Tag Archives: automation

Sandvik to supply Pucobre with six Toro LH621i autonomous loaders

Automation, Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Chile-focused copper miner Sociedad Punta del Cobre S.A (Pucobre) has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply a fleet of six Toro™ LH621i autonomous loaders equipped with AutoMine® Multi-Lite for its mining operations in northern Chile’s Atacama region, the OEM says.

Pucobre is among Chile’s largest underground copper miners, producing approximately 38,000 t/y of fine copper from its three mines near the northern city of Copiapó.

“We’re consistently exploring and implementing technologies that can enhance safety and productivity in our mines,” Sebastian Rios, Chief Executive Officer at Pucobre, said. “We have an ambitious goal to automate 75% of our stope operations, and this is a major milestone in that journey.”

Sandvik will supply the order in two phases. During 2023, Pucobre will receive four Toro LH621i loaders and the remaining two in 2024.

“We are pleased to support Pucobre in improving the safety, productivity and reliability of its mine operations with the deployment of our autonomous loaders,” Ricardo Pachon, Vice President, Sales South Cone and Andean at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said. “We look forward to working with Pucobre as it continues on its automation journey.”

Toro LH621i loaders feature a 21-t payload capacity. The loaders’ reliability, robust structure and Sandvik Intelligent Control System enable the use of highly advanced digital solutions, such as AutoMine. The Toro LH621i offers superior hydraulic power for fast bucket filling and drivetrain power for high ramp speeds and can quickly clear tunnel headings for rapid advance rates, according to Sandvik. Long-life components, specifically developed for the rough underground environment, contribute to low cost per tonne.

The AutoMine Multi-Lite system is a highly advanced automation system that enables system operators to remotely and simultaneously supervise multiple automated Sandvik underground loaders and trucks. It provides a powerful way to take advantage of the full machine performance, and helps improve productivity, safety and cost efficiency in underground mining operations, according to the company.

RCT leverages ControlMaster remote-controlled tech on Amphiroll Mud Scroller

Automation, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , , ,

RCT has found a new application for its ControlMaster® remote-controlled technology package after successfully deploying the solution on an Amphiroll Mud Scroller working on tailings ponds.

Operations are now more efficient and safer for the Western Australia-based earthmoving team using this equipment, according to RCT, now owned by Epiroc.

The mud scroller, used to aerate the caustic mud of the tailings pond to dry it out, was previously a manual operation requiring two machines operating at one time for personnel safety reasons.

The ControlMaster Line-of-Sight solution has removed the operator from the cabin and allows them to control the machine from up to 200 m line of sight, according to the company. This custom one-off kit was designed, supplied and installed by both the Perth Customer Service and RCT Custom team, the company’s designated bespoke solutions department.

“This solution removes operators from any potential danger that could arise from them physically being out on a tailings pond and allows them to instead carry out the task from the safety of a light vehicle located nearby,” RCT’s Account Manager, Phill Dean, said.

The introduction of this technology has also dramatically changed how the Mud Scroller is transported to various sites, according to RCT.

“Previously amphirolls were twice the size requiring oversize movement permits and weighed about 18 t, so moving this piece of machinery required large multi-lift crane operation,” Dean said. “Now, the logistics of moving the small unit is easier and only requires a large tile tray and this in itself reduces mobilisation costs substantially.”

As well as deploying the ControlMaster technology, RCT designed, manufactured and installed the EarthTrack® custom dashboard.

“This dashboard was designed to display all the integral information in an easy-to-read format,” Dean said. “It will let the operator know the pump pressures, engine temps, fuel level and an overall live health report.”

The new and improved mud scroller remote solution was deployed at the beginning of the year in trials and is being used today with great success, according to the company.

Danfoss, Swift Navigation, Bonsai Robotics and HARD-LINE parter on off-highway automation developments

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

Danfoss Power Solutions has partnered with Swift Navigation, Bonsai Robotics and HARD-LINE to expand the offerings in its autonomous machine development platform.

Danfoss will integrate the companies’ solutions into its PLUS+1 Autonomy software, enabling users to enhance their autonomous machines with Swift Navigation’s high-precision positioning service, Bonsai Robotics’ camera-based vision systems and HARD-LINE’s tele-remote operations solution, the company said.

