NARROW-VEIN & LOW-PROFILE
The successful commissioning of the FLP1410 with the Automatic Drilling System( ADS) is a historic milestone, Mine Master and Komatsu say
All-constraints innovation
The narrow-vein and low-profile mining markets are an engineers dream, with plenty of opportunity to showcase innovation, Dan Gleeson writes
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collaboration between Mine Master, its partner, Komatsu Underground Hardrock South Africa, and the customer, Dwarsrivier chrome mine, has seen the development of the first automated low-profile single boom drill rig in South Africa.
The successful commissioning of the FLP1410 with the Automatic Drilling System( ADS) is a historic milestone, being described by Komatsu Underground South Africa Sales Manager, John du Plessis, as“ groundbreaking”.
Designed specifically for low-profile applications, the FLP1410 features a minimum height of just 1.4 m. This enables the rig to efficiently tram and drill in excavations starting from 1.6 m high, even in the harsh conditions of ultra-deep mines.
Crucially, Mine Master’ s FLP1410 has been upgraded from its predecessor, the FLP1400-1B, to better meet evolving user needs and withstand more challenging environmental conditions. This collaborative approach has resulted in several key enhancements focused on operator comfort and maintenance:
• Operator comfort: Based on user feedback, the cab’ s cooling system was upgraded from a simple fan to a full air conditioning unit. The cab is now more spacious and ergonomic, providing a safer and more comfortable working environment. Low noise and vibration levels further reduce operator stress and fatigue, Mine Master says;
• Maintenance simplicity: Access to service components has been improved for the maintenance team, making daily maintenance quicker and easier; and
• Performance: The rig provides reliable and accurate drilling thanks to a Montabert HC95LM rock drill and a precise autoparallel system.
The most significant innovation to emerge from the partnership is the integration of advanced automation, Mine Master says, with the FLP1410 being the only super-low machine on the market that can be equipped with state-of-the-art automatic drilling technology.
Although the machine comes with the Basic Monitoring System( BMS) for operational data as standard, it is the optional systems – the Feeder Guiding System( FGS) and the ADS – that truly demonstrate its power, Mine Master says.
“ The FGS assists the operator by displaying a projection of the drill pattern on the surface to be drilled, ensuring precise manual drilling in accordance with the drill plan,” the company explains.“ The ADS takes efficiency even further by enabling fully automatic operation once the machine is prepared.”
This capability, Mine Master says, allows the machine to drill independently during shift changes, ensuring uninterrupted operation; and allows one operator to set up and supervise multiple rigs.
One of the main reasons for installing this level of automation, as emphasised by the Mine Master-Komatsu development teams, is the significant improvement in safety.“ Automation significantly reduces the operator’ s exposure to the hazardous zone.
This shift almost completely eliminates risks such as rock falls, as well as exposure to dust, noise and ergonomic stresses,” Mine Master says.“ This aligns perfectly with the industry trend of moving personnel from dangerous activities to process supervision.” The successful implementation of the FLP1410 drill rig at the low-profile room and pillar Dwarsrivier chrome mine, part of the Assmang Group, in South Africa, serves as a practical example of this technology’ s collaborative power.
Since the introduction of the FLP1410, drilling has become noticeably easier for mine operators, even in some of the most demanding underground environments, Mine Master reports.“ The machine’ s automated systems ease the burden on the operator, reducing the need for exceptionally high skill levels while still delivering stable, predictable and high-quality outcomes,” it added. This is particularly valuable in locations where challenging ground conditions or limited availability of highly experienced personnel could otherwise hinder productivity.
“ With the FLP1410, crews benefit from a more comfortable workflow, improved control over drilling quality and consistently better overall results,” Mine Master says. Moreover, automation ensures:
• High repeatability: The drill holes are accurate to within +/- 5 mm;
• Improved geometry: The high precision improves the quality of subsequent production stages, such as blasting and processing. The improved geometry of the face, floor, roof and side walls that results leads to reduced or no scaling, easier bolting requirements and improving rock fragmentation.
• Drill plan integration: The built-in guidance system is linked directly to the drilling plan, eliminating the need for geological marking on the face.
Mine Master added:“ The rig collects and records vast amounts of operational data in real time, including penetration parameters, pressure and deviations for each individual hole. This wealth of information is instrumental in improving blast planning, analysing rock mass behavior and enabling predictive maintenance.”
This constant monitoring has an immediate positive impact on resource management, according to Mine Master, with the ADS’ ability to eliminate overloads through parameter control reducing the wear and tear of consumable parts( such as drill bits) by up to 30 %.
International Mining | JANUARY 2026 59