TERRATEC has completed the Factory Acceptance Testing of its first raise boring machine (RBM) for the Argentinian market. A ceremony was held in Tasmania, Australia with both Daniel Melendres and Mercy Torres of Hochschild Mining present, nine months after the receipt of order. The Hochschild Group was founded in 1911 and Hochschild Mining, a precious metals provider, focuses on silver and gold deposits and has over 50 years operating experience. The company has three underground mine sites in southern Peru and one in southern Argentina.

The TR2000 Raise Boring Machine has been designed for ease of use and high reliability. This machine is capable of boring 2 m diameter holes up to 500 m in depth. The design and production was fully completed by TERRATEC in Australia.  The TR2000 has a Standard Pilot Hole Diameter of 279 mm and the machine has a Pilot Drilling Torque of up to 78,000 Nm, Reaming to 175,000 Nm, Makeup to 196,000 Nm and Breakout to 203,000 Nm. The Down Thrust is calculated at 530 kN with Up being 3,100 kN. The Total Installed Power on the machine is 242 kW.

John Alejos, Raise Boring Operations Manager of Hochschild Mining said “The decision towards TERRATEC was taken based on the robust design of the rig, the company’s fabrications standards and long history of producing raise borers, as well as their after sales service with a strong presence in Peru and all the Latin-American regions all contributed to the equipment going to work in the adverse conditions of the Argentinean Patagonia.”