A milestone in the world of battery electric ground support equipment was reached in Canada earlier this year when Tantalum Mining Corp of Canada (Tanco) near Lac Du Bonnet, Manitoba, working with Sandvik Mining & Rock Solutions Key Account Manager Ivan Magdic, deployed Canada’s and North America’s first battery electric Sandvik DS412iE bolter.
It enables zero emissions operation including while tramming, thanks to its electric driveline including a battery package and electric motor, reducing thermal load and therefore requirements for ventilation capacity underground.
The world-famous Tanco underground operation has mined a LCT pegmatite (lithium, caesium and tantalum) commercially for over 50 years. Scott Rankmore, Tanco Mine Operations Manager told IM: “The DS412iE was delivered in early February 2023. With the assistance of Sandvik’s technicians and trainers, the miners selected to run the bolter have done an exceptional job of learning the machine and becoming proficient in a short period of time. It has operated without any major downtime and the production rate has been excellent.”
Rankmore added that the DS412iE runs off a cable while bolting and has the ability to charge the battery while it is plugged in and drilling using Sandvik’s patented charging system. “The battery is used for tramming purposes but can also drill many holes while using the battery only and not plugged in. For example, we have had the Sandvik bolter still working while the power was cut off in the mine for other reasons.”
Sandvik adds that beyond the driveline, the DS412iE is a bolter for 4 m x 4 m size headings combining a safe, ergonomic working environment with high levels of automation. Equipped with a completely new carrier, a high frequency rock drill, an intelligent control system and an ergonomic cabin, the DS412iE offers high levels of safety and efficiency providing peace of mind for all types of rock reinforcement operations. With different bolt lengths, it enables wider bolt selection. Automatic resin shooting and cement mixing system ensure a high quality rock reinforcement process.
It offers up to 35% high penetration rate than previous models plus up to 90% automatic bolt installation. The i-Class platform also allows integration with Sandvik’s digital offering including iSURE®, MySandvik Remote Monitoring Service, OptiMine® and AutoMine®.
But what led Tanco to invest in a battery electric machine – what were the main drivers and priorities? Rankmore: “To put an electric vehicle in our mine where we are mining for ore that supports the electric vehicle market was an obvious move. I feel it is partly Tantalum Mining’s responsibility to prove that electric vehicles can be a viable option in all types of settings.” He added that Tanco going forward in terms of its fleet evolution intends to do everything it can to support the electric vehicle market.
In terms of maintenance and service to help support the machine, Tanco has an agreement in place where Sandvik has a technician on site on a one week on, one week off schedule. Tanco has also invested in Sandvik’s battery as a service agreement that has it covered if for some reason the battery on the unit fails and needs to be maintained or changed out in short order.