Hexagon’s Mining division today announced the acquisition of Split Engineering, a leader in coarse rock fragmentation size measurement systems, software and services.

Optimised fragmentation can save a mine significant costs while improving drill and blast processes. Split Engineering’s image processing technology delivers high-quality information that enables customers to manage their processes from drill to mill and improve mine profits.

Split Engineering’s core solutions are based on more than 25 years of research and development that began at the University of Arizona where Department of Mining and Geological Engineering staff founded Split Engineering in 1997.

Employing specialists in mining, metallurgical, geological, geophysical, optical and electrical engineering, as well as mathematics and business, the company has continuously improved its software while opening offices in Chile, Peru, South Africa and Australia to service its worldwide customer base.

Today’s acquisition is good news for Hexagon customers, said Josh Weiss, Mining division President. “Split Engineering’s fragmentation analysis capabilities expand our life-of-mine vision from pit to plant. It closes the loop on drill and blast design by allowing sites to quantify the effectiveness of their blast, bridging the gap between planning and operations.”

Split Engineering co-founder Tom BoBo said: “Mining is all about efficient size reduction to liberate the mineral. Split Engineering’s technology measures that process of size reduction from mine to mill, pit to plant. Split Engineering is a great fit to Hexagon’s digital mine with our automated digital image analysis systems: Split-ShovelCam®, Split-TruckCam® and Split-Crusher® taking Hexagon from the mine into the processing plant, to help measure, manage and improve mining operations.”

Co-founder, Brian Norton, added: “Split Engineering is pleased to contribute to the Hexagon life-of-mine vision. We are excited to leverage the sales, support and development resources offered by Hexagon’s global prescence for the benefit of the mining industry worldwide.”