A stacker is a large machine used in bulk material handling. Its function is to pile bulk material such as limestone, ores and cereals on to a stockpile. A reclaimer can be used to recover the material.
Gold dredges in Alaska had a stacker that was a fixed part of the dredge. It carried over-size material to the tailings pile.
Luffing: This is vertical movement. Stackers use either a winch mechanism with metal wire, or hydraulic cylinders, generally two. Winch mechanisms are highly reliable compared to hydraulic actuators and remain widely used, particularly in large stackers.
Travelling: The stacker moves on a rail track, which may be broad or narrow gauge, enabling it to move around the stockyard as required. For this purpose, traction motors powered by direct current (DC) are connected by bevel gears to between 12 and 22 wheels. For manual control, all the controls are in a controller's cabin above the boom conveyor or boom. Modern stackers can be controlled remotely.
Slewing: This is rotation of the stacker around its central axis to align or place the stockpile where required. This works mostly by a slew pinion that rotates around a slew base. This type of gear assembly is called a sun and planet gear. The axles may be multiple and are driven by DC-powered axle motors which transmit the torque via bevel or helical gears.
