MINE AUTOMATION
providing onsite support to assist us with technology implementation , training and navigating the hurdles – including those posed by the global pandemic – encountered along the way .”
As the three companies worked together to evolve operations toward autonomous drilling , the results reported by Thiess were impressive : 20 % improvement in drilling performance ; more than 23 hours per day drill utilisation , and zero redrilled holes using autonomous operation . Improvement in safety and reduction in fatigue was achieved by removing the operator away from the drill , noise , vibration and dust .
Thiess ’ s path toward this major drilling milestone at Mt . Arthur South began in the fall of 2021 with the MD6250 , a vision , and entry level assist technology . “ The phased approach progressed through three stages of drill automation ,” explained Nakia Brewer , technology and solutions manager for WesTrac , “ operator machine assist ( OMA ), semi-autonomous drilling , and full autonomous drilling with collision avoidance .
Caterpillar offers diverse levels of autonomy as a building block approach to autonomous drilling . Cat drills , with on-board and expanded Cat MineStar technologies , provide a range of capabilities that enable drilling systems to be configured to meet budgetary and site needs .
The journey into autonomous drilling begins with onboard Drill Assist automated functionality , which is broken into three major machine functions . Auto Level provides machine levelling and monitors conditions to ensure it can adjust or lock out if there is an issue . With Auto Mast the drill independently raises the mast to the ideal angle for the drill pattern . Auto Drill eliminates over- or under-drilling by enabling configurations for site- and ground-specific parameters like hole diameter , depth and drilling method .
McGinnis explains Auto Drill assumes a greater level of complexity and is available for both rotary and down-the-hole ( DTH ) drilling modes , and in single- or multi-pass applications . “ Under most geological conditions , Auto Drill technology enables drilling without operator intervention and monitors and reacts to complications like clearing a hole that has elevated fall back ,” he said . “ Due to variations in cutting tools used and ground conditions , our drills use onboard drilling algorithms to adapt to and work through complicated ground conditions without operator input .”
Cat MineStar Solutions continues the journey to autonomy . MineStar Terrain for drilling provides precision guidance to help complete patterns accurately and productively . “ The stateof-the-art guidance technologies with Terrain help ensure holes are correctly located and drilled to the correct elevation ,” commented
Brewer .
Cat MineStar Command for drilling is the final autonomy building block . Early in the program , Thiess equipped the Cat MD6250 with OMA technology , which leverages Terrain for drilling and its existing network backbone to gain operator buy-in and start seeing the benefits of autonomous drilling , while keeping their operators on board the drill .
OMA allows the operator to select a row , and the machine automatically navigates from hole to hole and drills each one in that selected row . It leverages Drill Assist auto functionality , the GPS and navigation package of Terrain for drilling . “ OMA increases productivity and positional accuracy of the tramming , ensuring the drills consistently match design , which goes a long way in instilling confidence in the system ,” said McGinnis .
Smith added , “ After installing OMA on the MD6250 , we immediately saw the value of the technology and how it could enable better drilling performance for our operations .”
The next step for Thiess was to remove the operator from the cab . Command for drilling offers two levels of autonomous drilling for multiple drills – line-of-sight ( LOS ) and non-lineof-sight ( NLOS ). Thiess opted for the NLOS autonomous drilling system using the ROS to position the operator away from the drilling site .
It is from the ROS that the company operates