GROUND SUPPORT
MacLean recently shipped the first of its 30th anniversary 900 Series bolters from the company ’ s main manufacturing facility in Collingwood , Ontario spraying off battery for parts of a mine where power services have not yet been established .
There is more to the SS5 than batterypowered operation alone . Fitted with a “ first of its kind ” automatic accelerator dosing system and the company ’ s Auto Doser platform , Lavallee says the machine will allow operations to save money on shotcrete consumption , increase the quality of material going onto the walls and , most importantly , create a safer environment for miners .
“ My mission has always been to ensure the product is 100 % quality and reacts and solidifies as it is supposed to without causing any falls or damage to personnel or equipment ,” he said . Other than the new accelerator , the system will use sophisticated scanning technology for shotcrete thickness monitoring . “ That will , again , enable you to enhance the quality of the material going onto the drifts and headings ,” Lavallee said . “ It will also eventually help with cost reductions through reducing overshooting .”
These elements , combined , could have a significant impact on the operating cost associated with the SS5 , with Lavallee hinting at 30-60 % savings from the dosing system , and plus-20 % savings in shotcrete consumption with the use of the accelerator and real-time scanning technology . The Australia market will be the first to test out the new sprayer , as a unit was set to be delivered to a customer site in the June quarter . Ahead of this , it headed to the company ’ s branch in Elko , Nevada , for additional testing .
This unit will also be equipped with a newer type of battery MacLean is currently putting through its paces , in addition to an in-development compressor . MacLean , again , appears to have not only electrified its mining equipment niche ; but reinforced it with all the technology smarts forward-thinking miners are after .
Normet brings SmartDrive concrete mixer to Chuqui Underground
Normet earlier this year said it has delivered another large fleet of underground utility equipment , in this case concrete sprayers and mixers , to Codelco ’ s Chuquicamata Underground copper mining project in Chile from its in country factory in Santiago , which is one of its main production sites globally outside of the home factory in Iisalmi , Finland and the Kingnor site in Daye , Hubei Province , China which is a JV with JCHX . Normet also recently committed to a new location in India .
Despite the pandemic , Normet says its Chilean equipment factory has been able to keep up with deliveries to this project but also to other customers in the region . The new fleet of 25 equipment units that is beginning work at Chuquicamata Underground is made up of 12 Alpha 30VC and Spraymec 8100 VC concrete sprayers and 13 Tornado S2 and Utimec MF 500 concrete mixers , as well as 12 SmartScan concrete thickness measuring systems , accompanied by Normet permanent Technical
Normet Utimec MF 500 Transmixer SD heading underground at Codelco Chuquicamata plus graphic showing attributes
AUGUST 2021 | International Mining 75