The underground mining landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years, with evolving battery technology acting as a catalyst to change in the industry. As part of the ongoing effort to lead the charge on this battery electric transformation, Epiroc has imported the very first Boltec M Battery rig onto Canadian soil. The fully mechanised bolter it says is ideal for mid-sized tunnel profiles and is a welcome addition to Epiroc’s growing line of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) offering zero-emissions mining.

The shop at Epiroc’s Lively, Ontario facility received the rig in early 2021 and immediately began prepping it for its debut at a customer site, starting with a series of pre-delivery tests and inspections to confirm its readiness to join the operation.

Going beyond the benefits of standard zero-emissions equipment, this particular Boltec M Battery machine is equipped with a bulk resin system, which is a dependable solution that helps minimise unreliable bolting installations. The resin solution offers easy pumpability, fast setting times and excellent load bearing characteristics – the end result is a significantly reduced cycle time with improved safety overall. To complement its productivity-boosting characteristics, the Boltec M Battery rig charges while it drills. The onboard charging system has intelligence built in that automatically prioritizes bolting over charging and never allows the total power draw to exceed the rated mine supply.

For bolt management technology, the machine has been fully equipped with bolt plan navigation, which displays all installed bolts onscreen and indicates bolt distance and row distance. With this feature, bolt positions, resin amount and other key data is logged and saved onto the rig’s memory file.

“We’re excited to help usher in a new era of electrification in Canada with the Boltec M Battery rig”, says Shawn Samuels, Product Manager Rocvolt Canada. “This BEV equipment is facilitating a healthier and safer underground working environment for our customers. When you implement innovative solutions like the bulk resin system along with it, productivity increases become difficult to ignore.”