The company said engineers using the drag-and-drop tool, called My Plant Planner, can trial different configurations and operating conditions on new and existing plants to see how changes affect process performance.

"The tool allows you to either design and simulate a new crushing and screening plant in 3D or test how upgrading your current equipment can improve performance," said Guillaume Lambert, vice president, Crushing Systems at Metso.

In addition to new configurations, the web-based tool can simulate the use of different types of crushers, screens and conveyors to improve balance and identify bottlenecks.

Factors such as capacity, load, and power draw, are updated in real-time and reporting provided on power consumption, Metso said.