Peter Bleday, Head of Autonomy, Danfoss Power Solutions, said: “Autonomous off-highway machines are becoming more sophisticated. As we advance towards Level 4 and even Level 5 autonomy, high-precision navigation and remote control beyond line of sight will become requirements. Swift Navigation, Bonsai Robotics and HARD-LINE are very different companies that each have a reputation for technology leadership and flexibility. These are natural system partnerships for us and strategic business fits. We look forward to integrating their solutions into our PLUS+1 Autonomy platform and helping our customers stay ahead of the curve in their autonomous vehicle development.”

PLUS+1 Autonomy is a software platform designed to substantially reduce development time and facilitate rapid vehicle prototyping, helping OEMs get autonomous and semi-autonomous off-highway machines to market faster. In addition to its PLUS+1 Autonomy platform, Danfoss offers engineering services and ruggedised hardware. Danfoss Autonomy teams work with customers from concept to production, supporting full machine development.

Swift Navigation’s Skylark precise positioning service offers decimeter-level accuracy from the cloud to PLUS+1 Autonomy, eliminating the need for additional ground infrastructure, it says. It is well suited for industries such as construction, agriculture and other applications that demand high-precision GNSS capabilities. Skylark covers a wide range of major markets, including the USA, Europe, Japan, Korea and Australia.

Brad Sherrard, Executive Vice President, Industrial, Swift Navigation, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Danfoss, a renowned leader in industrial machine control. Accurate machine control and autonomy rely heavily on precise positioning. Skylark’s exceptional reliability and extensive coverage make it the ideal solution for these applications.”

Bonsai Robotics is a fast-growing startup that specialises in camera-based vision systems for adverse conditions such as heavy dust, debris, vibration and lack of GPS. The system uses cameras instead of traditional positioning systems, enabling greater accuracy at very low cost when navigating the toughest conditions.

Tyler Niday, founder and CEO, Bonsai Robotics, said: “Bonsai’s partnership with Danfoss has allowed us to rapidly integrate with several vehicle form factors in order to add vision-based autonomy and Visionsteer driver augmentation to equipment operating in some of the most challenging conditions. The beauty of PLUS+1 drive-by-wire systems is that an autonomous perception system can drive the PLUS+1-equipped vehicles through CAN bus messages in the same way that a human would use manual controls.”

HARD-LINE offers teleoperation services that enable monitoring and control of machines over the internet. The service complements Danfoss’ radio-based remote-control solutions, which allow operators to remotely control machines within line of sight. Teleoperations are ideal for operators supervising multiple autonomous machines. If a machine stops due to an unknown obstacle, the operator can log in to the HARD-LINE system, navigate around the obstacle then resume autonomous operation without needing to be close to the machine.

Chad Rhude, Vice President of US operations, HARD-LINE, said: “HARD-LINE is excited to partner with Danfoss to provide a teleoperation solution to work in conjunction with their PLUS+1 Autonomy software. We feel that HARD-LINE’s teleoperation solution is ideal for giving autonomy providers the flexibility to remotely intervene when required during the autonomy process. We look forward to adapting our API to integrate into the PLUS+1 Autonomy platform and working with a great company like Danfoss to bring autonomy and teleoperation to a wider industrial market.”

Nokia and Sedna to expand LTE private wireless partnership in southern Africa

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, , , , , ,

Nokia and Sedna Industrial IT Solutions have built on the LTE private wireless partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last year, with a pledge to expand further into southern Africa.

In November of last year Sedna strengthened its partnership with Nokia to become its main value-added reseller (VAR) and systems integrator for Africa in the mining sector, among others, to enable Industry 4.0 applications. This comes as demand for enhanced network solutions grows in Africa thanks to their ability to deliver safe, more efficient, and productive solutions in operational areas above and underground, they said.

“We are progressing significantly beyond last year’s MoU and are accelerating activities, with an upcoming roadshow set for southern Africa where we will showcase the benefits of network and safety advances for African mining and industrial companies,” Anton Fester, MD of Johannesburg-based Sedna Industrial IT Solutions, said.

Gary Conway, Nokia Head of Energy and Mining business for Africa, India, Middle East and China, added: “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Sedna and are extremely encouraged by the potential in Africa, with demand on the rise for mission-critical solutions, whether fixed and wireless multiservice solutions, 4.9G/LTE, 5G private wireless or secure public networks in remote locations.”

Digital automation in mines has many benefits, ranging from improved worker safety, operational improvements and significantly improved ‘green’ outcomes, the companies say. A Nokia case study shows that the digital automation of a mining truck fleet using a private wireless network led to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and 15,000 t in CO2 emissions (based on an average mine site with an annual production of 150 Mt).

