WORLD PROSPECTS
Sandvik , Artisan on electrification growth path
Sandvik ’ s Artisan business unit is continuing to ride the battery-electric vehicle wave in mining , having just moved premises in California , USA , to expand its production and testing capabilities .
Based in Camarillo , Artisan has been on a steep growth trajectory since it was established just over a decade ago . Having initially manufactured machines for several OEMs in the mining sector , the company was acquired by Sandvik in 2019 . It had revenues of $ 12.3 million and approximately 60 employees back in 2017 .
Both of these numbers have accelerated in line with increased take-up – and an expansion – of its battery-electric solutions for mining since it became a business unit of Sandvik .
Artisan ’ s 4-t ( A4 ) and 10-t ( A10 ) batteryelectric underground loaders have found their way into mines in Canada and the US , while its 50-t Z50 haul truck has found a home in mines in Canada , the US and Australia . One of the bigger deployments has been at the Barrick Gold majority-owned Turquoise Ridge underground mine in Nevada , USA .
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More recently , the portfolio was broadened with an 18 t LHD called the LH518B . This machine is the first true collaborative design effort between Sandvik and Artisan , marrying Sandvik ’ s underground mining engineering expertise with the Artisan™ battery system and electric driveline to “ best leverage the possibilities that the battery technology brings ”, the companies say .
This machine ’ s first deployment will be at New Gold ’ s New Afton gold mine in British Columbia , Canada , but Artisan has also booked several orders for it in Australia , one of these being for Kirkland Lake Gold ’ s Fosterville gold mine , in Victoria .
With a range of new battery-powered equipment in the pipeline , Artisan has moved into a larger facility in California that will help it build these new vehicles from the ground up .
“ We ’ re definitely growing in Camarillo ,” Artisan ’ s Vice
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President of Technology , Brian Huff , told IM recently . “ The move to a larger facility comes at the same time we are ramping up a lot of hiring in terms of engineering and manufacturing personnel .”
Artisan ’ s new facility comes with a test ramp with a 20 % grade and a whole area for mucking on the property .
“ This will allow us to do a lot more development testing in a short period of time , giving us an advantage in terms of validation testing and trials of new designs and tools ,” Huff said . www . rocktechnology . sandvik
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Epiroc launches ‘ next generation ’ Boomer
Epiroc has taken what Niklas Berggren ,
Developed in close collaboration with key Global Product Manager for Face Drilling customers , the Boomer M20 is the result of Equipment , says is the next logical extensive research and real-world testing , development step in underground face drilling according to Berggren . design by creating a new Boomer with protected “ This is the perfect choice for mining houses hydraulics , sensors and cables . and contractors that want to out-drill the The Epiroc Boomer M20 is designed and built to competition through innovation ,” he said . minimise unplanned stops and maximise uptime High drilling precision and performance are and performance in highly demanding operations ensured thanks to on-board automation by removing what is thought to be the biggest features , tele-remote capabilities and digital drill downtime drain in underground face drilling – the plans , which give higher reliability and quality of need to stop production for hose changes . the full drill cycle , Epiroc claims .
Epiroc explains : “ A challenging part of
By utilising high performance mine underground work is the everyday wear and tear development options , such as Epiroc ’ s ABC on hydraulic hoses . Falling rocks and debris , and Regular for longer rounds , higher accuracy , the continuous wear against the tunnel floor and reduced overbreak and better quality tunnels , walls , means constant hose repairs .” the Boomer M20 allows the operator to adjust The Boomer M20 ’ s heavy duty hose-less boom and download drill plans directly at the face , design minimises unplanned stops for hose eliminating the need for adjustments on the repairs , keeping the rig up and running even in the surface , Epiroc says . toughest conditions , the company said .
“ With digital drill plan handling , drill rounds will be longer , more precise and give far less overbreak ,” Berggren said . “ We have seen total cost savings of up to 25 % and up to a 40 % productivity increase .”
He added : “ This is a very well-functioning option ; on the Boomer M20 , we have reinforced the technology on the face drilling rig itself so that we can utilise this option better in a harsh mining environment .”
The Boomer M20 is designed with safety at its core .
Through tele-remote capabilities , operators can drill from a safe distance away from hazardous areas at the tunnel face , while also keeping production going over shift changes . Multi-functional joysticks mean operators can always keep their eyes on the task . The cabin , reinforced with noise and vibration dampening materials to keep noise levels as low as 65 db , meanwhile , is designed for optimum visibility .
The bolting platform is another great safety feature that avoids operation under unsupported rock .
Such options set the Boomer M20 up to “ take the lead for face drilling automation features into the future ”, Berggren said .
Epiroc is continuing its charge towards electrification in underground mining with the new Boomer M20 , providing a battery-electric driveline option to allow the machine to tram to the drill location on battery power and carry out drilling while plugged into the mine ’ s electrical infrastructure .
“ A battery-powered Boomer M20 brings additional savings on health , maintenance , ventilation and cooling ,” Epiroc said .
The Boomer M20 is available for commercial sales in the September quarter of 2021 , and will shortly head to a customer site in Australia for tests , followed by trials at customer sites in Spain and Sweden .
Epiroc says it plans to rollout the new internal hydraulics design across the future Boomer range . www . epirocgroup . com
4 International Mining | APRIL 2021