22 International Mining | APRIL 2021
In any discussion of blasthole drilling
autonomy, it makes sense to start with Epiroc
as in OEM terms it has been in the game the
longest and it remains the market leader with
the largest number of installed units across the
greatest variety of commodities and individual
customers – which in recent years have included
amongst others BHP South Flank, IAMGOLD
Essakane, Boliden Aitik, Antofagasta Los
Pelambres, Ferrexpo Yeristovo, Kirkland Lake Gold
Detour, Anglo American Los Bronces, Anglo
American Quellaveco and Bowen Basin Coal’s
Lake Vermont in Queensland, which was the first
coal mine to have two multi-pass fully
autonomous drill rigs working side-by-side and
are also notable in being operated by contractor
Thiess. South Flank as a project shows the
potential of the system – operated from BHP’s IROC
in Perth over 1,000 km away. At the heart of
Epiroc’s success of course in autonomous drilling is
its Rig Control System (RCS) command-control
platform, now on its 5th iteration as RCS 5. RCS 5
features new interfaces for operator awareness to
include seeing other Pit Viper drills on the pattern
and updated maintenance screens for remote and
onboard support. The new Drilling Data Screen in
RCS 5 features real time depth and penetration rate
feedback with histogram for easy in-hole monitoring.
Tyler Berens, Epiroc Automation Director,
Surface Mining told IM: “We have run both in
parallel and have just put in our last RCS 4
release before the transition to solely RCS 5.
RCS 4 got us all the way to an autonomous base
that could run remote drills from a long distance
away which was quite an achievement for a
control system that began development in 2010.
But ultimately a decade later we had to move to
a foundation that could take us to where the
autonomy roadmap and the customers needed
us to go in robotics and digitalisation supporting
the mine’s value chain. Hopefully RCS 5 will be
able to last us another ten years.”
So what exactly does the future
roadmap involve if automation is
already here? The core elements
like the Rod Handling System
(RHS), Hole Navigation System
(HNS) and Auto Positioning are
already entrenched. Now it is
more about the big picture. “We
see a lot of work still to do on the
data front in terms of connecting
the value chain with digitalisation
and robotics – especially the use
of AI combined with things like
real time analysis of everything
from the ore horizons being
drilled in terms of structure and
grade to machine health and the
maintenance side and the fleet of
drills working as a team to drill
out a pattern in the most efficient
way possible based on data
analytics. It is driven by Epiroc’s
6th Sense concept which is
broken into three layers that will connect the
mine value chain – Machine Automation,
covering the performance of the individual drill;
Process Automation where here we would be
talking about the most efficient way possible for
the team of units to conduct the drilling portion
of the value chain, and finally System Integration
– connecting the drill space to the outside
environment including traffic management, the
explosives and blasting teams etc.”
Over the past year Berens says RCS 5 has
been deployed in a number of projects including
retrofits of entire drill fleets, including
autonomous fleets running multi-pass patterns
using its AutoDrill 2 technology plus auto drills
in metals and coal and industrial minerals as
well as on electric cable tethered drills. Multi-
pass automation is now used in South Africa and
Making a first
pass
Paul Moore spoke to the OEM market leaders on their progress with full blasthole drill automation, plus the leading third party system tech supplier. Progress is now rapid with the market having evolved well beyond just early adopters
SURFACE DRILLING
Epiroc autonomous PV-271
Graph illustrating compound productivity gains with Epiroc Pit Viper automation. The values shown are from test partner sites so some variables that go into these outcomes are site dependent and individual site outcomes may vary
SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 25/03/2021 11:49 Page 1
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SURFACE DRILLING
24 International Mining | APRIL 2021
as well as in Australia on both Pit Viper-235 and
Pit Viper-275 rigs. This has mainly been in coal –
showing the potential of automation beyond
metallic hard rock in coal which is lower margin
and higher speed.
Looking at relative progress in terms
automation over time – Epiroc recently did a
study on how continual rollout of this
technology since 2014 has related to fuel burn,
fuel per metre and what were the effects on
productivity. Berens says the effect has almost
been like compound interest – or as business
strategy advisor Jim Collins says in relation to
innovation, it is like continually building
momentum on a flywheel. As an example Pit
Viper drill automation between 2014 and 2016
added an average 19% extra production, another
7% by 2018 and another 15% by 2020, totalling
41%. RCS 5 is predicted to add another 12%
between 2020 and 2022. Incremental fuel burn
per drill over the same period on average
totalled 18%. Overall, Berens said that
automation since 2014 has now added the work
of a single non-autonomous drill for every four
autonomous drills.
