CONTRACT MINING
PYBAR Mining Services is part of a contract mining community in Australia leading the adoption of autonomous technologies underground .
Having previously applied levels of automation in loading scenarios at underground operations , and collaborated with Emesent to test automated drones at Dargues Gold Mine ( owned by Diversified Minerals ) and Woodlawn ( owned by Heron Resources ) operations , the company now finds itself taking another step forward at Dargues with two automationready Cat R1700 LHDs .
IM put some questions to Andrew Rouse , Chief Technology Officer at PYBAR , to find out how the company is collaborating with Cat dealer , WesTrac , on this deployment at the recently commissioned gold mine .
IM : When it comes to the level of automation you are leveraging at Dargues , how far are you looking to go ? Will it just be teleremote via Command for Underground ( CfUG ) with Autodig functionality ? Are you pursuing further automation ? AR : We are currently working through the various phases of the CfUG roadmap . Autodig is something we have been working through with WesTrac on site as well .
As we progress through with our collaboration partner , WesTrac , we anticipate utilising the full features that CfUG has to offer .
IM : Where in the mine are these semi-automated loaders being used ? AR : The loaders are being used in the production stopes at this stage as part of the current mining method .
IM : How has the transition at Dargues gone ? Are you now fully ramped up with the R1700s when it comes to the ultimate level of automation you are pursuing at the mine ? AR : The mine is fairly new , achieving operating status earlier this year , so we are progressing on our journey well . We are working through the current mine plan and taking opportunities as they come to keep learning . We will never be at the ultimate level of automation , as things continue to improve in this space all the time . We believe we have the right operating environment , people , infrastructure and relationships with our collaboration partners to maximise the potential out of these products . It is important that you get your workforce and the mine on the journey to be able to seize opportunities as they come .
IM : Have the results lived up to what you achieved during testing at Vivien in Western Australia ( in development stopes )? AR : The results and performance from the machines have been in line with our trials at Vivien . With new machines come new challenges but , having WesTrac work with our personnel on-site , we continue to improve this product and collaborate with our partners to achieve optimum outcomes .
IM : Following this automation work , are you looking to test autonomous equipment from other vendors ? Is the adoption of automation part of a plan to differentiate your contract mining offering from other competitors in your field ? AR : PYBAR have traditionally utilised another vendor for tele-remote functionality and continue to do so . The CfUG system was selected to ensure we can maximise the features of the R1700 loaders , as well as have another option going forward . We continue to stay abreast of the market and its changing conditions , so I do foresee a day when two different vendor products will operate in the same mine . Achieving interoperability is something on our roadmap . As contractors , we need to adapt to the numerous mines and clients we work for , so it is important to be able to integrate with existing solutions on sites .
Automation adoption is part of our natural journey in underground mining . This is not restricted to one contractor or mine site . The differentiator is how your workforce embraces these changes and how you bring value for your clients out of
Cat ’ s Command for Underground system was selected to ensure PYBAR could maximise the these initiatives . We features of the R1700 loaders , Andrew Rouse says
believe we are well advanced in our journey – we have many innovation and technology initiatives , as well as a workforce and organisation that is used to change : a great point of difference .
IM : What other new technology are you adopting to differentiate yourself in the market ? I know you have previously worked with Emesent ’ s Hovermap drone payloads , but are you actively looking to bring batteryelectric technology and other load and haul innovations to your clients ? AR : PYBAR have developed a suite of solutions surrounding paperless data entry and production information management over the years and have developed an ecosystem and data model that is highly integrated and can easily be replicated to new projects . The products have reached a level of maturity now that they are comparable to similar retail products available in the market . In order to do them justice , we have been commercialising these products through our technology partner , Digital Terrain , with a view to make them available to customers under the Simbio brand .
This enables PYBAR to focus on its core competences of underground hard-rock contracting whilst still reaping the benefits of the system . Improvements will be accelerated as their customer base increases . PYBAR maintains its competitive edge in this space as our workforce is well advanced on this journey . Clients can now take advantage completely from these offerings , which bring further synergies into one version of the truth and improved data integration .
Digital Terrain is independent of PYBAR and is focused on delivering these solutions to industry . Coupled with their digitisation services with the Emesent Hovermap , niche IoT devices and data services , we believe this is something different for us as a business . The unique data model , the Simbio solution , has enabled new technologies to bolt onto this ecosystem for us to consume this data easily and make effective forwardlooking decisions . This makes the PYBAR roadmap – focusing on machine data , proximity detection and solutions such as these – highly attainable in the short term .
With regards to battery-electric technology , we see that playing a part in our business going forward . This is a rapidly emerging space and is exciting to watch . It is not only in load and haul situations , but the emerging support vehicles being electrified that we find interesting . All of these combine to reduce our emissions underground , which has flow on effects for fuel usage and ventilation costs , among others . We look to leverage new technologies such as this to get a true advantage from them and we will do this when we believe our organisation can embrace such changes .
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 | International Mining 41