UG LOAD AND HAUL
range has been successful. But in small numbers relative to standard diesel options. The EST range is sold in small numbers and often to smaller operations running a few units. The models are often appreciated for their simplicity and easy maintenance.
“ To run tethered loaders successfully one have to design the mine round it. To apply them in a traditional application where the mine has used diesel loaders is difficult and will lead to low availability and high cost. If taken into account when the mine is designed they are superior in both productivity and running cost. Particularly if you take the reduced requirements for ventilation and cooling into account.”
On the new 18 t payload ST18 Scooptram, Eklind states:“ Operators in Australia appreciate the good balance between the tractive effort and the hydraulic power on the ST18. This combined with the effective boom geometry results in great‘ diggability’ and guarantees filling the bucket in a single pass. Also customers in Europe have praised the comfort and visibility of such a large loader.”
In trucks, the flagship 60 t MT6020 has sold over 250 units which makes it by far the most popular 60 t truck on the market. There are over 180 units currently in operation in Australia making it the biggest market by far. Other markets include Canada, India, Chile, and Ireland. In the main market Australia the percentage of trucks run by contractors has dropped from 55 % to 45 % in the last two years while on the global market the vast majority are run by mining companies themselves. However, contractors like Byrnecut and Barminco are very important customers and they run large fleets of trucks( and LHDs) and tend to standardise on one type of each.
On truck automation, the Atlas Copco MT42 launched in 2010 was the first automation ready truck from Atlas Copco powered by RCS, its common control system and automation platform.“ Loading of a truck can be achieved by different means of which chute loading is the preferred solution for an autonomous operation but it is technically possible to load with autonomous loaders today.”
A new Minetruck will be launched at MINExpo for which no details are being released in advance, but the company did state to IM that it is not a relaunch of the MT85 first shown at MINExpo 2014.
Eklind stated:“ The MT85 displayed at MINEExpo in 2014 was a concept vehicle in which Atlas Copco explored future technologies that could be used to achieve a step change in productivity in a 60 t class tunnel size. Some of the learnings from the technologies studied in the MT85 concept have been further developed and incorporated into existing and soon to be
Atlas Copco highlights the continuing importance of both radio and teleremote operation of loaders
released products by Atlas Copco. For example, more efficient hydraulic systems and enhanced functionality of the RCS system. Other technologies proved to be too immature to be incorporated into a commercial product at this stage.”
On wider automation across both LHDs and trucks underground, Atlas Copco sees a trend in discussions with customers that there is a desire to use automation as a means to get higher utilisation, and thus higher productivity, by working through shift changes and blasting for example.“ This type of automation has reached a technology maturity so it doesn’ t have to be a large scale automation project and that means you get a quick return on your relatively small investment. Having said that, we are still in discussions with mining companies about larger scale autonomous production systems. But in these challenging times many of the large mining projects are either on hold or have been pushed forward in time.”
Eklind also highlights the continuing importance of both radio and teleremote operation of loaders rather than full automation. With a customer in northern Canada Atlas Copco worked closely to solve some of the operational challenges they had starting with safety as the prime objective moving on to solving bottlenecks to increase productivity. This included teleremote operated LHDs to work through shift changes and blasting which was enough to motivate the investment.
On low profile machines, apart from single sales into smaller niche markets, the South African platinum and Polish copper mines are the largest markets across all suppliers of equpiment. Atlas Copco offers both low profile trucks and loaders. The Scooptram ST7 LP has sold over 40 units in South Africa since its introduction in 2008 but the mining downturn has hit hard in South Africa lowering the number
of ST7 LPs being delivered today. The Atlas Copco Extra Low Profile( XLP) units were tested in South Africa and after some initial issues with the Tier 3 rated diesel engines they met all the KPIs.“ The trial of the equipment confirmed that it is practically possible to achieve safe XLP mining operations in the steeper reef dip environment with track mounted XLP units with good productivity levels. Before the drop in platinum price several mining companies showed great interest in the XLP units.”
On rebuilds and service, Atlas Copco offers midlife services in three levels to help customers get more out of their existing machines by extending the lifetime of the equipment: n Midlife BASIC- Main components replaced with components of the same specification to increase the lifetime of the machine including the evolution of safety features. n Midlife PLUS- Machine upgraded to latest specification and available options capturing the evolution of productivity, reliability and operator comfort. n Midlife TECH +- Machine is upgraded with the latest monitoring technology solutions to increase productivity. The Atlas Copco midlife value offering provides customers with updated machine documentation; warranty as for brand new machines; bridge unit solutions to ensure uptime; and financing solutions.
On other technologies, the Kiruna AC truck( now the Atlas Copco EMT-35 and EMT-50) is today in operation at two sites in Canada( Vale’ s Coleman and Creighton nickel operations) where the company continues to support its customers and is about to deliver another EMT-50 truck. The interest in electric trucks is high but the large initial investment makes it a difficult decision in these challenging times but already after three years it can start to pay off, says the company.
28 International Mining | JUNE 2016