SURFACE DRILLING
where their role is in applying automation . In basic terms if drills are more productive it represents a more cost effective solution for the customer . But their fleets are often spread out across multiple sites , units may have to be relocated globally on short notice , plus their risk profile is completely different with short term contracts often of only a few years . But we are working closely with them to meet their unique flexibility and mobility demands .”
Also to date the platform has been dominated by the Pit Viper drills notably the PV-235 , PV- 271 , PV-275 and PV-351 models . What about smaller DTH and top hammer pre-split and production drills like the SmartROC D55 and D65 ? Most mines have these as well as large rotary drills for edge of pit contour drilling , presplits etc . “ Epiroc has recognised the need for a more unified approach on this – we were two separate divisions ( Epiroc Drilling Solutions and Epiroc Surface and Exploration ) but since 2020 are now under just one Surface division meaning there is now much more collaboration between us in Garland and the crawler rig teams in Orebro . We were already working together on higher level strategy in our Surface Mining Automation Centre ( SMAC ) but now it is at all levels – as the market evolves , customers don ’ t want a separate control room for Pit Viper and SmartROC drilling rigs . We are already making the same software updates for both product lines , most recently around situational awareness . Going forward for both portfolios we want the automation customer experience to look the same and feel the same .”
What about interoperability and being more FMS agnostic plus retrofits on competitor drills ? Epiroc ’ s investment in ASI Mining is paying dividends in this regard and tests are already happening using a drill automation layer within ASI ’ s Mobius command-control platform which can potentially manage an operation with both autonomous trucks and drills working together with RCS 5 . On compeitor machine retrofits it is about bringing solutions to different situations . Berens says : “ In drill automation there is a lot of harmony between mechanical , electrical and control systems to allow you to get the most out of the machine . And some of things we have developed for years for the Pit Viper like AutoRod change , you can ’ t just add to a different rig design . So the short answer is we can do it , but will only do it where we feel we can bring benefit to the customer ; and not to the point where we are applying proprietary Pit Viper design elements to competitor models .”
Lastly , the market is changing . Not so long ago most RFPs for greenfield blasthole fleets would want two proposed cases – one without autonomy and one with . Today almost all just want an autonomous ready fleet proposal . Plus the level of questions is more involved – the customers know what they want and aren ’ t asking about basics . “ Plus our predictions about ROI results are more accurate , to some extent on greenfield but very much so on brownfield . It isn ’ t as much of a guessing game anymore as we have so much existing data from multiple sites .”
Autonomous drilling downtime – what are the causes ? “ To be honest most of the time it is lack of work because they are so efficient and it takes the rest of the process some time to catch up . Sometimes this has come about because customers have ordered the same number of drills as would be required with non autonomous to achieve the same production whereas often with autonomous you can do the same job with one drill less or even two less in the case of a large fleet . And this is despite us showing them what is possible in our modelling .”
Komatsu ’ s fully integrated approach
Like the other global OEMs , Komatsu Mining has recognised the surge in drill automation interest and says it has been working hard to deliver solutions for customers across its product line . Sergio Li , Global Product Manager , Rotary Drills at Komatsu Mining told IM : “ Even the mines that were not into automation are now looking at it . I think you could say that we passed the ' Early Adopters ' phase , and it won ’ t be that long before automation is commonplace in blasthole drill fleets ."
Li said Komatsu is now working flat out to meet its customer needs on automation . The journey started a few years ago on the 77XR which is currently the most advanced model , capable of full automation and teleoperation . It can be equipped with high precision GPS , autonavigation , an innovative quadview camera system , obstacle detection system and geofencing technology . In H2 2021 the autonomous 77XR ( 200-270 mm holes , can operate with rotary or DTH bits ) is set to be up and running as a production machine at a customer copper mine in Chile and will also be commercially available by then . This will initially be line of sight remote control with the agreement covering a building block approach from there to full automation within the next few months . The autonomous capability of the 77XR has already been tested at the Komatsu Arizona Proving Grounds ( AZPG ).
Moving to the larger P & H 320XPC ( 270-444 mm ), which is a cable powered rotary drill , the initial thought was not to go down the full automation route due to the electric cable complications involved ( such as handling the cable when switching rows ), but due to customer demand in that direction , this drill is also now being equipped with the same autonomous capability as the 77XR though initially just for single row . The mentioned Chilean copper mine has also committed to using an autonomous 320XPC drill going forward . Elsewhere , there is also a project to automate a 320XPC drill for an iron ore miner in Brazil and that machine is already being assembled to start operations . The 320XPC uses the Centurion supervisory controller providing direct integrated communication with motor drives giving precise motor control . The recent industry focus on carbon-neutral operations , or net-zero strategy , matches well with Komatsu ' s historical experience designing efficient and sustainable large electric drills
There is also a further diesel track drill in the line-up , the DTH ZT44 ( 114 to 216 mm ). This is the smallest drill is the range , designed for mining applications and featuring dual engine and compressor control settings , delivers
The Komatsu 77XR with full autonomy will soon be operating at a major copper mine in Chile
26 International Mining | APRIL 2021