Joy has shipped its 6,000th continuous miner, a model 12CM12, to Patriot Coal in West Virginia, USA, which currently operates more than 90 Joy continuous miners. This marks yet another milestone in Joy’s development of continuous mining machines for the global underground mining industry. Joy produced its first continuous miner unit (the model 3JCM) in 1948. Since then, it has pioneered many continuous miner innovations that allow mining operations to increase productivity, lower costs per tonne, and most importantly, improve operator safety with the mission of achieving zero harm. Joy’s says its ongoing commitment “to improving underground mine working conditions is illustrated by its leadership in safety-focused continuous miner design features.” Early improvements were marked by the transition from on-board operation to operation via radio remote control, reducing exposure to dust, vibration, and an unsupported roof. Current innovations include improvements in operator interface ergonomics. As an example, Joy’s current generation remote control stations are more than 80% lighter than the original designs and allow a more natural placement of the hands. Continued focus on operator-to-machine interaction has also led to the release of products such as the Smartzone proximity detection system, Joy Wethead spray systems, and the SMARTConveyor. Smartzone is an operator awareness feature that teaches the operator to control the continuous miner from safe working zones. If an operator breaches these zones, certain machine functions are disabled until the operator retreats into an acceptable zone. The Wethead spray systems attack dust generation at its source by integrating sprays onto the cutting drum behind every cutter bit. Independent studies show reduced dust generation in excess of 30%.
The SMARTConveyor incorporates the latest sound abatement technologies to reduce sound output while improving maintainability. “Underground results show a 45% and 65% noise exposure reduction for the operator” when compared to a standard machine(Mining Engineering, July 2011, Vol.63, No.7, pp.83). This product combines multiple technologies such as Joy’s patented Dual Sprocket Conveyor Chain and auto-tensioning features to improve the operating environment.
JOY continuous miner milestones:
- 1948 – Joy releases the 3JCM.
- 1953 – Joy releases the 1CM3.
- 1969 – Joy releases the 11CM.
- 1977 – Joy releases the 14CM5 and the 12CM11.
- Mid-1980s – Joy offers current generation models including the 14CM10, 14CM15 and 12CM12.
- Late-1990s to present – Joy develops the 12HM (heavy-duty miner) series, which incorporates high voltage capability, up to 35% more installed power, and up to 30% longer life expectancy.
Joy’s history extends back to 1919 when it received the patent for the first mechanical loader.
