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THE LEADER VOLUME 17 • NUMBER 10
Autonomy in the development phase
T
he big reveal from Sandvik ’ s Innovation in Mining customer event in Tampere , Finland , last month was the AutoMine ® Concept Underground Drill , the company ’ s second technology demonstrator for its future autonomous mining vision .
The AutoMine Concept Underground Drill is a fully autonomous , twin-boom development drill rig capable of drilling without human interaction . The cabinless battery-electric drill can plan and execute the entire drilling cycle from tramming to the face , setting up for drilling , drilling the pattern and returning home to charge for the next cycle .
Less than two years after introducing the AutoMine Concept Loader – the first fully autonomous underground concept mining machine built specifically for automation – Sandvik has now expanded its vision from autonomous mucking to autonomous drilling .
“ We ’ re continuing to push the boundaries of mining automation and demonstrate what will be the reality in the near future ,” David Hallett , Vice President , Automation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , said . “ We chose a development drill as our next Concept Vehicle to demonstrate that autonomy can also work effectively in a mine ’ s development phase , in constantly changing environments .”
Hallett additionally told IM : “ This machine will continue to serve as a technology development tool and demonstrator for commercialisation of products that we will introduce into our AutoMine product offering .”
AutoMine has been around since 2004 , deployed to 80-plus sites globally , and on 600-plus machines ( trucks , loaders , surface drills and underground production drills ).
“ This concept machine is to give a picture of the future technologies that we will incorporate into our already existing and well established AutoMine platform ,” Hallett added .
The fully functional AutoMine Concept Underground Drill , referred to internally during the lead-up to its introduction as ‘ Amelia ’, showcases next-generation intelligent automation , already proven on the AutoMine Concept Loader , along with other new technologies and features to be introduced for current and future Sandvik offerings . Some features will be available as standalone products and others as upgrades or options for existing products or equipment .
Like the AutoMine Concept Loader , the AutoMine Concept Underground Drill is not intended to be introduced as a commercial product , according to Johannes Välivaara , Vice President , R & D and Product Line , Underground Drills at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions . “ Rather , it will become our in-house platform for testing and developing new technologies our customers identify as crucial to their operations .”
When asked if it represents the beginning of a transition of Sandvik ' s electric underground development drills from tethered to non-tethered , Välivaara told IM : “ Yes , this drill demonstrates what are the possibilities in operating without a traditional connection to the mine grid while drilling . We anticipate the battery technologies and related energy densities to evolve to this state in the coming years ahead .” However , he added : “ We still anticipate the near-term underground drills product releases in our BEV line-up will be tethered . Our first non-tethered based drills , we would expect to reach commercial and technological readiness during the latter part of this decade .”
He expanded on the challenges of removing the tethered cable : “ We need a sufficient amount of battery energy being able to drive in and out from the face , and to drill the complete round relying on the available energy onboard . On the other hand , controlling the power consumption in various states of operation is critical and there are several technological innovations around that challenge related to both tramming and drilling efficiencies . A good example of this is the Rock Pulse™ , which helps in delivering the impact energy from rock drill to the hole bottom in the most efficient way . This is achieved by measuring the stress waves through the drill consumables , determining the right drilling adjustments accordingly .”
The AutoMine Concept Underground Drill has no operator cabin , creating space for onboard water and battery storage and eliminating the need for supply cables or water hoses during operation . The selfcontained drill uses and optimises power and electricity based on need , making onboard supply last even longer .
The drill only needs to know which tunnel and face it should tram to and can plan the rest of its mission autonomously , using data from the preferred mine planning software . Tunnel lines and profiles are planned and defined into drilling and blasting patterns in iSURE that ensures optimal hole placement , detonation and profile quality . The drill also has access to 3D models of a site , which are automatically merged from survey and mapping results . It can update and optimise the 3D model of the mine in real time based on feedback from its onboard cameras and scanners .
The drill learns and adapts to the ever-changing environment in a development heading to safely complete entire missions from entry to exit . It navigates tight spaces with agility , enabling effective use of large machines in small spaces . Once it has arrived at its destination , it uses automatic drill plan adjustment to optimise the drilling pattern and drill the full round .
Jussi Puura , Digitalisation Research Lead at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions , added : “ Our vision is that , in the near future , thanks to the rapid advancement of battery technologies , equipment like this will be able to drill entire rounds fully on battery power , eliminating the need to plug in to a grid and improving flexibility underground .”
During drilling , the AutoMine Concept Underground Drill uses an AI-guided automatic drill bit changer to identify when bits are worn and changes them automatically . The drill is also equipped with a lifter tube installer that simplifies the face charging procedure . Drilling data is then reported back to iSURE or Deswik to optimise the next round . The drill also uses Rock Pulse AI for continuous rock mass feedback to optimise drilling performance .
Sandvik also stated that the AutoMine Concept Underground Drill is compatible with traditional safety gate systems but is also capable of working without area isolation . It asks for assistance when re-filling consumables and recharging , plus can request intervention by an operator if it is unsure of changes to its environment .
No specifics were given on the actual charging method used for the AutoMine Concept Underground Drill – but , for now , it seems this will be some form of fixed charging such as a plug-in method , as opposed to autonomous battery swapping as used on Sandvik ' s LHDs and trucks .
Going forward , Välivaara told IM : “ Battery swapping has proven its case within loading and hauling and we would anticipate same benefits of it being applicable for the drills also . The use case of mobile charging stations is also very much applicable with this drill to avoid long return trips . Automated connection to the charging station relies on the technologies that are already available today . Therefore , we anticipate real solutions becoming available around this area not too far off in the future .”
Paul Moore Editorial Director paul @ im-mining
OCTOBER 2022 | International Mining 3