MINE MAINTENANCE
For the six months prior to Modular Mining ’ s involvement at the coal mine site in South America , the excavator in question averaged 62.4 % availability . In the six months following , the excavator averaged 84 % availability , representing an 11.6 % increase
data to remote , centralised teams managing operations . That could be with us relaying the data to our customers at a centralised location , or us providing the services from one of our own support hubs in the USA or Australia .”
The company has already developed a suite of mobile Asset Health apps that are growing in demand with this market evolution .
On top of remote deployment and assistance , Tollman sees COVID-19 acting as a catalyst for further automation in the sector ; a development Dingo is prepared for .
“ What I do see in the industry is an increased focus on autonomy and removing people from site , with more autonomous trucks , shovels , etc ,” he said . “ In this environment , typically , an operator is one of your best predictive maintenance tools . If you do not have an operator , you need a robust set of systems and sensors in place , and somebody monitoring the output on an ongoing basis to check on these machines and components . “ We can do that already .” This transition is likely to be aided by edge-based predictive maintenance models the company is building to consume data and continuously learn about maintenance needs from on-board mobile equipment sensors .
“ We have to start by identifying the model and the accuracy of this model before it can be plugged into the system for the continuous input and learning ,” Tollman explained . “ A lot of the work is currently in the trial stage , but it is advancing quickly .”
For the wider market beyond the Tier 1 miners , Tollman sees the application of more basic condition monitoring solutions as providing the biggest ‘ bang for their buck ’.
“ There are still big opportunities with the typical condition monitoring applications ,” he said . “ These are the solutions that continue to provide the step change in performance and cost that miners are after simply by taking full advantage of their existing systems and data .”
opportunity to reduce or delay the excavator ’ s maintenance costs while safely maintaining its productivity . While the OEM specified engine
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replacement at 12,000 hours , the mine wanted help running the excavator for at least an additional 1,000 hours beyond that .
0
risk of
contamination
5 X 2 %
more
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Down to
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efficient
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2 % grease
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handling
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residue
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To OEM spec and beyond
One such platform is Modular Mining ’ s MineCare ®
Maintenance Management system , which leverages
sensors and advanced interfaces to track the health of
a mine ’ s entire fleet in real time .
An example of the MineCare system ’ s ability can be
seen at a coal mine customer in South America , which
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has leveraged the system , as well as a dedicated onsite team of MineCare experts , since 2011 .
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak , the mine asked for Modular Mining ’ s help in extending the engine life in one of its excavators , recognising the potential
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The Greek letter Tau , which defines torque , inspired the name of our most powerful yet grease discharger . |
FLUID-BAG , 1000 or 900 l grease |
www . fluid-bag . com |
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JANUARY 2021 | International Mining 47 |