CONTINUOUS CUTTING
Beyond cutting
While developments with a host of new cutting systems cannot yet be considered rapid , industry interest and commitment remain high , Dan Gleeson observes
Mechanical rock excavation as a concept is nothing new . Variations on machines used in tunnelling have emerged and carried out work underground over several decades .
What is new , however , is the way the next generation of cutting machines equipped for hard-rock are being applied in the mining process .
As thinking around automation , efficiency , safety and sustainability have progressed , mining companies have looked for these machines to do more than just cut hard rock . This is seeing all new cutting machine blueprints having , at least , teleremote access , electrically-powered options , and both development and mining possibilities .
Taking a step back from legacy drill and blast processes and armed with these considerations , companies are thinking about fundamentally altering the underground mining and development status quo .
Envisioning this future , building prototypes and taking part in machine trials to enact this future is a tough ask , coming with pain points only the most committed will endure .
IM , therefore , commends these industry forerunners , realising that the work they carry out and financially underwrite today will have a bearing on the future of the industry .
Developments on two fronts
The majority of major mining companies are factoring mechanical rock excavation into their sustainability-focused roadmaps , according to
Arne Lewis , Vice President of Hard Rock Continuous Mining at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions .
Speaking on the side lines of Sandvik ’ s Innovation in Mining event in Tampere , Finland , in September , Lewis said the company was making significant headway on a number of hardrock cutting projects with major industry partners , which was representative of the wider industry appetite for such technology .
“ The interest out of the mining community is still very strong ,” he told IM . “ We have ongoing discussions with many major mining companies , with hard-rock cutting on all their agendas and roadmaps going forward .”
The sustainability benefits that come with using hard-rock cutting equipment in tandem with conveyors or electric loading machines over more traditional drill and blast and dieselpowered loading and hauling operations is one reason for this interest , but the continuity of operations – no need to stop for blasting , for instance – and safety advantages that come with the technology also hold major industry appeal .
Cutting technology is not new for Sandvik , with the company having a substantial population of borer miners , bolter miners , continuous miners and roadheaders in the softrock space , as well as many examples of roadheaders in hard rock , which use its powerful ICUTROC technology to cut rock exceeding 100 MPa UCS . Its hard-rock portfolio has also included reef miners . One of its most watched hard-rock cutting projects has been the development of the Sandvik MX650 .
Epiroc ’ s Mobile Miner 22H at the face in Anglo American ’ s Twickenham mine in South Africa
This machine , which leverages roller disc undercutting technology , has been designed for mine developments in excavations from 4 x 4 m to 5.1 x 7 m . The first iteration of the MX650 has been put through its paces during several test programs over the past few years at WOLFRAM ’ s Mittersill tungsten mine in Austria , which is owned by Sandvik Group .
According to Lewis , the next version of the
The first iteration of Sandvik ’ s MX650 has been put through its paces during several test programs over the past few years at WOLFRAM ’ s Mittersill tungsten mine in Austria , which is owned by Sandvik Group
12 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022