Atlas Copco is celebrating the sale of its 100th Scooptram ST7 loader, confirming the international success of this new generation LHD in terms of underground loading technology and design. Vostok – Metall TransLLP of Kazakhstan has become the company to place an order for the world’s 100th machine. The loader, to be delivered in July, will be used for contracting underground development work at Ridder- Sokolnyi mine which is a gold mine operated by Kazzinc, located in East Kazakhstan region. This milestone sale confirms the global success of this Scooptram model since its launch in 2010.

The ST7 journey began at the field test stage when Sweden’s Lovisa mine gave it “top marks for productivity, serviceability and comfort, reporting dramatic improvements in loading operations as well as the operator’s underground working environment.” The German industrial minerals group, Geomin Erzgebirgische Kalkwerke, became the first in Germany to introduce the Scooptram ST7 at its white marble mine in Hermsdorf near the Czech border, recently visited by IM. Service intervals are longer than for older generation LHDs at the mine, and fewer spare parts are needed due to improved parts wear. The vehicle features an air conditioned cab, lower noise levels, improved lighting and more efficient emergency/alarm systems. It also has excellent traction control which is easy on the tires, meaning fewer tyre changes or longer tyre life. The on-board computer calculates the optimum power needed at any one time during operations, resulting in lower fuel consumption and lower emissions, compared with operating on full throttle for most of the time.

The new Scooptram ST7 is a high performance loader with a 6.8 t tramming capacity, articulated steering and oscillating rear axle. It has a comfortable and ISO FOPS/ROPS certified cab, a tramming height of 2,160 mm and a width of 2,280 mm.