According to Fester, these solutions and networks are “very suitable” for Africa.

“You can really look after your assets, protect jobs and workers, ensure your mining enterprise stays out of repair shops, gets much better asset usage and mileage – the benefits are endless. This applies across mining but also increasingly into the manufacturing and energy spaces,” he says. “For instance, legacy systems perform several functions across multiple networks, using different infrastructure. We pick up the legacy interface and combine it on a single infrastructure to provide an end-to-end management view of distribution and production.”

Conway said: “LTE private wireless is proving extremely beneficial in the energy sector to improve efficiencies, reduce downtime and faults (80% of Asian utilities are already on this journey with Nokia). This level of automation does not replace jobs but leads to increases in productivity and more opportunities. This is a glass-half-full story in Africa if you consider the demand for more scalable solutions like these, which we are already experiencing. The pioneering use cases have been initiated and it is now about enabling this technology more broadly.”

BHP completes autonomous haulage milestone at South Flank iron ore mine

Automation, IoT, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

South Flank’s fifth Autonomous Operating Zone (AOZ) has gone live, marking the completion of the original project scope for implementation of autonomous haulage at the major miner’s newest iron ore mine, BHP says.

The project has been safely delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, testament to the hard work and dedication of the embedded project teams from Western Australia Asset Projects, IPRO (Integrated Production and Remote Operations) and TROC (Technology Remote Operations Centre), Komatsu technical support, and South Flank’s Mining Production and Mobile Equipment Maintenance teams, it added.

Through their coordinated efforts, South Flank is now fully autonomous for its primary haul fleet, with 41 Komatsu 930e haul trucks converted and around 185 pieces of ancillary equipment able to operate safely around them in the site’s five Autonomous Operating Zones (AOZs).

“The carefully phased approach we took to bringing autonomous haulage online has ensured a safe transition through the complications of a mixed operation,” Steve Campbell, General Manager of South Flank, said.

“With our on-site IPRO facility at full capacity and both primary crushers accepting autonomous dumping, we can now start to bed in the productivity, cost and maintenance improvements that autonomous haulage delivers through the increased truck hours and more consistent cycle times. I am confident that more improvements will be realised as we optimise autonomous haulage across South Flank.”

South Flank committed to transitioning to autonomous haulage in January 2022, less than a year after first production, and began converting the first trucks in April that year, as well as recruiting and training for the new roles required for autonomous haulage operation. Many of the mine’s existing employees have been upskilled, BHP added.

The first AOZ went live in June 2022, and project scope has been steadily progressed since then, including construction of the temporary on-site IPRO facility, upgrades to network infrastructure and the delivery of almost 3,000 training modules to enable people to work safely in and around the autonomous fleet. The project team continue to support Autonomous Haulage at South Flank during optimisation and ramp up.

South Flank is 156 km northwest of Newman and 9 km south of BHP’s Mining Area C facility in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is Australia’s largest new iron ore mine in more than 50 years. When it merges with the neighbouring Mining Area C operation, it will form the largest operating iron ore hub in the world, producing 145 Mt of iron ore each year.

HARD-LINE’s TeleOp tech to be offered as part of HxGN Autonomous Mining portfolio

Automation, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

Hexagon’s Mining division has enhanced its collaboration with Canada-based tele-remote technology leader HARD-LINE, building on a previous distribution agreement the two companies announced back in September 2021.

HARD-LINE’s TeleOp technology allows the tele-remote operation of heavy machinery from a control station in a safe area on surface or underground, regardless of distance. In addition to safety benefits, there are significant productivity advantages to deploying such technology, utilising the equipment over shift changes in underground mines, for example.

Hexagon’s Mining division’s relationship with this technology was previously made up of a distribution agreement. Now, TeleOp is being incorporated into the wider automation offering that comes under the recently announced HxGN Autonomous Mining portfolio.

Speaking last week at HxGN LIVE Global 2023 in Las Vegas, Rob Daw, Chief Innovation Officer at Hexagon’s Mining division, said: “We are strengthening that partnership with HARD-LINE to enhance what the tele-remote solution can do and bring it together into the wider autonomy offering we have within Hexagon’s Mining division.”

HARD-LINE says it has developed “by-wire solutions” for more than 200 equipment models covering several OEMs, with more than 3,000 conversions completed to date.

