Which is better, a single-cylinder cone crusher or a spring cone crusher?

Single-cylinder cone crushers are generally superior to spring cone crushers. They feature a simpler structure, smarter operation, and easier maintenance. They also offer higher crushing efficiency and more uniform product particle size, making them particularly suitable for applications requiring high automation and production efficiency. The following comparative analysis covers multiple dimensions:

1. Structure and Operating Principle
Single-cylinder cone crusher
Structure: A single-cylinder hydraulic support design is used at the bottom, integrating discharge opening adjustment, over-iron protection, and cavity clearing functions. The main shaft is supported at both ends, ensuring stable load distribution and preventing bending or breakage.
Operating Principle: The motor drives the gears to rotate the eccentric sleeve, which then orbits and rotates within it, achieving laminar crushing of the material. The hydraulic system supports automatic parameter adjustment and has strong load-starting capability.
Advantages: Compact structure and few parts. Maintenance requires only a few bolts to replace components.

Spring Cone Crusher
Structure: Consists of a frame, transmission, moving cone, fixed cone, and eccentric sleeve. A spring mechanism provides overload protection.
Operating Principle: A motor drives the eccentric sleeve to rotate, driving the moving cone to squeeze the material, while a spring cushions the impact of foreign objects. The discharge opening requires manual adjustment, making operation more complex.
Disadvantages: The complex structure, including adjustment rings, support rings, and spring components, leads to high maintenance costs.
2. Performance Comparison
Crushing Efficiency and Capacity
Single-cylinder cone crusher: Offers a high crushing ratio and high production efficiency, making it particularly suitable for processing hard, abrasive ores (such as granite and basalt). Its 70-degree moving cone top angle facilitates handling of water- and mud-containing materials, reducing the risk of blockage.
Spring cone crusher: Offers lower production capacity, with a significant drop in efficiency when crushing hard materials. The spring mechanism is prone to fatigue when overloaded, requiring frequent replacement.

Product Particle Size and Uniformity
Single-cylinder cone crusher: Utilizes the lamination crushing principle, resulting in a long crushing chamber, uniform crushing, minimal needle-like flakes, and a high proportion of cubic finished product particles.
Spring cone crusher: Although also utilizing lamination crushing, the eccentricity of the main shaft of the moving cone is larger, resulting in slightly less uniform crushing than the single-cylinder model.
Automation and Operational Ease
Single-cylinder cone crusher: Equipped with an intelligent control system, the discharge opening can be remotely adjusted via a hydraulic valve, supports dynamic load adjustment, and displays operating parameters (such as liner wear).
Spring cone crusher: Discharge opening adjustment requires manual operation, and iron jams require shutdown and processing, resulting in a low degree of automation.
3. Maintenance and Cost
Maintenance Ease
Single-cylinder cone crusher: Maintenance requires only a few bolts to be removed, liner adjustment is simple, spare parts are limited, and maintenance costs are low.
Spring cone crusher: Its complex structure makes the adjustment ring, support ring, and spring components susceptible to damage, resulting in high maintenance costs. Operating Costs
Single-Cylinder Cone Crusher: Low wear parts consumption, reliable lubrication system, and low operating costs.
Spring Cone Crusher: The spring mechanism is prone to fatigue and requires regular replacement, and the water seal and dust control device is prone to clogging, increasing maintenance costs.

4. Application Scenarios
Single-Cylinder Cone Crusher
Applicable Industries: Metallurgy, construction, highways, chemicals, building materials, and other industries. It is particularly suitable for secondary crushing of metal ores and construction sand and gravel.
Advantageous Applications: Production lines with high requirements for automation, production efficiency, and product particle size.
Spring Cone Crusher
Applicable Industries: Medium and fine crushing of medium- to high-hardness ores, such as iron ore, copper ore, and limestone.
Advantageous Applications: Projects with limited budgets and low automation requirements, or as backup equipment.