ROCK TOOLS
Terelion’ s Rotary Percussion System™ Generation 3 is engineered for medium and hard rock
Terelion’ s Generation 3 Rotary Percussion System
Terelion’ s Rotary Percussion System™ Generation 3 is engineered for medium and hard rock, it says combining rotary and percussive technologies to deliver smoother, faster, and more efficient drilling. The company states:“ With optimised RP drill bits, dual tube venting, and easy service access, it’ s a valuable upgrade for any blast hole operation looking to improve productivity and reduce costs.”
The patented system the company says increases ROP, maximises drilled metres per shift and reduces drilling costs. Terelion RPS works by combining low pressure percussion and rotary drilling to create a smoother and more efficient drilling operation while reducing drill vibration and drill steel torque.
The plug and play tool design makes it easy to fit the RPS tool on existing rotary drills, making the RPS a broad application tool for the blast hole market. RPS will operate efficiently on any air rotary drill rig with 85 psi available.
A high quality, energy focused bit is necessary to ensure the best drilling results possible. The RP bit series is designed specifically for use with the RPS tool to maximise ROP and minimise TDC. Switching out bits is easy – all RPS tools are built with API bit connections.
Access to the choke through the top sub without any disassembly of the tool enables easy changing of the choke to better match the air compressor. You just separate the tool from the drill string.
Finally, a patented dual tube vent feature channels bypass air directly to the bit and assures all air is available at the bit face for bailing the cuttings.
Cementing carbide innovation – Sandvik in Västberga
Cemented carbide is at the heart of rock tools technology, and IM Editorial Director Paul Moore recently had the chance to visit Sandvik’ s state of the art carbide facility in Västberga, southwest of Stockholm, which is a hub for rock tools carbide inserts production but also serves as Sandvik’ s global R & D centre for carbide technology.
Sandvik retains a whole block of the industrial complex and has been present there since 1954 when the carbide factory was first opened. Sandvik Coromant – the tooling specialist, also has its R & D facilities on the site and in total about 150 material researchers and technicians work here to develop new hard and superhard materials and processes for both rock drilling and metal cutting using state of the art equipment and instruments. IM met with Malin Martensson, Expert at Rock Tools R & D along with Annika Kaar, R & D Manager Hard Materials.
The site is unique in that Sandvik rock tools carbide development and production are located next to each other – on the same floor. Kaar commented:“ We are very well equipped as in addition to the inserts production we have our own lab and prototyping facility. We can then test these prototypes in various ways. Most of our engineers have a PhD in subjects such as materials science, chemistry and physics, plus we have a dedicated team of technicians as well.”
She adds:“ There are many steps involved in developing a cemented carbide. First, we can look at the chemistry of the material itself and model different compounds to see what might have potential in composition, sintering temperature etc. We make the carbide powders and develop the processes ourselves. We can then make the inserts and analyse sections of them for structure using SEM and other methods including those used to assess their mechanical properties. We work with the production facility on the manufacturing processes as well – as the material gets its properties both from the material composition as well as the process parameters such as sintering temperature and pressure.”
The R & D team also plays a very active role in field tests of rock tools equipped with new carbide grades – visiting customers to assess performance; plus of course when any new products are commercially launched
working alongside with the product line and marketing team.“ Everything we do we also protect with patents – as a global leader in carbide technology this is a really important part of what we do, to protect the innovation behind our unique solutions and processes.”
Martensson explained that while the drill bits themselves often get a lot of the attention – it is the cemented carbide inserts that meet and crush the rock, and the quality and performance of inserts are of most importance for a reliable drilling operation. Sandvik has the broadest offering of carbide grades on the market today. Cemented carbide is a composite material and the general structure consists of hard tungsten carbide( WC) particles forming a continuous‘ skeleton’ with a metallic cobalt( Co) binder filling the residual spacings in-between gluing the material together. While the cemented carbide material itself has been around for over 100 years, with the first patents filed in 1923, there are still many things Sandvik can do to continuously enhance and improve performance.
She told IM:“ By selecting the appropriate combination of hard phases, metallic binder phase and processing parameters, a wide combination of microstructures with a variety of mechanical properties can be achieved. It is a composite material – you have the toughness of the metallic binder, along with the wear resistance from the carbide and by making changes in the chemistry and microstructure desired properties can be achieved.”
Within Sandvik and Rock Tools there are also capabilities in both manufacturing and development of diamond or Poly Crystalline Diamond( PCD) bits.
Kaar and Martensson outlined the
Sandvik has had tungsten carbide development and production at Västberga since 1954
50 International Mining | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025