Archives: Explosives and blasting

Redpath is continuing its focus on mechanised shaft sinking operations, with the latest example being the planned use of the hydraulic shaft mucker S20+ at the Canadian Malartic Partnership’s (CMP) Odyssey gold project in Quebec, Canada. Redpath Canada was recently contracted by the CMP to sink a 6.5-m diameter, 1,800-m deep concrete lined shaft at[…]

Epiroc says its new Boomer E10 and E20 mark another breakthrough for automated face drilling rigs, offering “outstanding” operator assistance features, optional battery-electric driveline for zero-emission tramming, and “great” flexibility and coverage. Besides being compact enough for mine development, both drill rigs feature BUT 45-booms with telescopic feed beams. These powerful booms fit a wide[…]

Epiroc has taken another significant step forward in its rock reinforcement automation journey with the release of the Boltec Auto Bolt Reload (ABR). Combining the company’s ground support nous with its mechanisation and automation knowledge has resulted in a solution able to remove operators from the front end of the bolter – where personnel are[…]

Tungsten West PLC, the mining company focussed on restarting production at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon in the UK has provided a comprehensive update on progress with financing and construction. As announced on July 19, 2022 the company committed to detailed engineering design and to commencing construction based on a new development[…]

High in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, explosives and blasting specialist BME recently achieved the first blast outside of South Africa with its new AXXIS Silver™ electronic initiation system. BME, a member company of the JSE-listed Omnia Group, is assisting a diamond mine customer to conduct quality blasts in all weather. According to BME’s AXXIS™[…]

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions and FLANDERS have agreed to develop a Digital Interface between FLANDERS’ ARDVARC® Autonomous Drill System (ADS) and Sandvik iSeries rotary blasthole drills. The development of this digital interface is a direct response to growing customer demand for agnostic automation systems in surface mining, the pair say. The digital interface will[…]

In what WesTrac says is a world-first for autonomous drilling, mining services provider Thiess has successfully rolled out a system that involves three Cat® drill rigs being remotely operated by a single operator. The solution is part of an ongoing program, also involving original equipment manufacturer Caterpillar® and specialist Cat equipment and service provider WesTrac,[…]

Mincon says it is pleased to announce the signing of the first commercial contract for its Greenhammer system. It said this milestone is the culmination of many years of development work and is the first step toward revenue generation “with a unique drilling system that has a transformational potential for Mincon and the hard rock[…]

After a pre-release at MINExpo 2021, Epiroc has now introduced its Automatic Bit Changer (ABC) for hands-free bit changes on Pit Viper 270 and Pit Viper 290 series drill rigs used in rotary drilling. The Automatic Bit Changer option is designed to change rotary tricone bits significantly faster than manual exchanges and eliminates human interaction[…]

Explosives and blasting major Orica has taken another step towards achieving its net zero ambition by 2050, by announcing it will source 100% renewable electricity by 2040. Building on its target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 40% by 2030, Orica’s renewable electricity target will see the business powered by[…]