MINING SOFTWARE
The process of removing a broken shovel or jammed bucket tooth from a crusher is risky , costly and time consuming , often involving the use of an excavator to dig out all the other material in the crusher and a boilermaker using a torch to heat and cut the tooth to loosen it . This process can be especially dangerous as the heat can cause the metal to expand , creating even more pressure and potentially causing the heavy tooth to be launched out of the crusher at high speed .
To prevent these dangerous and costly crusher jams , mine operations can invest in safeguards like Motion Metrics ® ’ ShovelMetrics™ Gen 3 and LoaderMetrics™ Gen 2 missing tooth detection systems . These systems , which operate without interrupting routine workflow , use ruggedised AIenabled cameras that continuously monitor each bucket tooth and alert the operator , as well as operation staff , when a missing tooth event is detected . These high-priority notifications can be used to divert contaminated payloads away from the crusher , avoiding potentially catastrophic crusher downtime .
“ Motion Metrics technology works together to build a more complete minute-by-minute picture of mining efficiency by increasing operational awareness across the entire comminution circuit ,” Ryan Hewitt , Marketing Manager , Weir Motion Metrics , said . “ Integrating military-grade , smart cameras into a mine ’ s infrastructure without disrupting normal workflow , Weir Motion Metrics products can detect missing or broken ground engaging tool ( GET ) components , measure particle size distribution ( PSD ) and identify oversized material such as boulders , as well as provide insight into other relevant variables critical to a healthy mining operation .” This includes : n Reducing energy consumption : by measuring crusher / grinder input and output PSD , mechanical settings can be autonomously adjusted to achieve optimal closed-loop performance ; and n Reducing unplanned maintenance : by actively measuring the length and wear rate of each bucket tooth , maintenance staff can plan tooth change outs with new-found awareness . These improvements will result in many important environmental and economic benefits , according to the company .
Since power generation in many regions relies on fossil fuels , reducing electrical consumption indirectly reduces air pollution and carbon emissions . Eliminating oversized material and foreign objects from the
To prevent dangerous and costly crusher jams , mine operations can invest in safeguards like Motion Metrics ’ ShovelMetrics Gen 3 and LoaderMetrics Gen 2 ( screenshot pictured ) missing tooth detection systems
processing stream means mines will also be able to process less ore more efficiently without affecting yield , leading to a reduction in fresh process water consumption and increasing operational sustainability .
All data collected , including productivity metrics and incident logs , are seamlessly uploaded to MetricsManager™ Pro , a secure cloud-based data management platform from which authorised personnel can review incident logs and generate custom reports for each connected system .
Hewitt concluded : “ By implementing these types of safeguards , mines can help prevent tragic incidents , improve productivity and keep their operations running smoothly around the clock .” customers explore and adopt new functionality available in software releases .” acQuire has 32 practitioners globally within this network who assist the company and its customers , while providing feedback that may influence acQuire ’ s product roadmap .
It is this customer feedback that is leading to acQuire working with thirdparty vendors its customers are also using for specific functionality .
Atkins explained : “ We ’ re partnering with technology organisations where we see there ’ s mutual benefit ; or , I should say , tri-party benefit between the customer and both vendors – ourselves and whoever we ’ re partnering with .”
APIs are one way of enabling acQuire ’ s customers to interoperate between these systems .
“ APIs are driven by us based on feedback from customers and third parties ,” Atkins said . “ If we
An increased level of mobility has been added to acQuire ’ s newest geological data management solution , GIM Suite 5 look predominantly at GIM Suite , our core solution , we have a very well-known global brand and reputation , with a great customer base that stretches to 500 sites over 220 organisations globally . We service multicommodity , multi-domain , geographically-dispersed customers . Third parties tend to come to us , but we have also engaged with third parties that make strategic sense for us based on customer needs .”
What has also made strategic sense for the company is adding an increased level of mobility to its newest geological data management solution , GIM Suite 5 .
“ There ’ s an expectation to have mobile devices in the field for data collection and reporting observations ,” Atkins said . “ Our clear product roadmap is
FEBRUARY 2023 | International Mining