MBV Systems says it has signed an agreement with Rio Tinto that will see the mining company trial its 3DPM vision system at one of its mine sites in Western Australia.

The purpose of the trial is to evaluate potential use of 3DPM to increase knowledge and understanding of the material flow and, hence, improve the production efficiency and product quality in the mine, according to MBV Systems.

MBV Systems’ 3DPM provides online particle size distribution (PSD) measurements of rock and bulk material through 3D measurements on conveyor belts.

In addition to the trial of the vision system, prototype “material origin algorithms” will also be tested during the trial, according to MBV Systems. Installation and commissioning will commence as soon as possible, it added.

Lars Lindqvist, CEO at MBV Systems, said: “This is a very important order for us since Rio Tinto is a world-class mining company which has operations almost all over the world.”