SURFACE LOADING closure of the Dortmund , Germany factory , the Cat HMS product line will have two centres of excellence globally , with manufacturing in Batam , Indonesia and design / validation in Tucson , Arizona , co-located with the Cat Autonomy and Technology team . It follows then that as the 6040 and other Cat shovels are released in next generation configuration , that these like the 6060 will also be autonomy ready – containing the key building blocks for the
future . A last interesting note on the next gen 6060 – the diesel machine is also going to be retrofittable in the medium term to electric drive – switching out the engines at a future date should the customer want to go down this route and giving them this electrification option at a major machine rebuild during its life . These machines like Cat ’ s factory electric drive shovels ( 6040 , 6060 and 6090 ) will be tethered – but Hepler said that R & D into other power sources including onboard full battery and fuel cell are under study , just as they are with its large mining trucks .
Improved Cat ERC dipper
Looking at rope shovels , featuring an entirely new , patent pending design , a new Cat dipper improves performance and reliability in hard digging applications of the Canadian Oil Sands without increasing demands on the hoist and crowd capabilities of the Cat 7495 HF Electric Rope Shovel . Improvements to shimming and inserts alone are projected to increase uptime as much as 0.25 %, potentially leading to significant gains in production . The new design optimises lip cutting angle , resulting in significantly reduced heel wear . Improving stiffness and dig performance , the ground engagement tools are pitched at an upward angle that results in less bending force and even tooth wear top to bottom .
Approximately 7 % lighter than the current 45.9 m 3 latched dipper , the new design delivers more available cutting force for more consistent fill factors and increased production in difficult digging conditions . Using Finite Element Analysis ( FEA ) and virtual validation tools , engineers
reduced the dipper ’ s weight , translating to lower stress on the machine , as well as longer life and improved reliability for key components of the shovel ’ s front end .
The dipper features a new vertical latch system that delivers improved system performance and lower part maintenance , reducing overall operating costs . Rather than sliding , the latch ’ s tapered-end design lifts the insert surfaces away from each other . The design extends wear life while reducing service time , contributing to improved uptime . The latchbar guide plate features a quick-change design , further reducing maintenance time and costs .
Optimised linkage on the new single wet-disk snubber reduces the rotational kinetic energy of the door by more than 40 % on closing and 75 % during opening , increasing service life . Caterpillar engineers tested more than 300 dipper shapes and configurations in over 900 simulations using Cat proprietary software to analyse performance data , completing stress plots and wear plots for the models . The ‘ virtual ’ machine , operator , and pile were all validated using actual machine data reviewed by Caterpillar subject matter experts for accuracy . The simulations showed that with the new dipper geometry , customers can achieve better penetration and fills per pass .
Remote control loading
Undoubtedly one of the most impressive sights at MINExpo 2021 was Komatsu Mining ’ s teleoperation of a hydraulic excavator loading its autonomous concept truck at its proving grounds near Tucson , Arizona from a remote console in Las Vegas , Nevada . Separated by more than 400 miles , the Komatsu PC7000-11 and its operator leveraged an Immersive Technologies console that provides the user information and views of what is seen from the machine ’ s actual cab
Teleoperation from the MINExpo 2021 event of a Komatsu PC7000-11 to load an autonomous concept truck over 400 miles away at Komatsu ' s APG in Arizona
onsite . Multiple cameras and sensors around the machine and bucket , as well as a 360-degree monitor and machine display , support visibility and situational awareness for the remote operator . Development of the semi-autonomous 700 t class hydraulic excavator with teleoperation is nearing completion and Komatsu plans to trial the concept machine at a customer site in 2022 . The live demonstrations during MINExpo offered a sneak peek of the company ’ s upcoming offerings to the market . Paired with Komatsu ’ s Autonomous Haulage System ( AHS ), the PC7000-11 features semi-automated teleoperation capabilities to reduce cycle times and combat operator fatigue . Operator-assist with augmented reality ( AR ) technology supports productivity improvement , displaying information and data to provide real-time feedback to production plan .
Leveraging the machine ’ s onboard sensors and technologies of Modular Mining and Immersive Technologies , each loading shift is accumulated in the data and translated into insights on ways to potentially improve productivity , safety and reduce running costs . This data is incorporated into online real-time coaching as well as offline coaching . An operator guidance and coaching function is also under development utilising AR technology .
Caterpillar is also in the game – Hepler told IM that the company has a very active next gen large
MARCH 2022 | International Mining