EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING
Beyond brute force
The explosives and blasting game is being re-energised with an industry need for improved accuracy, efficiency and sustainability, Dan Gleeson reports
One of the most common remarks IM hears when speaking to service providers, OEMs and tech developers in the mining space is that GMs at most mining operations consider their mine to be different from the norm or even unique.
This perception has put off dozens of industrial companies that were at one point looking to add another‘ vertical’ to their sales pipeline by making a splash in the mining world with their agnostic offerings.
The explosives and blasting space appears to be one area where that opinion is valid.
Hexagon: Putting the product puzzle together
Hexagon may not provide the physical hardware involved in blasthole drilling, emulsion loading or blast initiation, but that hasn’ t stopped it from continuing to positively impact the explosives and blasting space.
Recently the company teamed up with Augment Technologies to launch Hexagon Blast Movement Intelligence( BMI), an AI-powered 3D blast movement solution. Hexagon BMI is billed as boosting blasting efficiency and providing high visibility into ore dilution for informed ore and waste delineation, post-blast. This leads to the safe production of an accurate block model of the
42 muckpile and, ultimately, an uplift in yield, the company says.
The ability to generate a Muckpile Block Model™ – a post-blast representation of the grade control block model – is a distinguishing feature of BMI. Paired with Hexagon Blast Movement Monitors, the AI can be validated and improved as the engine helps to safely and rapidly produce the Muckpile Block Model. Importantly, the model is produced without personnel having to walk on the muckpile to place or retrieve the monitors.
Kerina Taylor, Hexagon’ s Product Manager, Geosciences and Drill & Blast, said BMI has several value levers for mine operations, with the main ones concentrated in downstream processes involving dilution control and ore loss; and material tracking to stockpiles or the crusher.
“ By providing the new post-blast location of each 1 cu. m block and its properties, more accurate ore control boundaries that maximise value can be delivered to mine operations,” she told IM.“ The mass is conserved through BMI’ s physics engine so that ore reconciliation is a breeze.” She provided an example here.“ In one case, there was 600 t of blasted material that fell four benches below the blast,” Taylor explained.“ The algorithm was able to account for this and supplied an average grade of 0.72 g / t Au for this rilled material. With that information in hand, the
Hexagon is leveraging its wider automation and precision mining experience to enhance and improve the blasthole drilling process for mining operations
operation recovered this material that would have otherwise been left behind.”
When it comes to material tracking, Taylor acknowledged that having better resolution of the grades and material types being hauled away from the blast would have significant impact on stockpile management – present and in the future. She explained:“ As market conditions change, low-grade material increases in value. Having 1 cu. m block resolution coming out of the blast is a key piece for enabling operations to know exactly what is in their stockpiles and maximising its processing outcome.”
An often-overlooked outcome from using BMI is that the impact of loading and timing design on blast movement is being recorded, she added.“ As the old adage goes, one cannot improve what is not measured. With the new integrations of BMI with MinePlan( a life-of-mine solution to visualise, analyse, monitor or evaluate mine information), drill and blast engineers will have the insights they need to keep optimising their blast movement to deliver the results being asked of them.”
Further upstream of blast movement, Hexagon is leveraging its wider automation and precision mining experience to enhance and improve the blasthole drilling process for mining operations.
Drill Assist – developed by Phoenix Drill Control and recently acquired by Hexagon – uses AI to continually optimise the drilling process, resulting in improved penetration
International Mining | AUGUST 2025