SURFACE DRILLING
The DM30 II SP is designed to handle 4- to 6½-
inch drill pipe with a hydraulic pulldown of up to
30,000 lbf (133.4 kN) and a hole diameter of 5½ to
7 7/8 inches (140-200 mm). A 36-foot single-pass
tower option increases productivity for 29-to-36-
foot drilling conditions by eliminating the need to
add a second drill steel.
Customers can choose a low- or high-pressure
compressor to create the right configuration for
their drilling operation.
“Built off a proven platform and with the new
single-pass capability, the DM30 II SP reduces the
overall cost of production per tonne and improves
transportability,” said Heino Hamman, Product
Line Manager, Blasthole at Epiroc Drilling
Solutions. “It offers high quality at an excellent
value — and flexibility for the future.”
Outfitted with a number of enhancements to
help keep operators safe on the job, the DM30 II
SP features a FOPS (Falling Object Protective
Structure) cab, ground-level isolation and an
airend safety shutdown system for high-
temperature situations. A 300-gallon fuel tank
allows the rig to continuously operate for more
than 14 hours before refill.
For increased operator comfort, the DM30 II SP
features an insulated, pressurised, heated and
cooled cab with tinted glass, a suspension seat,
80 dBA noise level and excellent visibility. All
operational functions are controlled from the
driller’s console, and the ergonomic layout allows
operators to instantly switch from drilling to
tramming for increased productivity. In addition,
the electric-over-hydraulic controls are common
across the DM series, making operation easy for
drillers with DM series experience.
The DM 30 II SP is a simple machine scalable to
automated features. The DM Series drill rig can be
equipped with on-board technology capabilities
with the optional Epiroc Rig Control System (RCS)
Lite for added safety and productivity. “Built on
the RCS 5 platform that comes standard on the Pit
Viper series, RCS Lite offers a number of safety
and interlock features. It also provides a
convenient foundation to add more functionality
and technology options in the future without a
major rebuild of the machine. RCS Lite allows all
Epiroc rotary drills to have the same onboard
display and system for consistent operator
training and service. Epiroc has sold over 100 RCS
Lite systems in 17 different countries around the
world.”
Komatsu’s new drill family
Looking next at Komatsu, the most recent news
for its surface drill line is its re-branding to
Komatsu Drills. This was started with the
introduction of the ZT44 (rebranded 44XT) at
CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas. (the “T” in ZT44
standing for track.) Komatsu told IM that this
rebranding will provide a more unified and
International Mining | APRIL 2020
consistent customer experience with the Komatsu
brand, “which has a strong reputation in the
industry for quality, reliability, insights and
partnerships, recognised by our customers
globally. We’re focused on matching the strategy
and innovation tied with our growing drill product
offering.”
This was also Komatsu Drills’ first Tier 4
solution utilising a Cummins QSK19 with 800 hp.
“The business has been very excited around the
transformation. As track drills are engineered to
be flexible in a variety of drilling applications, we
recognised the need to match that machine
versatility with an equally flexible business
approach. Stocking these drills, ready for quick
deployment, and delivered fully assembled to site
now offers our customers an immediate
turnaround for holes drilled.”
The 44XT was recently put to work in a US
copper mine where the machine reportedly
excelled. “Initially serving as the choice for
presplit drilling doing 5-1/2” holes, the
penetration rates and availability offered
additional productivity that enabled flexibility to
shift into production patterns doing 7-7/8” holes.
The maximum hole range goes to 8-1/2” using 20
ft rods to hit a max depth of 140 ft. The drill uses
an 800 hp drivetrain and a true mining-duty
85,000-pound footprint for durability for drilling in
various application duties.”
Feedback from operators shows they have
appreciated the machine’s ability to flex between
high pressure 1,160 cfm at 500 psi or low pressure
1,360 cfm at 350 psi drilling. “This gives the
operator an ability to adjust with more breaking
pressure for really hard rock, or alternatively for
deeper drilling where more bailing air is necessary
to lift out of the hole. Ultimately, this results in
better performance and drilling outcomes. We
have also heard great feedback from service
technicians around easy accessibility with service
walkways that provide unobstructed access into
the house canopy where routine maintenance can
be performed.”
The company also said that its surface drill line
has experienced an increase in business as a
result from integrating into the larger Komatsu
family. “This has offered us further reach into an
expanded customer base, providing drilling
solutions. For example, we have achieved a nice
milestone with manufacturing our 50th 320XPC
drill for a customer on the Iron Range. The 320XPC
fleet remains the choice drill for the most difficult
drilling in the hardest rock. The 320XPC success
has also carried us into new markets like Brazil
through Komatsu Brazil Inc’s trusted relationship.
Application of the 320XPC’s proven robust
structural design of mitigating vibration combined
with incoming power protection compensation for
potential phase loss and phase rotation, offers
improved performance.”
In addition to continued success with its
existing products, Komatsu is also developing a
new drill that will be showcased at MINExpo 2020
that continues the success demonstrated on the
77XR.
Supplementing the new products, the Komatsu
surface product line is being supported through
investment in training and certifying drill
technicians with the new technology, which
includes an emphasis on hands-on or on-the-job
training. Another key piece is offering competitive
Komatsu Finance packages for flexible options
when mines are adding new Komatsu drills to
their fleets.
Homing in on the 77XR, Komatsu says since the
launch, it has continued to focus on technology
and innovation. “One way is through designing
core subsystems that improves drilling accuracy.
We have heard positive operator feedback on the
higher torque increase offered, enabling more
efficient drilling. Additional feedback has been on
vibration mitigation, where things like the mast
increased torsional stiffness puts more energy into
ground and not the structure, and the lower
works, lower center of gravity with increased
positioning, tractive effort, and turnability enable
a smoother ride. We have also found that our
levelling system has resulted in quicker cycles by
keeping the deck close to the ground, enabling
effective straight holes.”
Another way the 77XR development team has
continued to improve technology is through
seamless integration and usage. “We have created
a user interface that offers intuitive prompts for
operator awareness – what went right/wrong and
telling them why. The machine is set up to be an
on-going lesson, continuously teaching the
operator, while reducing the need to flip through
many screens. Additionally, converting a sequence
of procedures into one-touch button control for
semi-autonomous operation aides in performance
optimisation. We have also found that our
supervisory control system (known as LINCS),
significantly reduces complex troubleshooting.
More importantly, the system logs all the data
needed to optimise drilling performance. Pointing
you to the fundamental source of data, pre-sorting
the key indicators. Operationally, we know sites
will have multiple operators running the drill, with
different operational preferences. Data analytics
on board and off board the drill enables ‘operator
scorecards’ to identify best practices to offer tools
to increase performance of the other less-
experienced drillers. Examples include increasing
rotational speed, or more pulldown, or setup time,
or carriage speed, or too much water injection
caving the hole – whatever is necessary to achieve
best practices.”
The 77XR has already gone to work in several
different applications, the most recent of which is
coal mining in Australia. This is a dynamic