The closer collaboration between the two companies is already being witnessed in Brazil where Hexagon’s Mining division, HARD-LINE, Scania and Fidens are working on the deployment of teleremote technology at a mine in the country.

Rodrigo Couto, President, LATAM, Hexagon’s Mining division (on the far right), explained: “In Brazil, there is a law dictating that you cannot operate equipment on a manual basis by areas deemed too risky, such as tailings dams, decommissioned & other reclaimed areas. This means tele-remote technology and automation are the only choice to carry out operations.”

Hexagon’s Mining division and HARD-LINE have sold several kits to clients in the country, with one of these kits heading to an operation overseen by Fidens, which has installed a tele-remote kit on a Scania G 500 6×4 Prime Mover.

Couto said: “This is reducing the risk of operators at the tailings operation and also allowing Fidens to operate in areas that, by law, were previously off limits.”

Gold Fields, UFR collaborating on automated underground truck pilot at Granny Smith

Automation, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

Gold Fields will soon begin an autonomous truck trial at its Granny Smith underground mine in Western Australia, leveraging the robotic smarts of Universal Field Robots (UFR) and an existing Epiroc Minetruck MT65 it has within its fleet.

In the company’s recently released annual results, Gold Fields stated it was developing its first underground automated truck, ready for trials at Granny Smith in the second half of this year.

Later, the company told IM that this project involved Brisbane-based UFR, with the machine in question having already received the custom paint job (see photo above).

The purpose of this trial is to validate autonomous truck haulage over shift change when the mine is evacuated for blasting, the company said in its annual results, with Rob Derries, Unit Manager: Innovation & Technology at Gold Fields Australia, confirming the truck will initially be tested and validated in a separate area underground at Granny Smith.

“Once validated, we will be operating the automated truck on the main decline over shift change when the mine is normally evacuated for blasting activities, enabling further material haulage in time where activities are normally halted,” he told IM.

The initial truck pilot is expected to continue for up to 12 months with plans to retrofit further trucks in the Granny Smith fleet to operate autonomously over shift change after validation of this initial pilot.

Gold Fields says it is investigating and partnering to develop a number of automation solutions to ensure the safety of its people while also enabling increased productivity.

Derries said: “This trial aligns with Gold Fields’ approach to adopting agnostic technology and automation solutions. In the future, this technology can be adopted on a number of different machine manufactures and types and will integrate with existing teleremote guidance LHDs and Mine Operating Systems.”

UFR, for its part, has been involved in the development of several automation projects within mining, including BLAST DOG™ blasthole sensing and physical measurement technology – in collaboration with IMDEX – and a robotic application for zero-entry work on underground production blastholes – a project it is working on with METS Ignited and several mining companies, including Gold Fields.

Granny Smith produced 288,000 oz of gold at an all-in cost of $1,171/oz in 2022. It is currently mining four lenses from the Wallaby orebody (Z70, Z80, Z90 and Z100), accessed from a single decline. Mining administration and maintenance is located at the Wallaby mine, while ore is processed at the Granny Smith carbon-in-pulp processing plant, 15 km east of the Wallaby underground mine, under campaign milling conditions.

Back in October 2022, Epiroc confirmed an order from Gold Fields for a fleet of 65-t payload Epiroc Minetruck MT65 underground haul trucks with automation features to be used at Granny Smith.

Jaguar Mining to deploy ExynAero autonomous robot for cavity monitoring in Brazil

Automation, IoT, Mine surveying, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

Exyn Technologies and NSS Canada say they have expanded their footprint with Jaguar Mining in response to a growing demand for autonomous robots to capture critical data in complex, GPS-denied environments underground.

Historically, mining in geographically complex areas has been dangerous and intensive in terms of labour, time and cost. The evolution of autonomous aerial robots provides mining companies with faster and safer data capture in critical underground operations leading to more streamlined planning and workflows.

After a successful demonstration at the Caeté mining complex (which includes the Pilar and Roça Grande mines and the Caeté Plant, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Jaguar Mining made the decision to purchase Exyn’s autonomous robot, the ExynAero, to be used as a cavity monitoring solution in its underground mining operations.