Are the benefits greater for “new” auto drills
versus retrofits? “The reality is that retrofits
have to be part of any drill automation strategy
to give customers maximum value from existing
fleets. Going to RCS 5 is not intrusive and is
more focused on the control system rather than
any hardware apart from some processor and
graphics changes. On the drill, changes are
mainly in the cab apart from adding an absolute
encoder on the drill head to get much more
accurate depth measurement. But overall the
retrofit versus new auto drill tide is changing.
Pretty much all of the users that started with
retrofits are now coming back to us and ordering
new drills.”
Agile development has also become the
cornerstone of the Epiroc Pit Viper automation
program – instead of doing everything in-house
first and rolling out new products for the field,
changes are introduced and tweaked in real
applications allowing for less risk and better
product evolution with customer buy-in.
Is autonomous drilling also moving beyond
just the Tier 1 miners and contractors and the
largest pits to smaller mines and contractors?
“We are already working with a few big
contractors who like their mining customers
already know how to utilise drill automation to
its fullest potential. Others are still trying to find
Paul Moore caught up with Mason Biernat, Cat MineStar Solutions Drilling Specialist on its approach to autonomy in mining
Q Is the current automation program focused
on the MD6250 or is it now ‘available’ across
all models?
A The current Cat® MineStar™ Command for
drilling system is deployable on the MD6250,
MD6310 and MD6640 Cat drill models.
Caterpillar’s vision is to have all Cat drill
models leave the factory with a level of
automation following the example set forth by
the MD6250, MD6310 and MD6640s today.
Q The truck autonomy market has evolved
from “new” autonomous trucks to also
including a sizeable retrofit market – is
Caterpillar offering solutions for both new and
older already working drills?
A Caterpillar has a focus on interoperability for
drills. Caterpillar currently has a fleet of retrofit
large electric blast hole drills running under
Command for drilling in the field today. The
drills are made up of a fleet of legacy Bucyrus
49R and 49HR drills, which are known as Cat
MD6640s today, and P&H 320 XPC’s and P&H
120As. The Caterpillar advantage is having a
closely integrated technology solution on a Cat
machine, but we are also trying to deliver the
benefits of autonomous drilling and technology
to customers who may not own a Cat drill or
own a mixed fleet of drill models.
Q Does the system require MineStar to be in
place to be used or can it work with other
systems?
A MineStar is a digital ecosystem that is made
up of Health, Fleet, Detect, Terrain and
Command, where Command leverages multiple
aspects of the MineStar ecosystem. MineStar
Command for drilling system requires MineStar
Terrain, deployed on multiple drill OEM’s, to be
deployed at site. The Command system was
designed in a building block approach to allow
sites to implement drilling technologies at their
own pace. The first block in the autonomy
journey is having base drill automation
features such as Auto-Drill, Auto-Level and
Auto-Mast allowing the operator to start
automating the drilling cycle one button at a
time. The next layer is Terrain for drilling, a high
precision guidance technology enabling
operators to drill holes in the exact location
and to the exact elevation specified by the
plan, resulting in smoother, safer and more
efficient blasting. Terrain empowers mine sites
to better utilise the data coming from their drill
operations whether it be production and
performance information or specific geology
profiling information from Strata Recognition.
The next building blocks have a varying level of
autonomy depending on the problem trying to
be solved at site. Command for drilling offers
autonomy where the operator remains in the
cab and monitors autonomous drilling progress
while MineStar takes over as the operator all
the way to solutions where the operator is
offboard the machine monitoring autonomous
progress from a tablet device or from a Remote
Operations Centre. All of the additional
information introduced with autonomy is still
managed through MineStar Terrain thus
reducing the training and change management
requirements of existing Terrain users.
Q Is there still demand for teleremote
solutions at some sites or do you think most
will opt to go straight to autonomous?
A Certain application use cases may always
require some level of a tele-remote solution,
like the Cat Remote Operator Station, whether
the use case is to drill 100% tele-remote or to
use tele-remote in conjunction with an
autonomous drill. Tele-remote removes
operators from potentially harmful situations
and environments and a requirement for safer
drilling operations will always be present in the
mining industry. The drilling environment is
very volatile and sudden unexpected changes
in geology are commonly encountered while
drilling. Even minute changes in geology can
cause down-hole exceptions that are
challenging for an autonomous solution to
manage without the occasional remote
operator intervention. As automation and
autonomy evolve and become more intelligent
the need to completely control a drill tele-
remotely as an operator decreases.
