Technology and innovation
Green bit cuts right out of the box
Boart Longyear has announced a new
line of diamond drill bits: the Longyear
Green Bit.
The new line of colour coding is meant
to make it easier to select and use bits
for every type of ground condition and
for every driller experience level.
Drilling company Boart Longyear has
released a new line of diamond drilling
bits called the Longyear Green Bit.
According to Chris Lambert, senior
product manager at Boart Longyear, the
bits are engineered to drill faster and
longer than existing bit technology.
Lambert says that after significant
research using novel metallurgy, the
company has successfully created a
chemical bond between diamond and
matrix, which is stronger than the
diamond itself. “The increased diamond
projection and improved face flushing
create a bit with more versatility, higher
penetration rates, and longer life, similar
to large diamond bits, but with the easy,
smooth drilling characteristics drillers
prefer. This means increased productivity
[44] MINING MIRROR FEBRUARY 2018
throughout the entire operation and
ultimately, more core,” says Lambert.
To support higher penetration
rates, the new Longyear formulas are
combined with a new, more open,
express geometry. Tapered intermediate
waterways improve flushing and prevent
accumulation of debris. Designed for fast
cutting in competent ground, the new
express geometry is available in 16mm
crown heights to maintain bit life at
higher cutting speeds.
The Razorcut protrusions on the face
of the bit contain diamonds that enable
the bit to begin cutting right out of the
box — even in the softest ground. The
arrangement of these protrusions also
improves the tracking and balance in the
hole when drilling begins.
The new Longyear Green Bit is already
available in the Australian market as
a result of very successful testing by
Boart Longyear Drilling Services in
both underground and surface coring.
The Australian Boart Longyear drilling
crews improved shift performance and,
ultimately, meters drilled, time down the
hole, and core in the box with the new
Longyear Green Bit.
“The two biggest questions for any bit
are: how fast does it cut, and how long does
it last?” says Lambert. “The new Longyear
Green Bit simply cuts faster (right out of
the box) and lasts longer. The new line of
colour coding is meant to make it easier to
select and use bits for every type of ground
condition and for every driller experience
level,” adds Lambert.