AUSTRALIAN METS
The adoption of the digital enterprise platform with integrated systems spanning blastability domaining from autonomous drills all the way through to connected smart explosives trucks , has enabled a data-driven blasting process in Roy Hill ’ s production workflow environment at a high volume mine , according to Orica .
And , of course , the company ’ s welldocumented wireless blasting efforts – centred around its WebGen™ platform – have been encouraged by the Australian mining ecosystem . This includes a mine site trial and deployment at Glencore ’ s Ernest Henry copper mine in Queensland .
Add to this the development with Epiroc of a semi-autonomous explosives delivery system prototype ( Avatel™ ), the world ’ s first fully mechanised drawpoint hang-up blasting solution developed with MacLean Engineering and Epiroc at Newcrest ’ s Cadia mine , and a collaboration with Tasmania-based Elphinstone that led to the development of its smart explosives delivery system ( the Bulkmaster™ 7 ), and it is hardly surprising Orica is considered a leading Australia METS facilitator .
Orica concluded : “ As our industry evolves and modernises further , the imperative to collaborate and develop breakthrough technologies is more pronounced than ever and we are proud to be playing a role in that future by leading change in digital and automated blasting .”
No overloads / underloads
Data science and analytics are at the core of all products developed by CR in its technology division , CR Digital .
The Australia and US headquartered company has a 40-year history of developing and manufacturing mining equipment and , through CR Digital , is building data-driven analytical products to improve the efficiency and productivity of mining operations around the globe .
For decades , CR has enabled customers to reach their targets with product design that improves plane alignment , dig penetration and increases cycle times with state-of-the-art cast lip and ground engaging tool systems .
“ Now , in the digital age , CR Digital takes operational optimisation to the next level , harnessing real-time machine data to empower operators with actionable insights ,” CR said .
The company expanded on this : “ Imagine a future where the load and haul fleet of a mining operation runs at optimum capacity . Trucks are loaded to the exact payload capacity every time . The terms ‘ overload ’ and ‘ underload ’ do not exist . The fleet runs smoothly , exactly on time , ensuring a regular and uninterrupted truck circuit . The full potential of mining productivity is realised , simply through data analytics derived from machine operation and material penetration .”
That future is being made possible with CR Digital ’ s Titan 3330 Load Haul Optimisation system , the company claims .
Going beyond the analytical capabilities of standard truck payload systems , the Titan 3330 elevates machine understanding to help deliver bucket and truck payload accuracy for every circuit .
Improved truck payload translates to a 26 % increase in instantaneous productivity , according to one case study on CR Digital ’ s Titan 3330 system .
After installing the Titan 3330 Load Haul Optimisation system on a Hitachi EX5600-6 backhoe , the mine operator in question analysed how effective providing pass-by-pass feedback to operators on truck payload , production rates and truck fill times was . This resulted in an 8 % increase on the base period of median truck payloads , equating to 19 t . During the period of analysis , the operator saw an 11 % reduction in truck underloads ( equating to an additional 209,000 t of material ), a 22 % increase in operational productivity and a 4 % decrease in truck payload standard deviation , according to the company .
“ The results of elevating a simple element of the mining process and harnessing previously untapped data resources are undeniable ,” the company said . “ As the mining industry propels into a new world of data analytics , partnering
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