ROCK TOOLS
Powerbit X drill bits , as the buttons retain their shape , there ’ s less percussive energy that comes back into the rig itself .”
Boart Longyear rock tool advancements
Boart Longyear told IM that it continues to develop and launch new and enhanced tools in the production drilling space . The biggest push was previously on development tools , with the launch of the DriftmasterTM DM28 and DM35 complete series of rods and bits . While they are now proven , they are still new to many customers . Jeff Hogan , Global Product Line Manager , explains : “ There is so much inertia for common rope thread development tools , but customers find that switching a jumbo drill to a better thread is quite simple . Higher reliability with easy make and break translates very quickly into benefits when you have a set cycle time for each forward advance .”
In the last year , Boart Longyear has focused on new products on the larger end of percussive tooling , including underground applications but more so for surface drilling . The HM60 line of tophammer tools , for hole sizes from 102 mm to 152 mm , was introduced during the year as an alternative to Sandvik ’ s GT60 . While the two 60 mm lines are interchangeable , Boart Longyear introduces wear life improvements in the HM60 rod . Chris Drenth , Director of Engineering , elaborates : “ We have tremendous expertise in optimising metallurgy from our exploration drill rods . With the HM60 rods , we have balanced the ideal core toughness with a surface hardness that is 35 % higher than standard to increase wear life .” With these rods , Boart Longyear simultaneously offers a new line of highperformance drill bits , unique with their aggressive back reaming features . Hogan adds : “ The oversized grooves support good flushing from drilling , while the oversized wings catch and crush materials that collapse into the borehole . This is a fast bit , both going down and coming back out ”
Boart Longyear also introduced a DTH product line , including 4 ”, 5 ”, and 6 ” hammers and bits . Zain Malik , Product Specialist , explains the underlying logic : “ Our goal was to keep it simple by only offering preferred and proven designs with a clear purpose , avoiding the duplications and compromises that have been propagated through the evolution of DTH .”
The company says each bit design includes all the finer concepts that optimises penetration rate in one bit while optimising wear life in another . The Boart Longyear hammers come standard with wear protection on the chucks , and back reaming buttons on the top sub . The internals have a minimum number of parts and Boart Longyear says it is the first DTH supplier to offer only tubeless hammers , ie no foot-valve in the bits . These tools formalise the idea of a “ first run ” hammer .
Malik further stated : “ Rebuilding hammers may reduce tool costs per drilled metre , but it ’ s false economics since productivity suffers . Unless you replace all wear parts in a hammer , normally three to four major components , you inevitably have excessive air leakage . Boart Longyear ’ s ‘ first run ’ hammers maintain pressure to consistently support a lower Total Drilling
Boart Longyear ' s BT Hammer DTH series it says offers less maintenance and increased reliability with minimal moving parts
Cost .” Of course , with modern mining also comes a requirement to minimise the environmental impact of drilling . “ Consider the fact that a typical carbon footprint of a single 6 ” DTH hammer is about 20 t of CO 2 in its lifetime . This is just for the diesel power to run the air compressor , not the other functions on the drill rig . A ‘ first run ’ hammer consumes considerably less fuel , making it the more responsible philosophy .”
Robit completes Rbit™ Button Bit Series
Finnish rock tools leader Robit says its Rbit™ Button Bit Series is now complete with sizes for drifting and tunnelling now available . It
Mincon ' s new MP-series
Mincon Group recently unveiled its next-generation DTH hammer range that will be available starting in 2023 . The product range it says is centred around high-efficiency DTH hammers " that combine class-leading penetration rates with proven energy savings that will help customers reduce their drilling costs and carbon emissions ." It starts with the MP30 , a 3-in-class hammer that can be equipped with drill bits between 85 mm ( 3.4 in ) and 105 mm ( 4.2 in ), and tops out with the MP400 , a 40 in class hammer for large-diameter drill bits between 1,000 mm ( 39.4 in ) and 1,524 mm ( 60 in ). When it comes to support for drill bits , Mincon says the MP-series of DTH hammers " offers unparalleled versatility and compatibility . Each hammer model supports the industry-standard shanks for its size class ." Additionally , Mincon offers hammer variants that support drill bits without a footvalve ( also known as tubeless drill bits ). Drillers may prefer to use drill bits that have no footvalve depending on ground conditions and also for reliability reasons . Included in this comprehensive range are two all-new models to bolster the largediameter range : the MP150 and MP400 . Both have been designed to deliver efficient performance for piling and foundation drilling . Since launching its first DTH hammer design in the 1980s , Mincon ’ s ethos of continuous improvement has seen its product range evolve and grow . Mincon ’ s technical experts work closely with drillers to get feedback from work sites , which the engineering , manufacturing , and customer support
Mincon ' s HQ in Smithstown , Ireland
teams use for the ongoing development of new models . All models in the next-generation MP-series of DTH hammers are manufactured at Mincon ’ s state-of-the-art facilities in Ireland and Finland . With ownership of the manufacturing and heat-treatment processes , Mincon says it is able to ensure that each DTH hammer is built to deliver the most reliable and efficient performance . Joe Purcell , CEO , Mincon Group , said : " I ’ m immensely proud of the work our engineers and product teams have done to bring a comprehensive DTH hammer range to market . Thanks to decades of fine-tuning our manufacturing processes and product designs , these next-generation hammers will offer customers real-world cost savings and higher productivity ."
36 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022