RPMGlobal, a global leader in mining software technology, has announced the release of its new, next generation Automated Pit Design (APD) solution at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas Nevada. This cutting-edge product represents a significant leap forward in open pit mine design, having been developed in close collaboration with key customers, industry consultants, and RPMGlobal’s own consulting and advisory team.
RPMGlobal’s APD extends the existing range of automated design tools for underground coal, underground metals, and open cut coal. Similar automated design capabilities are now available to open pit miners, streamlining the entire pit design process and allowing users to create optimal designs with far greater speed
and accuracy.
Michael Baldwin, Chief Commercial Officer of RPMGlobal, said: “Our customers have repeatedly told us traditional pit design tools are slow, tedious, and require extensive re-work when changes are made. APD directly addresses these concerns, making it far faster to create designs and maintain them over time. By coupling the design, reserving, and scheduling processes into a single suite, users can quickly evaluate multiple pit design options, and the various schedules that each design alternative affords. This facilitates the discovery of the very best combination of mine design and Life of Mine schedule, delivering value that would have been overlooked in the past.”
New pit designs are now easily created from optimised pit shells and user-defined inputs and become more than shapes on a screen, rather an intelligent and live mathematical model. APD uses a highly sophisticated geotechnical model that can be populated directly from the block model. The in-built intelligence allows users to easily adjust the location of pit walls by simply dragging toe or crest lines. APD automatically responds by projecting the pit walls upwards, downwards, or in both directions as required. Batter angles and berm widths automatically adjust to honour the geotechnical requirements for that location. Users can also define rules that govern how slope angles can change, ensuring smooth, practical transitions between different geotechnical domains.
In APD, ramps are not additions to the pit design – they are an integral part of it. Users can create complex ramp networks that contain any number of switchbacks and intersections. Users have full control over the key properties of every section and ramps can be moved by simply dragging them to the desired location. Because the ramp network is maintained dynamically, APD will automatically update the overall pit design whenever the user moves a section of the ramp network.
All designs, whether created using APD or imported from other tools, are automatically cut with the topography, split into benches and blocks, and reserved against the block model, ready for scheduling.
Dumps can be designed with ease, incorporating the same automatic slope and ramp capabilities within APD. This allows the profile of the dump and the location of ramps to be rapidly adjusted to support the most practical waste disposal strategy.
APD has been a collaborative development co-created with input from key customers and consultants, ensuring it addresses the most pressing challenges faced by open pit miners. RPMGlobal’s world-renowned advisory team also played a crucial role in refining the product’s functions and features.
“Our new Automated Pit Design solution is not just a technological advancement; it is a product born from the collective expertise of the mining industry. APD incorporates feedback and input from industry veterans who understand the real-world challenges of open pit mining in a solution that is innovative and practical, tailored to meet the specific needs of its users,” said Baldwin.
APD is part of the MinePlanner suite, so it integrates natively with RPMGlobal’s existing mine planning solutions, allowing design and scheduling to work seamlessly. The MinePlanner suite offers design, reserving, scheduling, optimisation, and reporting all in one product. Users now have a process that is seamless from end to end without the need to move data between multiple products. With testing completed across several commodities and countries, the release is scalable for use in operations of all sizes, from small pits to large, complex mining projects, and is available in English, Bahasa, Spanish, French, Russian, and simplified Chinese.
RPMGlobal has given users around the world a sneak peak of the solution over the last few months, demonstrating the capabilities through their RPM Connect Live series in South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia. So far, the audiences and early adopters have been impressed with the capabilities, noting its potential to revolutionise how open pit designs are created and optimised.
Baldwin stated his excitement about the collaborative approach that led to the product. “The Automated Pit Design solution is a prime example of what can be achieved when industry leaders come together. By working closely with our customers, consultants, and advisory team, we’ve developed a solution that not only meets the high standards of the industry but also sets a new benchmark for innovation in open pit mining.”
This new release RPMGlobal said reaffirms its commitment to driving innovation through collaboration and delivering solutions that are as practical as they are groundbreaking. The Automated Pit Design software is now available, with RPMGlobal offering comprehensive training and support to help users maximise the benefits of this revolutionary product.
