W said the mechanical completion paved the way for commissioning of mined ore in January, with the company planning to increase output in the March quarter by changing from the tailings feed to higher-grade crushed mine feed.

The company said the 350-tonnes-per-hour crushing circuit had been engineered to minimise the creation of tungsten fines. 

"It comprises of a jaw crusher and secondary cone crusher both with vibrating grizzlies prior to size reduction and two tertiary cone crushers in closed circuit with a double deck banana screen," it said.

The design of the Metso circuit will allow it to expand modularly to 700tph without any future modifications to installed infrastructure.

MOD said the circuit was configured to feed X-Ray ore sorting going forwards and the high automation level and robust wear liner packages would permit strong operational control and minimise maintenance requirements.

W chairman Michael Masterman the crusher had been completed ahead of schedule and on budget, with first mined ore to be fed into the crusher early in January, which would help increase la Parrilla's output in line with the planned ramp-up programme.

The company has been speeding ahead with developments at the mine, with first tungsten concentrate production and the first export shipment both taking place earlier than expected.