Cat autonomous MD6250 at Mt Arthur coal mine in Australia
SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 25/03/2021 11:50 Page 2
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26 International Mining | APRIL 2021
where their role is in applying automation. In
basic terms if drills are more productive it
represents a more cost effective solution for the
customer. But their fleets are often spread out
across multiple sites, units may have to be
relocated globally on short notice, plus their risk
profile is completely different with short term
contracts often of only a few years. But we are
working closely with them to meet their unique
flexibility and mobility demands.”
Also to date the platform has been dominated
by the Pit Viper drills notably the PV-235, PV-
271, PV-275 and PV-351 models. What about
smaller DTH and top hammer pre-split and
production drills like the SmartROC D55 and
D65? Most mines have these as well as large
rotary drills for edge of pit contour drilling, pre-
splits etc. “Epiroc has recognised the need for a
more unified approach on this – we were two
separate divisions (Epiroc Drilling Solutions and
Epiroc Surface and Exploration) but since 2020
are now under just one Surface division meaning
there is now much more collaboration between
us in Garland and the crawler rig teams in
Orebro. We were already working together on
higher level strategy in our Surface Mining
Automation Centre (SMAC) but now it is at all
levels – as the market evolves, customers don’t
want a separate control room for Pit Viper and
SmartROC drilling rigs. We are already making
the same software updates for both product
lines, most recently around situational
awareness. Going forward for both portfolios we
want the automation customer experience to
look the same and feel the same.”
What about interoperability and being more
FMS agnostic plus retrofits on competitor drills?
Epiroc’s investment in ASI Mining is paying
dividends in this regard and tests are already
happening using a drill automation layer within
ASI’s Mobius command-control platform which
can potentially manage an operation with both
autonomous trucks and drills working together
with RCS 5. On compeitor machine retrofits it is
about bringing solutions to different situations.
Berens says: “In drill automation there is a lot of
harmony between mechanical, electrical and
control systems to allow you to get the most out
of the machine. And some of things we have
developed for years for the Pit Viper like
AutoRod change, you can’t just add to a different
rig design. So the short answer is we can do it,
but will only do it where we feel we can bring
benefit to the customer; and not to the point
where we are applying proprietary Pit Viper
design elements to competitor models.”
Lastly, the market is changing. Not so long
ago most RFPs for greenfield blasthole fleets
would want two proposed cases – one without
autonomy and one with. Today almost all just
want an autonomous ready fleet proposal. Plus
the level of questions is more involved – the
customers know what they want and aren’t
asking about basics. “Plus our predictions about
ROI results are more accurate, to some extent on
greenfield but very much so on brownfield. It
isn’t as much of a guessing game anymore as we
have so much existing data from multiple sites.”
Autonomous drilling downtime – what are the
causes? “To be honest most of the time it is lack
of work because they are so efficient and it takes
the rest of the process some time to catch up.
Sometimes this has come about because
customers have ordered the same number of
drills as would be required with non
autonomous to achieve the same production
whereas often with autonomous you can do the
same job with one drill less or even two less in
the case of a large fleet. And this is despite us
showing them what is possible in our modelling.”
Komatsu’s fully integrated approach Like the other global OEMs, Komatsu Mining
has recognised the surge in drill automation
interest and says it has been working hard to
deliver solutions for customers across its
product line. Sergio Li, Global Product Manager,
Rotary Drills at Komatsu Mining told IM: “Even
the mines that were not into automation are now
looking at it. I think you could say that we
passed the 'Early Adopters' phase, and it won’t
be that long before automation is commonplace
in blasthole drill fleets."
Li said Komatsu is now working flat out to
meet its customer needs on automation. The
journey started a few years ago on the 77XR
which is currently the most advanced model,
capable of full automation and teleoperation. It
can be equipped with high precision GPS, auto-
navigation, an innovative quadview camera
system, obstacle detection system and
geofencing technology. In H2 2021 the
autonomous 77XR (200-270 mm holes, can
operate with rotary or DTH bits) is set to be up
and running as a production machine at a
customer copper mine in Chile and will also be
commercially available by then. This will initially
be line of sight remote control with the
agreement covering a building block approach
from there to full automation within the next few
months. The autonomous capability of the 77XR
has already been tested at the Komatsu Arizona
Proving Grounds (AZPG).
