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SURFACE DRILLING
fleet for CAP to make sense – it brings its own value . A good example is when a new Rig Control Software is released . CAP allows to update the drill rigs individually and gradually introduce the new functions without a need to stop the entire fleet for this . For Epiroc , CAP brings a lot of opportunity as it allows us to develop and add more models going forward . It also makes it easier for us to add new functions – CAP is designed in such a way that we can add a digital ‘ button ’ on screen without having to change anything on the physical panel .
Q What is the baseline for a drill being able to be hosted on CAP – is there a minimum age and minimum RCS version it has to have ? Is CAP retrofittable to drills already in use if they meet these requirements ? A Because it is based on the latest technology , yes there are some prerequisites . There are a number of mechanical and automation options that the drill rig should have , eg TeleREMOTE Machine kit . For SmartROC at the moment that covers DTH models only . For the SmartROC D65 it has to be the MKII generation . And then yes , the drill has to have the RCS 6.26 software version at minimum installed . For Pit Viper drills it has to be the RCS 5 platform . It also requires the software configuration to support compatible operations with CAP . The system is retrofittable if the drill has these attributes . And we are ready to support our sales organisations of defining what is needed in every individual case , for instance , in the autonomous Pit Viper case you could potentially need an upgrade the drill from RCS 4 to RCS 5 to allow for CAP compatibility . So yes , to a certain extent CAP is backward compatible . now so well proven – it ’ s not a fringe new technology any more , its a technology being used day in day out at many of the world ’ s leading mines .” Ellis said looking at the US market in particular Epiroc is seeing growth also due to skilled labour shortages in mining regions due to an ageing workforce and the fact that these drill operator positions are often in remote mining areas with climatic extremes . There is also the first mine in the US with a fully autonomous drill fleet – a copper mine in Nevada with its PV-271 fleet . Ellis said they have three running now being monitored from a control room by one person . “ It ’ s been a really rewarding journey with them to get to that point – they had started with a single machine replacing an older Pit Viper drill , saw the numbers and have moved
Epiroc says the CAP station will bring value to the daily mining operations that focus on technology and automation – through direct opportunities to increase utilisation of the fleet
forward from there .” Ellis added that Epiroc now has autonomous drills running in most of its major US mining markets including taconite in Minnesota as well as units in the Colorado and Nevada gold mines . “ Its not just a cluster – we are seeing more acceptance right across the country . It also includes both retrofits and new autonomous drills .” What about the competitive space versus third party autonomy solutions ? “ If these third party systems have to remove elements of the drill rig , it isn ’ t as economical for the customer to have to remove factory fitted
Q Does CAP bring you an additional OEM advantage over third party tech providers that independently automate drills in that they will not be able to bring to the customer what CAP brings ? A CAP is only part of the bigger picture and when we look at this from the perspective of using Mobius for Drills in conjunction with CAP , we have the potential to integrate data and control layers across multiple platforms . This will give the customer new capabilities in terms of autonomous ‘ missions ’ including the wider mining fleet that others might not be able to offer in the same way .
Epiroc also recently launched its latest electric-driven drills , the Pit Viper 271 XC E , Pit Viper 275 XC E , and the Pit Viper 291 E . Part of its Smart and Green Series , Epiroc says the electric-driven Pit Viper drills deliver the same groundbreaking performance with zero exhaust emissions , zero fuel consumption , and a lower carbon footprint .
International Mining | APRIL 2024