Tag Archives: Augment Technologies

Augment and IMDEX partner to advance ore recovery and improve mine site safety

Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, ,

AI mining solutions developer Augment Technologies has launched a new partnership with global mining tech provider IMDEX™ to, they say, improve ore control, metal recovery and site safety for mining operators around the world.

Augment’s Muckpile Block Model™ will ingest improved input data produced by IMDEX’s BLASTDOG™, enabling customers to benefit from more accurate estimations of ore movement and mixing post-blast.

This detailed information will empower mine managers and geologists to make more informed decisions on blasting operations and removes the need for people to walk on the muckpile.

By leveraging both technologies, mining companies will be able to further increase ore recovery and operational efficiency, generate additional revenue and improve site safety, Augment and IMDEX say.

Augment Technologies Co-Founder and Director, Greg Hardwich (right), said the partnership will provide another level of interoperability, allowing mining companies to fully realise the benefits provided by both companies’ technologies.

“By collaborating with IMDEX’s data rich environment, we can augment miners with a wealth of knowledge and information to make better decisions,” he explained. “The high quality of BLASTDOG’s data drastically improves the precision of the pre-blast grade control block model, and only the Muckpile Block Model can translate that improved accuracy post-blast to help our customers minimise ore loss, dilution, and the mixing of material types.”

IMDEX Chief Strategy Officer, Michelle Carey (left), said the synergy between BLASTDOG and the Muckpile Block Model delivers efficiency gains in demand by the mining industry.

“As global demand for critical minerals grows, we are being asked to mine more and more, but in a sustainable manner with the lowest impact possible,” she said. “This is where the combination of our two technologies can best serve the industry, as we identify the best way to recover ore with the least waste and disruption.”

Carey said a key component of IMDEX’s growth priorities was entering the mining production space, offering BLASTDOG as a vital solution for any operation.

“We are always looking for opportunities to expand our offerings and this partnership with Augment Technologies provides a strong pillar to launch further into the industry,” she concluded.

Hexagon to Augment blast movement offering with AI-based partnership

Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Hexagon has announced it is partnering with Western Australia’s Augment Technologies to help mines maximise ore yield and optimise operational efficiencies by accurately accounting for blast movement.

The partnership will harness a blend of block model data, artificial intelligence (AI), bespoke movement models and measured 3D movement data to create a blast movement solution that enables mines to unlock significant value, Hexagon said.

The Hexagon MinePlan Block Model Manager enables users to simultaneously and effectively design, populate, manage and share block models while centrally managing the amount of sample points, variables and outputs associated with orebody data.

Augment Technologies, meanwhile, leverages a physics engine powered by an AI algorithm to create a Muckpile Block Model™ that is continuously improved through a machine-learning process. The process uses vast amounts of blasting data to ensure that the model’s controlling parameters and simulated physics are as accurate as possible, resulting in a bespoke solution for each customer, the company says.

The collaboration between Hexagon and Augment will allow customers to view and manage the Muckpile Block Model that retains all the data and fidelity of the grade control model, with high accuracy and resolution. Users will have the option of incorporating Hexagon’s Blast Movement Monitors as an additional measure for blast movement and for training the AI model, with transparency into all the data inputs and output, it says. They can also combine operational data with insights from the Hexagon Block Model Manager API to help optimise upstream and downstream processes, all within its geological modelling software platform.

“The implications for the industry are profound,” James Dampney, Vice President, Resource Optimisation, Hexagon’s Mining division, said. “Ore loss, dilution and misclassification cost mines millions of wasted dollars a year. Our partnership with Augment Technologies will help mines to optimise digging locations and downstream handling of ore, resulting in valuable processing efficiency and reductions in energy consumption.

“Customers will save training time and operation time by remaining in the same software used to model their ore. The incorporation of an industry-first block model manager provides auditability and traceability to reduce errors while managers and corporate stakeholders will see time-stamped changes of the block model.”

Augment Technologies co-founder and Chairman, Greg Hardwich, said the partnership was setting a new industry standard in minimising ore loss and dilution due to blast movement, bringing enormous efficiency to mining processes.

“We’re very excited to be working with global autonomous technology leader Hexagon to inject our AI-powered capability to create a Muckpile Block Model, transforming the way blast movements are modelled and measured to create significant value for our customers,” he said. “Through this partnership, Hexagon’s customers will have the opportunity to realise demonstratable reductions in ore dilution, allowing miners to return more consistent grades, and higher tonnages of ore for processing.”