Moving to the larger P&H 320XPC (270-444
mm), which is a cable powered rotary drill, the
initial thought was not to go down the full
automation route due to the electric cable
complications involved (such as handling the
cable when switching rows), but due to
customer demand in that direction, this drill is
also now being equipped with the same
autonomous capability as the 77XR though
initially just for single row. The mentioned
Chilean copper mine has also committed to
using an autonomous 320XPC drill going
forward. Elsewhere, there is also a project to
automate a 320XPC drill for an iron ore miner in
Brazil and that machine is already being
assembled to start operations. The 320XPC uses
the Centurion supervisory controller providing
direct integrated communication with motor
drives giving precise motor control. The recent
industry focus on carbon-neutral operations, or
net-zero strategy, matches well with Komatsu's
historical experience designing efficient and
sustainable large electric drills
There is also a further diesel track drill in the
line-up, the DTH ZT44 (114 to 216 mm). This is
the smallest drill is the range, designed for
mining applications and featuring dual engine
and compressor control settings, delivers
The Komatsu 77XR with full autonomy will soon be operating at a major copper mine in Chile
SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 24/03/2021 11:12 Page 3
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SURFACE DRILLING
versatility for production, pre-split and auxiliary
uses.
So, what makes Komatsu Mining’s automation
solution stand out versus the rest of the market?
Li states: "Customers that have trialled our
automation system on the 77XR have told us
that they appreciate its simplicity, the fact that it
is well integrated into the base machine, the
auto navigation is very smooth, not only thanks
to the base model having very low vibration and
a low centre of gravity but also the Auto Nav
itself is very intelligent. We have also put a lot
into the AI part of our Autodrill function, which
we now believe to be the best in the industry. I
would also say our ODS and how we have
positioned the LiDARs is very efficient compared
to other systems. They are seamlessly integrated
into the machine, not just Add Ons."
A note on MineWare, which is part of Komatsu
Ltd and of course has its own AI-based drill
automation platform, Phoenix AI, which is
compatible with all makes and models for the
retrofit market therefore allows Komatsu as a
group to have multiple options for example for
customers with older fleets and mixed fleets,
especially where they want to retrofit non-
Komatsu drills. Li commented: "As well as our
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Sandvik iSeries drills are also going autonomous, starting with the DR412i to be followed by the DR410i
SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 24/03/2021 11:13 Page 4
APRIL 2021 | International Mining 29
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own technology within Komatsu Mining, we are
also leveraging the possibilities of Phoenix AI in
our market and our system development."
Finally, in addition to the 77XR and 320XPC
there is an in-between size class under
development, a diesel-powered rotary or DTH
model, which is soon to be launched and will
also be fully autonomous ready. This machine
can be configured for rotary or DTH drilling,
diesel or electric power, and single- or multi-
pass drilling. "Following our path of innovation
on drills, this new model will have similar
Dantotsu features that made our other models
well received in the mining market. This new drill
also represents the greater ability of Komatsu as
we differentiate ourselves on being able to
provide total solutions for customers."
Sandvik advancing AutoMine Surface Drilling platform Sandvik Mining & Rock Solutions has been
progressing on multiple fronts with its rotary
blasthole drill rig technologies and product line
over the past year, despite the pandemic.
Regarding the fully autonomous capable iSeries
drills, the DR412i stepped up a gear, moving
from tests at the company test quarry near the
factory in Alachua, Florida, to a mining customer
site where it outperformed some competitor
machines. A second DR412i was released to the
Minnesota Iron Range mines fitted with Sandvik
Rotary tooling– that unit set some new records
for the mine – including over 1,000 ft drilled in a
shift. Demetre Harris, Sandvik Rotary Drills
Division Product Manager – Automation told IM:
“It was also shown to be the most productive
drill versus the competitor models on site. It
utilised our new adaptive autodrill function
tailored to the site’s strata and ground
parameters. In general, we also find that our
chain feed design provides a very uniform
pressure which boosts productivity & and really
assists the Autodrill functionality to perform
well. That customer purchased a second unit
and is looking to buy more.”
Harris adds: “There’s a lot of interest around
the autonomous capabilities of our iSeries drill
rigs. In addition to the DR412i, a DR410i
autonomous rig is due to go to a minesite in
April/May 2021. It will start with teleremote
operation then be equipped with the same full
automation functionality as the DR412i.” The
autonomous capable DR412i Harris said is now
commercially available and discussions are
underway with a number of interested potential
customers. “Added to that most new tenders for
blasthole drills from mining majors are citing full
autonomy capability but also intelligent drills
and what that means in terms of data capture.
But autonomy is a big leap for many operations
– it can’t be done overnight. Sandvik works with
the mine to develop an implementation plan that
encompasses change management required on
operational safety, shift changes management,
how they maintain the drills, different prestart
processes and many other factors. Many are not
ready now but want the functionality for when
they are.”
Harris said its iSeries drills are interoperable
and work is being done to ensure they can work
with multiple fleet management system (FMS)
platforms to ensure the onboard analytics can
feed straight into the FMS. So far this has been
achieved with one of the major global FMS
packages which has been recently trialed and
tested. With others, work is still ongoing.
