UNDERGROUND DRILLING
Master says it is proving to be not only cost
effective to run but, with the added value of skilled
operators, extremely efficient resulting in high
productivity.
Mine Master is also launching its new 20 kW
class drifter, the MM 20. “Its robust and already
proven design is designed to work in harsh
underground mining conditions, with corrosive
flushing water. The drifter’s setup allows for easy
replacement of components and spares. The
customers can also benefit from the reduced
TCO.”
Finally, battery technology design, in the drill
and bolt product offering, is also underway. “The
resultant battery electric drill and bolter will focus
not only on fundamentals of safety in design, but
also ease of maintenance and compliance to
reduced emissions standards supporting the
customers and markets drive to go green. For this
development Mine Master has received a grant
from the National Centre of Research and
Development in Poland and plans to start the
rigorous trials at one of KGHM mines in Poland in
the second half of 2020.”
Mine Master says it prides itself in not only
developing machines that provide a low cost per
tonne of production but that also provide for high
performance capabilities. It says its machines are
“safe, reliable, easy to maintain and simple to
operate.” In a drive to follow the increased need
for intelligent mining and monitoring systems
Mine Master has developed the BCS (bolting
counting system), BMS (Basic Monitoring system),
DMS (drilling monitoring system) and the FGS
(feeder guider system). All of these monitoring
systems give the opportunity to monitor bolting
and drilling parameters and allow for drilling to
follow set drilling requirements and carry out
mechanised bolting, while transmitting data via
WiFi with the added possibility of remote
controlled drilling or bolting. “All of these data
analytics technologies assist in driving continuous
improvement and helping customers improve
operations, performance and ultimately
productivity.”
Hybrid miniDriller from Aramine
Last year Aramine started to complete its
equipment range for narrow vein mines with the
introduction of its diesel-electric hybrid miniDriller
DM901 HDE drill rig. The compact machine uses
the diesel engine for tramming and electric motor
for drilling, according to Aramine, while it can be
operated tele-remotely, removing the operator
from potential hazards. The DM901 HDE has a low
centre of gravity for optimal stability. Despite its
narrow width, the two front stabilisers offer
perfect drilling conditions, according to the
company. This allows for both face and vertical
drilling, Aramine said.
Aramine says the DM901 HDE only requires a
400 V electric connection and
a water supply to operate and
is designed with modular
elements for easy assembly/
disassembly in a mine. It
“sneaks wherever our L130
and L150 miniLoaders go,”
Aramine said. This means the
new machine is ideal for
sections between 6 m 2 and 12
m 2 . With an existing
partnership between Aramine
and Epiroc, the company can
offer an exclusive optional
version with an Epiroc Feed
and Drifter, Aramine said. “As most of Aramine
machines are, the DM901 HDE complements
perfectly the Epiroc range,” Arnaud Paul, Aramine
Equipment Sales Director, said. Aramine said at
the time it was preparing its fully-electric batterypowered
version for 2020, with innovations at all
levels of the machine.
Byrnecut achieves automation first
Contract miner Byrnecut Australia has recently
become the first underground operator in the
world to successfully use a new automation and
teleremote package for Sandvik development
drills. Byrnecut introduced a Sandvik DD422i
development drill featuring the package to OZ
Minerals’ Prominent Hill gold-copper mine,
southeast of Coober Pedy, South Australia, in
March. With COVID-19 travel restrictions
preventing Sandvik staff from attending site,
Byrnecut, OZ Minerals and Sandvik experts
collaborated via phone, teleconference and email
to complete remote commissioning of the rig.
The two-boom rig, which can be monitored and
controlled from the surface and features a
sophisticated boom-collision-avoidance system,
has now been in operation for three weeks,
according to the companies. Byrnecut Australia
Managing Director, Pat Boniwell, says the new
automation features allow for enhanced drill
operation across shift changes – a period when,
historically, development drilling has stopped or
been significantly reduced. “We’re conservatively
looking at a 10% increase in productivity with this
machine through being able to drill extra holes
and the machine being used more consistently,”
he said. “It picks up on the deadtime, and if it
does stop for any reason we’re able to remotely
reset it.”
The new boom collision avoidance system
means both of the rig’s drill booms can be left in
operation during shift change – something that
was previously not possible. In the first few weeks
of operation, the drill has been able to drill 60-70
holes while being operated autonomously and
remotely from surface, the companies said.
Byrnecut Drill Master, Noah Wilkinson, says a
Contract miner Byrnecut Australia has recently
become the first underground operator in the
world to successfully use a new automation and
teleremote package for Sandvik development
drills
solid working relationship with Sandvik and good
communication contributed to the success of the
commissioning. “People from the Sandvik factory
in Finland were able to remote into the machine
over the internet and adjust settings that were
stopping some of the functions from working,” he
explained. Sandvik’s Global Account Manager for
Byrnecut, Andrew Atkinson, paid credit to
Byrnecut’s openness to adopting autonomous
technologies in areas including development
drilling, loader operation, production drilling and
ore trucks, which are all engineered for
compatibility with Sandvik’s AutoMine ® and
OptiMine ® products.
In addition to the collision avoidance and
teleremote capabilities of the DD422i, the new
automation package allows for semi-autonomous
bit changing. Another handy feature of the setup
during the current period of social distancing has
been the virtual network computing capability that
allows the control panel of the drill to be viewed
remotely on a tablet. This means that during
operator training, the instructor need not be in the
cabin with the operator.
Production drilling e-tramming
Last year, Epiroc said it was maintaining its
leading position in the development of innovative
equipment for use in mining and production
drilling with the release of a new teleremote e-
tramming option for its Simba series of rigs. In the
Simba Automation package, multiple automation
functions are available to optimise the drilling
process, according to Epiroc. With the recent
addition of the e-tramming function the
production drilling process can be handled in an
even safer and more continuous way, the company
said.
This will allow a Simba rig to be operated
remotely and work more productively in a
continuous “ring-to-ring” fashion, Epiroc said.
30 International Mining | JUNE 2020