Although it is related to mining, the winch is used in various areas
Malacate is a term that comes from the Nahuatl malacatl , which refers to a “rotating thing.” It is a machine that is used in the mining field to mainly extract water and minerals.
Extraction from mines
The winch works like a winch (a winch used to lift and move very heavy items). The first winches had levers hooked to horses that enabled their movement, having a drum at the top.
The winches allow materials to be dragged and extracted from inside the mines . These devices, depending on the case, can be installed inside the mine or outside. There are hydraulic winches , electric winches and diesel winches , according to the type of energy they receive for their operation.
It is common for winches to be used in coal mines , zinc mines , silver mines , iron mines , and copper mines , among others. Engine power; the diameter and capacity of the cable; and load capacity are some of the characteristics that differ between the various equipment.
With the winch you can promote both the descent and the ascent of materials, but also supplies and even operators . For this, cages are used that are attached to the cable, which is wound and deployed by the drum.
Brief history
In various hieroglyphs it can be seen that already in the 12th century BC. C. the winch existed with a similar utility, that is, for the extraction of water and minerals. At the base of the oldest models, a series of rods were placed to tie the horses that had to pull to generate movement.
With the passage of time it was possible to operate the winch with electrical energy , so that animal exploitation was no longer necessary. Some types of winch do not use electricity but rather hydraulic systems . In addition to mining, it is used in the automotive industry and construction sites.
a cake
Another meaning of the term malacate defines it as a tortera, also called fusayola or steering wheel . It is an object that is used as a counterweight on the vertical spindle or as a stop if it is placed on its base. It can be made of various materials, such as stone, metal, bone or ceramic.
It is important not to confuse the winch with the loom weight , which is used to tension the thread. This can happen because it is sometimes called a spinning weight , among other names that can lead to confusion. The winch is part of certain spinning spindles to promote greater uniformity in the work and also to do it more quickly .
A piece of the spinning spindle is also called a “malacate”.
There are several winch sizes, a property that directly affects its weight. Taken to the spinning spindle, all this influences the thickness of the thread , whether different winches are used for the same material, or a combination of several. It is important to properly support this piece so that it rotates uniformly and symmetrically, taking the axis as a reference.
We mentioned before that you can also put the winch at the base of the spindle; This is done to establish a limit for the thread winding . The origin of this instrument or the spinning spindle is not known, but there is evidence of its use in 5000 BC. C. from the Iberian Peninsula to the Middle East.
A contest for entrepreneurs
“Malacate Challenge” , on the other hand, is the name of a contest promoted by the Río Tinto Foundation and the Atalaya Foundation . The contest seeks to promote ventures in the Huelva Mining Basin ( Spain ).