They also can work with different networks
but with minimum requirements – where a site
doesn’t meet these, Sandvik works with Rajant’s
wireless mesh technology to ensure the network
is sufficient – this is the same set-up used at its
own test quarry.
In terms of training for autonomous drill
operators, and training of IROC-based autodrill
controllers - the surface drilling teams have also
been able to learn a lot from what the
underground divisions have already been doing
for some years. The surface automation
capability is also still branded as an Automine
solution – referred to as Automine Surface
Drilling which covers both teleremote and
automated operation. Rob Ewanow, Marketing
Manager for the Rotary Drilling Division at
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions told IM:
“That is one of the things we will be
emphasising with AutoMine and OptiMine going
forward is the commonality between
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SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 24/03/2021 11:14 Page 5
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30 International Mining | APRIL 2021
underground and surface. But also the fact that
all these machines have the same Sandvik
Integrated Control Architecture (SICA) command-
control platform. This allows us to carry
underground capabilities to surface applications
more easily and also means an easier transition
for customers that already are familiar with how
SICA operates underground as they move to
apply automation in their open pit operations.”
The Sandvik rotary drills division based in the
US is also working much more closely with the
boom drills teams in Finland that develop and
manufacture the Pantera, Leopard, Ranger
crawler DTH and top hammer models.
Revathi continues portfolio growth & regional expansion India’s Revathi Equipment Ltd (REL) has already
quickly moved from being seen as an Indian-
centric supplier to one with a rapidly growing
global network, particularly in Africa. The
delivery of the company’s first autonomous
ready C650S blasthole drill rig which can
supplied as both a rotary (159 to 200 mm
diameter holes) or DTH drill (152-171 mm) and
allowing holes of up to 53 m depth, is still set for
contractor Basil Read for use in Debswana’s
Jwaneng diamond operation in Botswana was
delayed due to COVID-19. However, the first unit
was due to be shipped in late March 2021 as IM
went to press – it is the first machine which
FLANDERS is the leading non-drill OEM supplier of autonomous drilling technology to the global mining market with users from Roy Hill in Australia to Kolomela in South Africa. Paul Moore caught up with Manager of Product Development, Josh Goodwin and General Manager, Mike Lane
Q What factor does age play in terms of drills
being retrofitted in terms of making the cost
and delivered performance worldwide?
ML The conversion of drills to the ARDVARC
autonomous control system is a
straightforward task and will provide many
years of reliable service provided the machine
is in good initial and ongoing well-maintained
condition. Therefore, the age of the drill is
irrelevant provided it is fully functional,
operating correctly with consistent
repeatability of variables for given functions.
We often encounter used drills during the initial
drill condition assessment, where parts worn
beyond their ability to provide efficient
performance need to be replaced prior to the
introduction of the autonomous conversion.
Another consideration for the conversion of
older drills is the business case and particularly
the ROI for the investment or the driver for the
initiative. The motivation is not always as
narrow as that single asset, but for a greater
good. It is usual for an older lower performing
drill on site that is in less demand by
production, to be handed over for conversion.
This is typically used for initial trials of the
technology to provide the definition and project
documentation and hence the justification of
the large-scale rollout, including the essential
pillars for the introduction of autonomy of
People, Process & Technology.
Q Can you give some idea of how the
FLANDERS system today differs from previous
incarnations in terms of capability?
JG The Flanders system today compared to
previous incarnations is mainly around the ease
and use of the system making the machine
smarter and taking away the onus on the
controller. We have done this through
collaboration with our partners/clients to
standardise and improve our system design,
rewiring and changing the location of
components on the drill making it easier for
system techs and maintainers to fault find and
troubleshoot, plus utilising OEM sensors that
are less intrusive. At the ARDVARC Drill
Innovation Hub located in Perth, Western
Australia we are continually redefining the
boundaries of blast hole drill automation. We
draw upon the knowledge, ideas, and requests
from our 15 regional service centres around the
world, regularly reaching out to end users,
some 350 specialists in supporting
technologies both up and downstream of
drilling, actively contributing to enhancing
existing features and implementing new ones.
The collaborative development model has
provided progressive improvements towards
true Level 5 autonomy, reduction in cost and
duration for autonomous conversion, advanced
functionality that provides reduced running
costs & increased machine life, pen rates and
overall availability of the drill. Features such as
rod handling for multi-pass, auto bit changers
and data for measure while drilling are now
common expectations within a system. We are
experiencing greater interest for the software
interfacing API so that end users can acquire
drill data for asset health, blast technologies
and performance metrics.
