CONTINUOUS CUTTING
work in drifts with a slope of up to 30 °, reflecting the steep dip of the reefs .
Both cutting operations and “ regripping ” can be carried out remotely on the MN330 , greatly reducing the need for personnel to be in the immediate vicinity of the machine , with only bolting operations requiring manual intervention .
Sandvik has established a control room in the mine ’ s underground workshop to allow operators to carry out these remote functions , with plans to establish a similar setup above ground as the trial progresses .
Lewis said the trial for this machine , also built in the same Zeltweg facility as the earlier incarnations , had multiple phases , including an initial proof of concept that will progress to meeting key performance indicators set by the client .
“ Depending on how quickly we move through the different phases , we can accelerate the trial ,” Lewis commented . “ Anglo American has been a keen supporter right through the organisation of the machine ’ s development , taking an interest at every level of its development . This machine builds on the experience and learnings of the reef mining projects .”
This machine is unlikely to have applications across multiple sectors in mining , but Lewis said it was another example of the company taking learnings from previous projects , inviting customer feedback and refining the solution for the chosen application .
“ You can ’ t match the whole industry requirements and specifications with one machine – that we understand – but the learning process we continue to go through is paramount to improving our products and ensuring the machines we build continue to improve upon their predecessors and make a positive difference to the mining sector .”
DynaCut optimisation
Close to 12 months after getting ‘ into rock ’ at Vale ’ s Garson mine in Sudbury , Canada , Komatsu ’ s MC51 machine is in the process of being optimised for further work breaking rock in the Canadian Shield .
Through more than 10 years of research and development , Komatsu claims to have determined how to break rock continuously and precisely through a fully electric system that outputs zero emissions . By automating and controlling processes so the machine can be operated remotely via line-of-sight , Komatsu customers can move their operators further from the cutting face and from harm ’ s way , leveraging DynaCut technology and the MC51 machine , the OEM says .
DynaCut technology , which has previously been tested at Newcrest Mining ’ s Cadia underground mine in Australia , is billed as offering cutting accuracy of within 50 mm to plan .
At Garson , the plan , as stated last year , was to complete a 400-m development trial over a 12-month period .
Vale said back then that the trial – lined up as part of the mechanical cutting demonstration within the CMIC Continuous Underground Mining project – planned to demonstrate the ability to cut rock in excess of 250 MPa ; cut at a commercial rate of more than 3.5 m / shift ; quantify the cost per metre of operation and start to look at the potential comparison with conventional drill and blast development ; assess the health , safety and environmental suitability of the MRE process ; and gain insight into the potential of an optimised MRE process .
Speaking to IM in early October , Andy Charsley , a Principal Mining Engineer at Vale , said some 40 m of development had been carried out in waste rock at Garson , with the resultant tunnels of the highest quality .
“ The tunnel quality is absolutely fantastic ,” he said . “ We are taking that as a positive , as are the ground support team who has commented on not only how much quicker it is to reinforce the area the MC51 has excavated , but also how in the future they may be able to reduce the number of bolts they would normally use for an excavation carried out by traditional drill and blast methods .”
Komatsu is currently working to optimise the MC51 cutting system , including the discs , to work in the Sudbury environment – which has some of the hardest and most challenging rock anywhere in the world – and both Vale and Komatsu are hopeful of testing the machine in “ ore ” early next year .
When IM spoke with Stephen Styles , Product Manager at Komatsu , last year , he mentioned the potential to trial the 5 x 5 m machine remotely beyond its initial line-of-sight capabilities .
Charsley said this was achieved early in the trial at Garson , with a temporary operating station established last year where operators were able to observe the machine ’ s progress following the start-up of the cutting process .
He also said the combination of the MC51 and the 7-t-payload Komatsu WX07 LHD had worked well in the trial , with the pairing likely to continue working together when the machine heads into the McConnell orebody at Garson early next year .
In Australia , a second MC51 has also been
Close to 12 months after getting ‘ into rock ’ at Vale ’ s Garson mine in Sudbury , Canada , Komatsu ’ s MC51 machine is in the process of being optimised for further work breaking rock in the Canadian Shield
clocking up the development hours .
This machine was deployed at Hillgrove Resources ’ Kanmantoo copper project in South Australia as part of a A $ 2 million ($ 1.3 million ) South Australian Government-funded project to trial new underground technology .
The Komatsu MC51 was to be used to develop a portal and part of a circa-500 m underground decline at Kanmantoo , a former-operating openpit mine that is transitioning to underground operations .
In March of this year , Hillgrove said the Komatsu MC51 had successfully completed the portal of the exploration decline and had commenced cutting the portal for the ventilation drive at the project .
Shortly after establishing this portal , the Komatsu team demobilised , with a team from PYBAR Mining ( owned by Metarock ) carrying out the rest of the drive development via the traditional drill and blast method .
In its June quarter report , Hillgrove Managing Director and CEO , Lachlan Wallace , reflected on the progress made with the MC51 : “ The Komatsu continuous mining trial has been completed . Although we would have liked to see the technology cut more in the time it was on site , the underground development has been largely underwritten by the A $ 2 million government grant and Komatsu , enabling us to get a better look at the geotechnical conditions , establish services at the portals , and commence early stope definition drilling , all of which de-risks the project and further reduces what is a very quick and low cost capital development .”
Jol Jardine , the Mining Manager at Hillgrove Resources , Kanmantoo mine , added that the development work the MC51 had carried out at the mine showed just how transformative this technology could be once all operations were optimised .
“ The MC51 has potentially a huge future ,” he said . “ All of the issues I continually deal with in
14 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022