EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING
significant improvements using 4D bulk system technology compared to traditional approaches.”
Helping the company prioritise where it spends its R & D dollars on the need to provide high energy and enhanced control products for deeper and harder mining operations is the company’ s exposure across the mining value chain.
Orica Digital Solutions’ orebody intelligence technologies enable customers to gain accurate insights into their orebody characteristics – such as rock hardness, variability and the location of high-value ore – to help support downstream activities such as blast design.
Similarly, the company’ s technical support teams collaborate with drill and blast teams to interpret drilling data and develop domain-specific blasting strategies using SHOTPlus™, Orica’ s advanced blast design and modelling software.
The WebGen Design Centre, meanwhile, plays a key role in providing 24 / 7 technical support, ensuring each blast design is customised to the site’ s depth, geology and operational constraints.
During the blasting process, Orica control systems then make real-time adjustments based on in-field conditions as each hole is loaded, leveraging the flexibility of its 4D bulk system.
This is but a fraction of the touchpoints Orica is exposed to on the typical mine site, all of which are homing in on the ability to intelligently apply that explosive energy.
Austin’ s E * STAR switch
Austin Powder’ s growth strategy received a shot in the arm last year when American Industrial Partners( AIP) made a strategic investment in the provider of industrial explosives and engineered blasting solutions.
Operating in a safety critical and technical industry, Austin Powder has nearly 200 years of industry expertise that has enabled it to build a suite of integrated products and services for the blasting process.
The AIP investment looks to expand the company’ s ability to provide world-class explosive products and services, accelerate innovations, facilitate expansion into new territories and preserve the Austin Powder heritage and unique culture, President and CEO, John D Rathbun, said.
Speaking of innovation, one of the latest products to come out of the Clevelandheadquartered company is the E * STAR Remote 2.5i system.
E * STAR Remote 2.5i is, Austin says, a revolutionary breakthrough in blasting technology that improves safety, efficiency and accuracy in operations worldwide. The Remote 2.5i units can be set up as a Wired Blasting Machine, Wireless Blasting Machine, and Remote Control transceiver. Up to eight units can be connected as Blasting Machines to one Remote Control unit, with the system able to fire up to 12,800 detonators. The system can also operate in single-fire, multi-system Delay Fire, and multisystem Synchronous firing modes.
This proprietary initiation software is installed on a tablet and operates the system, with the maximum distance of remote initiation being 3.2 km line of sight.
Campbell Robertson, Global Manager, Electronic Initiation Systems, told IM that E * STAR Remote 2.5i has proven to be a popular choice as an innovative and progressive electronic blasting solution,“ with many of our major customers immediately switching to this newer technology once it became available.”
E * STAR Remote 2.5i is, Austin says, a revolutionary breakthrough in blasting technology that improves safety, efficiency and accuracy in operations worldwide
Austin Powder has multiple global sites using the technology in territories such as Argentina, Chile, USA, Canada, Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Germany and others.
The development of this system is part of a wider Austin Powder remit to help automate the blast initiation process.
Robertson explained:“ We are aiming to remove the human blaster interface from the blast area as much as possible, unless there are crucial measurements or assessments only a human can interpret.” He said there are“ many” on-bench automation and robotic based projects the company is currently considering as part of these efforts.
On the software side of the business, the company recently reported on developments with Paradigm in its most recent sustainability report.
Paradigm is recognised as the best blast optimisation software on the market by some of the largest mining companies around the world, according to Austin Powder, with the integration of Measure While Drilling( MWD) data for all Paradigm Terra users only strengthening this claim.
Austin Powder’ s Alan Romphf, Global Blast Engineering Manager, explained:
“ We have enabled Paradigm users to bring MWD data into the software from smart drill manufacturers such as Epiroc and Sandvik, which allows blast designers to visualise this information along with other information such as confinement level. We can use this information to help make informed decisions about how confined each charge must be to prevent flyrock and face bursting.”
The ability to monitor nitrous oxide, or NOx, is another area of development for Austin Powder, with the company having teamed up with Rochester Institute of Technology( RIT) to study NOx quantification in blasting using drones and leveraging AI.
Austin Powder has collaborated with Dr Martin Held and Abraham Lindo working with the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory at RIT to develop methods for NOx quantification and model the cloud resulting from blasting events. This collaboration has focused on improving the accuracy of NOx monitoring, optimising blasting techniques to minimise environmental impact.
“ The formation of NOx fumes after blasting depends on several variables, and although detection methods using colour schemes exist, quantification tools are scarce,” Austin says.
During 2024, project development continued, and the steps taken so far include a range of techniques to improve the accuracy of NOx quantification.
One of the main methods being applied is NOx Segmentation and Inverse Tracking, where deep-learning algorithms are used to generate NOx masks using RGB videos. This approach tracks the centroid of the NOx plume backwards, allowing the equipment to identify its origin as the smoke dissipates over time.
In addition, Optical Flow Motion Analysis is used to track the last position of the centroid of the NOx plume using optical flow. By identifying the stationary frames where movement ceases, the team can determine the area from where the smoke originated.
Another technique being deployed is Source Identification by Distance Calculation. This method involves measuring the distances from the plume origin point to all drill holes on the bench. By calculating these distances, the team can identify the nearest drill hole as the most likely source of NOx emissions.
Martin Held, Global Director, Emulsions, said the company has now built its own NOx sensor box that will be used internally to monitor NOx formation in post-blast fumes at selected locations.
“ The project is ongoing with respect to modelling and to automate this process,” he said, adding that RIT is on the way to finalising the reverse analysis tool to spot blastholes or blast areas where NOx
46 International Mining | AUGUST 2025