African Mining February 2022 | Page 43

CRADLE TO GRAVE •

Safe and efficient blasting has taken a momentous step forward with Omnia Group company BME ’ s launch of AXXIS Titanium , one of the world ’ s most advanced electronic blast detonation systems .

The company ’ s managing director of the SADC region Ralf Hennecke said , “ Our release of AXXIS Titanium raises the bar globally for the electronic detonator market . This flagship product reflects our continued focus on digital advancement on mines and is designed to seamlessly integrate with BME ’ s software systems and hand-held digital tools .”

The product improves safety levels and manufacturing quality through enhanced communication with the detonator during manufacturing to avoid defects . Performance is raised through the increased blast duration per detonator , more units per blasting box and precise firing accuracy .

“ Most importantly , the AXXIS Titanium system was built for the blaster and blast engineers who work with the product every day ,” he said . “ The robustness of the wire , the easy-to-use interface and the improved integration will improve efficiency in terms of time , data and reporting .”

According to Tinus Brits , the company ’ s global product manager for the product , “ This latest iteration builds on the achievements of the AXXIS GII model ”. Adding more value , the new product refines safety , accuracy , flexibility , ease of use and speed in preparing each blast .

The commercialisation of AXXIS Titanium follows extensive laboratory and field testing in South Africa .

The Swiss-designed application-specific integrated circuit ( ASIC ) chip in the detonators gives the system more internal safety gates against stray current and lightning , enhancing safety levels and allowing for safe logging and testing .

Dual safety “ A unique innovation is our use of dual capacitors and dual voltage , allowing us to conduct low voltage logging to avoid any chance of detonation ,” he said . Blasts are initiated by a robust , encrypted blast command ensuring that detonators all receive their respective commands and fire as planned . He emphasised that the detonator will only react if it receives the correct , encrypted firing sequence from the blasting equipment , not from any other source .

The AXXIS Titanium system was built for the blaster and blast engineers who work with the product every day .

“ We have developed AXXIS Titanium to be resistant to electromagnetic pulses ( EMPs ) caused by the blast , which can affect the accuracy of detonators or even cause them to fail ,” he said . “ Our intensive tests in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR ) showed that our detonators can withstand a significant EMP without any impact on their timing .”

He noted that underground blasting – within confined spaces – made detonators particularly susceptible to re-setting and misfiring due to voltages from EMP , as well as from dynamic pressures . Over-moulding of all components on the electronic board protects the detonators against dynamic pressures , and isolates components from any induced ground currents – such as electrostatic discharge and lightning strikes .

Photos by Omnia – BME

AXXIS Titanium allows mines to program blasts of up to 35 seconds long for larger and more complex blasts .