Epiroc says it is bringing the successful COPROD system to the Simba underground production drill rig family.

Compared with traditional drilling methods, COPROD for Simba offers up to three times higher penetration rate with excellent precision, Epiroc says. Chile-based copper miner Pucobre has already seen the benefits of the system and recently ordered three new Simba E70 S COPROD.

Sebastián Rios, CEO of Pucobre, said: “The underground mining that Pucobre carries out in our mines in the Atacama region, Chile, is becoming more challenging every day due to variable rock quality as well as smaller and irregularly shaped ore bodies that are located further away. COPROD for Simba has allowed excellent precision levels while drilling at rates and distances that ensure efficient production. Last quarter, we decided to change our entire production drilling fleet to this equipment.”

COPROD is, according to Epiroc, a unique rock drilling system combining the greater penetration rate and significantly lower energy consumption of tophammer equipment with the hole quality and straightness of DTH drilling. Historically only available for surface drilling, COPROD now makes its way to the Simba production drill rig family – taking precision and speed to a whole new level underground.

Mathias Edhammer, Global Portfolio Manager Rock Reinforcement and Production Drilling at Epiroc’s Underground division, said: “With drilling being the first step in the process flow, COPROD for Simba creates huge opportunities for optimisation and downstream benefits. The system will help improve fragmentation and ore recovery, while decreasing hole dilution significantly.”

Pucobre has used COPROD for Simba since 2022 and quickly saw strong results such as better fragmentation after blasting, dilution reduction to 5% and increased burden to 2.4 m.

Lars Bergkvist, Head of Accounts and Applications at Epiroc’s Underground division, said: “Pucobre is an excellent example of how COPROD for Simba can unlock new opportunities in mine design with the potential to lower cost per tonne, for example by enabling double benches and higher draw bells.”

COPROD for Simba combines the rock drill with the smart series of Simba production drill rigs, as well as digital tools and Epiroc’s 6th Sense optimisation approach – creating a complete package for improved quality and performance of long hole drilling.