Q Are a lot of customers wanting autonomous
capability on existing machines versus new
machines? What is the value proposition for a
miner to go with Flanders versus the OEM on a
new drill?
JG I would say it is still even between
customers wanting autonomous capability on
existing machines verses new machines,
though I would say more new machine
purchases are made with autonomy in mind.
The benefits to replacing the OEM system on a
new drill with the FLANDERS system is our
interoperability with other systems, our
capabilities and how agile we are in adapting
the system to meeting the customer’s specific
needs. We offer an open platform, if you like
the Android of surface drilling automation. Drill
and blast software packages can easily use our
drilling data plus we integrate to FMS systems,
such as on GPS location and time usage
modelling. It is an agnostic solution for
operators with mixed fleets, old and new. It
standardises a drill fleet onto one system which
is good for operators and for data collection
Many of the early adopters of the technology
have completed the conversion of existing drills
on their mine sites and we are now
experiencing a trend change for them to the
conversion of new drills released from the
OEMs yards into ours for fit out and
commissioning prior to mine site delivery. This
provides a huge benefit for end users to access
the drills away from the mine site in a
controlled and safer environment. Their
personnel receive the detailed and easy to
follow theory training in class, then out to the
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APRIL 2021 | International Mining 31
SURFACE DRILLING
adjacent workshop assisting us with the
conversion process to build their confidence
and familiarity with the various components
that make up the autonomous kit on the drills
they will eventually monitor and maintain.
The early and late majority technology
adopters appear to be in the early to mid-stages
of autonomous drill conversions to their
existing drills. This is done mostly on site, with
some exceptions of conversions being done
offsite for drills undergoing a mid-life rebuild
followed by an autonomous conversion fit out.
This is the best time to carry out the work, even
if the scheduled rebuild is brought forward, as it
ensures all mechanical functions are in good
operating order, required for a reliable outcome
and typically a wider trainee audience can be
reached without the distraction and demands
placed upon them whilst on site. Site training
often results in personnel being drawn out of
the classroom to attend urgent matters
resulting in knowledge gaps.
Regardless of the drill age, they can usually
always be automated to the latest technology,
and it is especially rewarding to see older drills
given a new lease of life, performing as well as
the newer models on the same drill pattern.
The Flanders ARDVARC autonomous drill
solution is OEM agnostic that is particularly
convenient for mine sites with a mixed fleet of
drills. Components are commonly available off
the shelf, support is available 24/7, the control
system is advanced and easy to operate and
drill data is openly shared with our clients
through a software interface.
Q Also among smaller miners and mid tiers
that may not want to invest in the network
infrastructure for full autonomy is tele-remote
proving itself in demand?
ML Where short-term contract work is
undertaken, it is the nimble operators like
Ozland, with a single centralised remote
operations centre that are operating drills in
teleremote, capitalising in this space. The
operator’s skillsets are specialised, deployment
is rapid and the communications infrastructure
being relocatable, is often included by the
contractor. The exception is onsite operators
using line of sight teleremote where external
communications is not effective to establish,
often due to available bandwidth in very remote
locations. As network communication options
are increasing and more providers emerging, as
expected we have noticed more competitive
establishment costs and ongoing fees
extending the benefits to more smaller miners
and mid tiers that would not have considered
this option in the recent past.
Q With the drill OEMs now also offering
retrofit, is the market getting more difficult for
FLANDERS and are the OEMs making their
latest drills less interoperable to prevent third
party solutions being applied?
JG There are a lot more players in the market
now which makes it more difficult, though it
means customers are looking more closely at
the systems to ensure that they fit and work
with all the other systems they have on site. Yes,
OEMs are making their latest drills less
interoperable but the ARDAVRC solution is open
to working with any third-party solution, be it
through a level of control or data transfer. Also,
in terms of the latest drills from OEMs, its easier
for us to convert them, as they are coming
autonomous ready, which means they have the
majority of sensors that we would generally
have to fit to the machine. As an example, the
latest Cat MD6250 and CAT MD6310 we have
auto equipped and converted in record time.
ML The larger drill OEMs are now releasing their
own autonomous drill solutions which is a
positive move for the industry and there are
several side-by-side comparisons in play now
with third party autonomous control system
providers against the OEM solution. The more
astute mine site operators conduct their trial or
study, assessed on overall value, not necessarily
the initial cost to buy the autonomous kit. There
is a tendency for the OEMs to do a package deal
for the drill and the autonomous solution that
does not always equate to good value.
Comprehensive feasibility studies extend into
important far reaching and often overlooked
factors such as prompt reliable local service with
direct access to specialists all-hours, replacement
cost of parts, nimbleness, and flexibility to
innovate, ease of use and transparency into the
system for interoperability and commonly used,
best in class readily available trialled and tested
components.
