Orica has announced that its lead-free detonator Exel™ Neo is ready for delivery, with the first orders shipped from its production facility in Sweden on November 21. Orica announced the launch of Exel™ Neo non-electric detonator range in September 2023, to address the market need for environmentally friendly initiation systems.

The Neo range of Exel™ non-electric detonators uses a safer and more sustainable lead-free formulation in the detonator, including in the pyrotechnic delay elements, and is made at Orica’s state-of-the-art plant at Gyttorp, Sweden.

It says the Exel™ Neo range can be used in quarry and construction projects, underground and surface mining operations. The product performs with the same precision levels as Orica’s standard Exel™ detonators, tested by an accredited laboratory as part of the CE certification process (including for the timing delay accuracy and scatter patterns).

The Exel™ Neo non-electric range incorporates the proven Non-Primary Explosives Detonator (NPED) technology, which Orica has successfully used for the last 30 years. Besides being the industry’s first lead-free product, the Exel™ Neo range is made in Sweden which is close to Orica’s customer base in Europe.

It concludes: “We thank our customers for their support in conducting trials across Europe in the last few months and invites other customers to experience the newest generation of Exel™ detonators in their operations.”