific selections are as follows:

1. Primary Crushing Stage: Jaw Crusher (Only First Choice)

Core Function: Crush raw ore (particle size 300-1000mm) to 100-150mm, reducing the load for secondary/fine crushing. It is the "first checkpoint" for all basalt production lines.

Selection Points:

• Priority is given to deep-cavity jaw crushers (e.g., PE-900×1200, PE-1200×1500). With deep cavity and strong feeding capacity, they are 15%-20% more efficient than ordinary jaw crushers, suitable for large-size basalt raw ore;
• Liners must be made of high manganese steel ZGMn13Cr2 (chromium-containing to enhance wear resistance) or composite material liners, with a service life 50% longer than ordinary high manganese steel, reducing frequent replacements;
• Equipped with hydraulic safety devices, which can automatically retreat when encountering hard impurities (such as iron blocks) mixed in raw ore, avoiding damage to the machine body. Especially suitable for basalt mined from mines (with more impurities).

2. Secondary/Fine Crushing Stage: Cone Crusher (Only Suitable Option)

Core Function: Crush 100-150mm materials after primary crushing to 20-50mm. It is the "core equipment" for processing high-hardness basalt. Impact crushers are strictly prohibited (their hammers and blow bars wear too quickly, requiring replacement every 3-7 days, resulting in extremely high maintenance costs).

Selection Classification:

• Medium-small capacity (50-200 tons/hour): Choose single-cylinder hydraulic cone crushers (e.g., CS series, SC series) with simple structure and easy operation. The hydraulic adjustment of discharge opening is fast, suitable for scenarios where finished products are aggregates;
• Large capacity (over 200 tons/hour): Choose multi-cylinder hydraulic cone crushers (e.g., HPT series, MP series) adopting the principle of laminated crushing, with more uniform finished product shape (needle-flake content ≤8%) and 10%-15% lower unit energy consumption than single-cylinder crushers, suitable for high-yield and high-standard aggregate requirements;
• Key configuration: Must be equipped with an automatic lubrication system (thin oil lubrication + water cooling). During basalt crushing, bearing temperature tends to overheat (up to 80℃ or higher), and the lubrication system can control the temperature within 70℃ to avoid equipment damage due to overheating.

3. Sand Making/Shaping Stage: Impact Sand Maker (First Choice)

Core Function: Crush and shape 20-50mm materials after secondary/fine crushing to produce 0-5mm manufactured sand, or perform secondary shaping on aggregates (to improve particle shape).

Selection Points:

• Crushing mode: Priority is given to the "stone-on-stone" mode (material impacting material), which has 40% lower wear than "stone-on-iron" (material impacting metal liners), especially suitable for high-hardness materials like basalt;
• Wear parts: Choose high chromium alloy impellers + ceramic composite surrounding liners. The impeller service life can reach 2-3 months (ordinary materials only last 1 month), reducing replacement frequency;
• Capacity matching: Select sand makers according to "80%-90% of secondary/fine crushing capacity". For example, if the secondary/fine crushing capacity is 100 tons/hour, choose a sand maker with 80-90 tons/hour (e.g., VSI-8518, VSI-1140) to avoid overload or capacity waste.

III. Determine Overall Configuration by Capacity Scale: 3 Typical Schemes

Equipment combinations vary greatly for production lines with different capacities. The following are mature configuration references that can directly match requirements:

IV. Selection Pitfalls to Avoid: 4 Key Considerations

• Do not choose low-cost "multi-functional" models: Such as roller crushers and composite crushers. These models have extremely fast wear of vulnerable parts when processing basalt (requiring replacement every 1-2 days). Although the initial investment seems low (300,000-500,000 RMB), the monthly maintenance cost exceeds 100,000 RMB, which is not cost-effective in the long run.
• Priority is given to brands with "universal wear parts": For example, cone crushers and sand makers of the same brand, whose vulnerable parts (such as liners and impellers) can be universal or quickly adapted, reducing spare parts inventory and replacement time, and avoiding difficulty in finding spare parts due to mixed brands.
• "Wear protection" devices must be equipped: Add wear-resistant liners (such as ceramic liners) at the crusher feed inlet and conveyor transfer points. Basalt crushing generates high dust and strong material scouring. Protection devices can extend the overall service life of equipment by more than 30%.
• Environmental protection configuration cannot be omitted: Basalt crushing produces high dust concentration (up to 500mg/m³ or higher). It is necessary to equip with pulse dust collectors (air handling capacity ≥8000m³/h) + sealed conveyors to ensure dust emission ≤30mg/m³ and avoid environmental rectification shutdowns.

V. Post-Maintenance Reference: Reducing Wear Costs

Post-maintenance should be considered during selection, as it directly affects the profitability of the production line:

• Wear parts storage: Store liners and impellers according to "3-month usage" (e.g., 2-3 sets of single-cylinder cone crusher liners for 3 months) to avoid shutdown due to stockouts;
• Regular maintenance: Clean the cone crusher cavity and check the sand maker impeller balance weekly; replace lubricating oil monthly (use 68# hydraulic oil in summer and 46# in winter), which can reduce the failure probability by 30%.