Autonomous blasthole drill at the Roy Hill iron ore mine, automated using FLANDERS technology
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32 International Mining | APRIL 2021
could lead to another five machines if it passes
initial trials. It will be deployed initially in line of
sight teleoperation then will proceed to
teleoperation and finally autonomous operation.
There is also potential in the region with other
customers such as Marung Development
Services (MDS), a Botswana company which now
has a contract at Debswana’s Orapa mine and
with whom Revathi recently signed a cooperation
agreement with regard to their future blasthole
drill fleet requirements with a lot of potential for
the C625H (114.3 mm to 203.2 mm) and C615H
(101.6mm to 152.4mm) DTH drills.
The C625H, with which it competes for
example with Epiroc’s FlexiROC D55 and D65
drills, is a good example of its robust offering.
Naveed Shaikh, Global Sales Marketing Manager
at REL said: “It is a compact surface drill
available in three formats – a standard
mechanical manual package, a digital version
with electronic control and finally an
autonomous version, like the C650 S using
FLANDERS technology. It is designed so that a
maintenance worker can easily access most
parts for service without any machine
dismantling. It is a very robust model which has
performed well in coal overburden as well as
copper and zinc mines.”
While large numbers of this model are
operating in India, Revathi has its first
international C625H order in place MDS in South
Africa which is due to be delivered in April 2021
with a second soon to follow – these are likely to
be used in diamond or coal mining operations.
This year the company is expecting to ship over
10 drills of various models to South Africa. In
Zimbabwe there is an REL fleet at Hwange
Colliery which has already been rebuilt so the
customer will require new drills going forward.
REL is also looking at expanding its range into
top hammer – largely due to very high demand
in certain sectors such as the construction
quarrying sector in the Middle East.
Elsewhere in the world REL has established
dealerships in Russia through St Petersburg-
based Trans Techno Market (TTM) which also
distributes cable electric Rudgormash drills in
western Russia and in Central Asia where it is
working through Eurasian Machinery in Almaty,
Kazakhstan, which is also a major Hitachi dealer.
In a number of markets, REL is also talking to
financial companies about offering blasthole
drill rental options to customers as demand for
this approach is increasing.
Revathi is also working on a new intelligent
drill monitoring system which includes
notifications to the drill owner and operator on
when new parts need to be ordered as well as
sensors monitoring parameters such as oil flow
and pressure which also flags up any issues
when set benchmarks are passed. The hardware
for the system is based on a collaboration with
FLANDERS and its FREEDOM for drills platform.
It has been included on the C650S for Basil Read
and the C625H for MDS. The intelligent system
will also be able to keep track of metres drilled
and reference this to daily, weekly or monthly
targets.
Revathi says it is improving its spare parts
offering by introducing an online portal to
increase the level of automation in parts
ordering. It is linked to REL’s in-house developed
inventory management system plus is also
accessible via an app which will allow service
engineers to put in a part number on their
smartphone while on the machine – see the part
description and what is the available inventory
level is both at their own facility and at the in-
country dealer warehouse as well. It will also
link to REL’s own supply chain starting at the
factory in Coimbatore and its new network of
distribution centres.
While automation and teleremote were
formerly not that interesting to customers in
India, this is changing fast, and recent tenders
from major miners like Tata Steel and Adani have
specified teleremote operation capability for
drills. “Safety is a much bigger concern today for
Indian mining groups first and foremost.
Secondly, with the machine drilling more
autonomously via remote operation, there are
fewer human operator related errors so the drill
is more productive. Third, the machine takes less
punishment in wear terms for the same reason.”
Plus India is mirroring the rest of the mining
world – young people prefer to work in cities or
if they are onsite, are more attracted to office
based roles as opposed to having to work 8 hour
shifts in the pit with the exposure to dust, noise
and vibration that this inevitably includes. It is
also a more productive approach as one
operator can monitor two or sometimes more
drill rigs at the same time and there are no shift
change related time losses.
The appetite for remote control and
autonomous operation of drills in India is also
increasing as more private operators are getting
involved in mining. Mining contractors are also
looking at new technology - as an example, Zyfra
Mining in Russia has supplied autonomous drill
technology to Thriveni Earthmovers for
retrofitting its existing fleet as part of a wider
digitalisation contract.
