I'm an aftermarket service coordinator for a crushing equipment dealer. I've handled 200+ rush orders over eight years, including same-day turnarounds for limestone producers, gravel pits, and concrete recyclers. I don't speak for Metso, but I've spent enough time behind control panels and next to crushers to give you a direct answer before the sales call.
These are the questions I'd want answered if I were sitting in front of an IC70C MCP quote.
The Metso IC70C MCP cone crusher automation system is the control package that monitors a cone crusher's main operating limits. It keeps an eye on crushing pressure, power draw, oil temperature, and hydraulic pressure. When something goes outside the expected range, it responds faster than a manual operator and usually gives a fault code to explain what happened.
According to Metso's product pages (metso.com), the IC70C helps monitor and protect the crusher. That's the official version. The practical version is simpler: it buys you reaction time.
And yes, the MCP part is easy to overthink. Think of it as the operator station for the automation system. The acronym is the least interesting part of the package.
For a lot of older cone crushers, yes, but do not start by ordering the panel. Start by checking whether the hydraulic system can adjust the closed side setting while the crusher is under load. The IC70C can send the command, but something has to move the crusher. If the machine's hydraulic valve block cannot do that, the automation will have nothing to control.
Send the serial number to your Metso representative before you buy anything. On compatible machines, a retrofit usually includes a control panel, sensors, wiring, and the right valves. Usually is doing a lot of work in that sentence, because crusher setups vary and so do the upgrade kits.
No. If anything, automation creates a different kind of operator responsibility. The system can reduce a load before the operator reacts, but it cannot see contamination in the feed or know when the chamber is being run too full. A good operator still needs to understand what the alarms are telling them.
The biggest surprise for new owners is that IC70C MCP does not replace a metal detector. It does not look into the crushing chamber. It reacts to changes in pressure and power, but upstream protection is still your job. Keep a metal detector or magnet where the design calls for one, and keep checking that feed arrangement.
People often search for Metso impact crusher and Metso cone crusher as if they are two options in the same slot. On a Metso product list, the impact crushers are usually NP Series machines. They are strong choices for less abrasive feed, especially limestone and recycled concrete, and they can produce good cubical product shape.
For harder, more abrasive rock, the cone crusher is usually the lower-cost answer over the life of the liners. The machine itself may be more expensive upfront, but the wear cost per tonne is often better. Look at your rock's abrasiveness and your product shape specs before you let a short-term equipment price make the decision.
If you typed what is a backhoe into a search engine and landed here, you are not alone. A backhoe is usually a tractor-loader-backhoe, or TLB, with a loader bucket on the front and a digging arm on the back. People use the word backhoe for excavators too, but they are different machines.
In crushing work, backhoes are utility machines. They help build ramps, clean around the plant, and move oversize material. They are not the first choice for feeding a production crusher. For that, you want a wheel loader or excavator sized for the crusher's throughput. A backhoe loader can handle small portable plants and short jobs, but on a modern crushing spread it is a helper, not the main loader.
This is where I've seen the best and worst parts of this industry. In March 2024, a plant called me at about 4 p.m. with a failed hydraulic valve. The normal lead time was five days, and they had two days of material in the stockpile. We found the valve at another branch, paid extra for an overnight truck, and a technician had the crusher running by noon the next day.
The freight cost hurt. The alternative hurt more: roughly three days of a 400 ton-per-hour plant sitting idle. Not every rush order gets solved that quickly, but many can be if you call with the serial number, the part number, and a photo of the nameplate. If you call and just say it is a Metso crusher, you will spend ten minutes answering questions. If you call with the model and the stock number, you move straight to finding a solution.
At minimum, a full set of wear parts for the crusher that is hardest to replace. For a cone crusher, that usually means a mantle and concave set matched to your crushing cavity. For an impact crusher, the set is the blow bars and impact wear plates. Also stock oil filters, hydraulic filters, and a spare sensor or two after you know which sensor failures are common in your environment.
Do not try to build a warehouse. A local dealer's inventory should cover most breakdowns if you have a relationship and a current parts list. You just need enough inventory to cover planned changes and the one failure that always seems to happen on a Friday night.
Only in the sense that field crews spend long hours in direct sunlight. Search engines sometimes connect odd terms because people shop for site clothes and equipment in the same session. Bucket hats with high-vis fabric or chin straps can be useful when the site PPE rules allow them. Tractor Supply sells a limited range of sun hats, but a proper safety supplier will have better options if you need rated head protection.
And no, Tractor Supply does not carry crusher wear parts. But if this is the search detour that brought you here, you now know the difference between a field hat and a crusher automation system. That is more than most people on a hot jobsite can say.
Ask what is included beyond the hardware. Does the quote include commissioning and training? Can the technician use your actual plant conditions as examples? What will the operator see during a pressure spike, and what should they do about it?
There is a lot of value in the IC70C MCP, but the value starts after the operator trusts it. If you buy the panel and skip the training, you are buying an expensive warning light. If you build the training into the project, you are buying peace of mind for every night shift after that.
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