Having made a name for itself in Australia and elsewhere, RCT’s ControlMaster™ automation and control solution is revolutionising mining operations throughout North America, the company says.
ControlMaster is a technologically-agnostic solution with a history of managing heavy mobile mining plant on active mine sites throughout the USA, Canada and many other mines across the globe.
By utilising ControlMaster equipment, operators can manage mining plant developed by multiple manufacturers from the same operating platform, the Automation Center, RCT says. The Automation Center enables operators to manage multiple machines at once and in real time while located either on the surface of an underground mine, or in designated areas within the mine.
Once in the Automation Center, operators can access the full range of machine functions as if they were sitting in the machine’s cab, according to RCT.
“RCT is also the only supplier that has successfully implemented Multi-Fleet Select on active mine sites meaning operators can manage various machine types such as underground LHD loaders, water trucks and rockbreakers from the same secure station,” the company said.
RCT North America Operations Vice President, Clint Chapman, said the company has a strong history of developing innovative solutions that other companies have been unable to match.
“RCT is the only company with a proven history of delivering mixed, multi-fleet autonomous solutions into active mine sites in North America,” he said. “Our technology is designed to integrate seamlessly with all forms of heavy mining equipment and provide the same functionality promised by original equipment manufacturers.”
Chapman said the company can provide technical assistance on any mine site at short notice.
“We can deliver on-ground support through our experienced Field Service Technicians backed by professional support staff in our branches in Salt Lake City, in Utah, and Sudbury, in Ontario. We also have significant experience developing customised technological solutions to meet site-specific requirements and tailoring our products to operate in a range of rugged conditions often in very remote locations.”
RCT’s USA team has previously customised and commissioned its autonomous technology as part of a complex project for Alliance Resource Partners’ River View coal mine in Uniontown, Kentucky (pictured). This project involved the company retrofitting its ControlMaster Remote Dozer system (ATX2200) to Caterpillar D6T and D8R dozers that were pushing coarse coal refuse into a tailings pond at the site.
The River View underground mine uses continuous mining units employing room-and-pillar mining to extract high-sulphur coal. It is the largest mine of its type in the nation, according to Alliance Resources, with a preparation plant that has a throughput capacity of 2,449 t/h of raw coal.
RCT says it has also delivered a customised multi-fleet project for Western Contracting Corp to clear unexploded ordinance at the former army munitions facility Fort Wingate in New Mexico.