There is lastly an increasing demand for larger
blasthole drills in India to provide greater
economies of scale. REL in March 2021 delivered
a C850 machine which is capable of drilling 311
to 349 mm diameter holes and competes with
the Epiroc Pit Viper 351, P&H 320XPC, Cat
MD6640 and other machines. The customer is
Coal India division Northern Coalfields (NCL). It
is not the first REL drill of this size in India, there
is a sizeable fleet already, but it is becoming a
more popular choice. “Part of the reason why
our large drills like the C650, C750 and C850 are
chosen is their versatility, performing equally
well in soft limestone or mudstone overburden,
or in abrasive sandstone.”
The versatile C625H Revathi drill is now seeing a lot of interest and is included in its autonomy program
IM
SURFACE DRILLING.qxp_proof 24/03/2021 11:14 Page 8
For over 40 years, CR has been a world leader in designing and
manufacturing innovative mining productivity technology for both
surface and underground applications. With a footprint in every major
global mining region, CR is a leader in engineering innovation and the
manufacture of productivity-enhancing software. The company, which has
headquarters in the US and Australia, has two divisions: CR Mining and CR
Digital.
CR Mining engineers a suite of advanced products for both surface
mining and underground primary production assets, such as cast lip
systems and ground engaging tools (GET) for hydraulic excavators, rope
shovels, LHD and wheel loaders, as well as dragline buckets and rigging,
conveyor systems and fixed plant wear products.
CR Digital has a portfolio of technology for the optimisation of surface
mining, from blasthole drilling guidance and rock knowledge, to load and
haul circuit optimisation for excavators, face shovels and wheel loaders.
The CR Digital product range overlaps with the CR Mining range, with
advanced sensing of GET attached to these production assets. All digital
systems are underpinned by a suite of real-time analytics and open
integrations that turn highly accurate sensing into real-time operational
decision-making information.
Smarter Engineering With an approach to product engineering that directly focuses on
productivity outputs for customers, CR employs a scale testing method to
develop and test cast lip designs before they are sent to site. Using a 1:7
model of the same machinery, CR can design new lighter and smaller lips
via scale testing at their Global Technology Centre in Australia. Recently, CR
developed the RazerEdge RE1522 – the smallest cast lip ever designed by
CR suited to 100-140-t class machines. By developing the RE1522 product
through scale testing, CR’s engineers were able to engineer a product that
was both lighter and stronger than conventional plate lip installations
which improved cycle times, decreased dig energy and increased reliability
with improvements in maintenance and associated downtime related to
GET changeouts. By scale testing the product concept, the engineers were
able to test and tweak elements of the design to ensure the optimal
product had been developed.
Performance of the scaled designs are captured via CR Digital’s Titan
3330 Load Haul Optimization System, which provides real-time analytics on
bucket payload to assess the efficiency of the design before full-scale
development. The Titan 3330 system works by providing information to the
shovel or excavator operators in real time, allowing them to make decisions
to optimise bucket payloads to ensure each truck payload is as close to the
target payload as possible. By ensuing every truck is loaded to its
optimum point, the productivity of the overall truck fleet is maximised,
allowing the operation to consistently work at an optimal level. CR Digital’s
Titan 3330 also provides significant advantages in reducing damage to the
machine by providing information on how much stress and fatigue the
machine is under.
The integrated process collaborating Titan 3330 and Orion data analytics
to help evaluate data provided by the scaled models ensures that every
product is tested and productivity benefits are proven before they arrive on
a mine site.
Smarter GET CR has embraced the unification of traditional mining and industry 4.0,
with the intelligent integration of analytics and steel. The recent acquisition
of GET Trakka, a ground engaging tool loss detection system, propelled the
company into the forefront of smart mining. The GET Trakka product
package offers GET detection on and off the bucket alongside analytics
previously unknown to operators. Within the GET sits a rugged wireless IoT
sensor that provides all GET information back to the CR database. If the
GET is lost or broken whilst in operation, the operator is immediately
informed via the in-cab alarm module, safely preventing expensive
downtime events due to lost GET in the crusher. By upgrading current GET
products with intelligent analytics, GET Trakka is a gamechanger in the
integration of technology and tradition within the mining sphere.
With a strong history of creating innovative products and a focus on
driving productivity and performance outcomes, CR continues to test
designs and partner closely with customers to focus on delivering the
forefront of technology, revolutionising the performance of mining
equipment across the globe.
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INTERNATIONAL MINING PROFILES
APRIL 2021 | International Mining 33
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+61 2 9418 5600
www.CRmining.com CR’s RazerEdge range was designed to improve productivity and reduce maintenance costs through the removal of weld on adapters
By upgrading current GET products with intelligent analytics, GET Trakka is a gamechanger in the integration of technology and tradition within the mining sphere
CR MINING PROFILE.qxp_proof 23/03/2021 15:07 Page 2
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