The ExynAero is a fully autonomous aerial robot that intelligently navigates and maps complex GPS-denied industrial environments without a pilot, keeping employees safe and maximising beyond-line-of-sight-and-communications data collection. Equipped with Autonomy Level 4 – the highest level in the industry, according to Exyn – survey teams can confidently send the ExynAero on autonomous missions into open stopes and and other underground cavities knowing that all computation and data collection is stored on-board. Following this with Exyn’s post-processing pipeline, survey teams can refine, subsample and georeference their data sets for volumetric calculations and other mining operations, it added.

Jaguar, which produces more than 95,000 oz/y of gold, has been using Autonomy Level 4 in this latest deployment, Eyxn confirmed.

“We are thrilled to deliver innovations that help reduce risk to humans and increase efficiency and productivity in mining operations,” Raffi Jabrayan, Exyn’s VP of Commercial Sales and Business Development, said. “Our technology can do in a few minutes what traditionally took hours, with countless risks to surveyors working in potentially dangerous environments.”

Bruno Lalonde, NSS Canada President, added: “NSS Canada is proud to provide innovative solutions to help underground mines like Jaguar Mining Inc safeguard employees while optimising efficiency. The addition of Exyn autonomous solutions will help their team improve OPEX, increase safety and get actionable data from dangerous environments faster.”

Eric Duarte, Vice President of Operations for Jaguar Mining, added: “The introduction of Exyn autonomous technologies at Jaguar Mining is another step towards our commitment to quality, by increasing safety, operational efficiency and cost effectiveness in our underground operations.”

Sandvik incorporates manual and autonomous operation interaction into latest AutoMine advances

Automation, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is introducing AutoMine® Flexible Safety Zone, a new feature for its AutoMine underground system for autonomous mining operations.

The new capability is, Sandvik says, designed to improve productivity and increase flexibility by enabling alternating safety zone states between autonomous and manual operation.

With the AutoMine Flexible Safety Zone, autonomous mining equipment can operate continuously in the automated area while allowing for intersections with manual equipment, according to the company. This capability makes it possible for manual equipment to cross automated equipment routes and share dump or load points. In addition, AutoMine access barriers are equipped with state-of-the-art technology that informs operators of the shared area status with visual and audible state indications, Sandvik explains.

Jouni Koppanen, Product Line Manager Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said: “Our new technology will increase the flexibility between manual and automated equipment by allowing manual operators to request access to a shared area. This request is designed to prevent automated equipment from entering the shared area while manual equipment occupies it. In addition, this flexibility will further enhance customer productivity and allow for continuous operation of both automated and manual equipment.”

Manual operators can request access to a shared area using a variety of actuators at the access barriers. Once acknowledged by the Supervisory AutoMine System and autonomous vehicles have cleared the area, access is granted and manual vehicles can enter safely. This procedure ensures the safety of all operators and equipment while allowing for more flexible setups, Sandvik says.

Elen Toodu, Director Global Product Line and Projects Automation, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said: “This new feature will enhance our customers’ AutoMine operations. We are giving operators the tools they need to adapt to changing conditions, which will ultimately improve productivity and safety in their mines.”

Sandvik equips MT721, MT521 roadheaders with new digital and autonomous features

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik has upgraded its Sandvik MT721 and Sandvik MT521 tunneling roadheaders with several new features, designed to, it says, further boost excavation performance and customer profitability.

Sandvik’s MT series roadheaders are used in a wide range of rock formations, with several applications in mining. They are equipped with geometrically optimised transverse cutter heads, making them robust, flexible and heavy-duty machines.

The Sandvik MT721 (pictured) and Sandvik MT521 have now been future-proofed with new digitalisation and automation features. One of the major upgrades is the new machine control system, which has more power and is designed for future applications, according to Sandvik. The software code has been simplified and harmonised for stable and reliable operation. The new SafePLC improves machine safety and is extendable for additional developments. The new machine control system will fully integrate all future digital services, including tele-remote operation as well as Racoon for machine telemetry data collection and digital customer services platform SmartMate.

The Sandvik MT721 remains the only roadheader on the market that uses the proven and unique ICUTROC® technology for seamless cutting in challenging hard-rock conditions. Another key feature in both roadheader models is the CUTRONIC® automated cutting technology for reliable and fast rock excavation with the highest profile accuracy, and now also made suitable for geometrically complex tunneling applications, Sandvik said.

The new Sandvik boom control includes new optimised machine control software and upgraded machine hydraulics for fast tunnel excavation and accurate tunnel profiling.

“We are extremely proud of these new tunneling roadheaders, which will set the standard for reliable, productive and sustainable mechanical rock excavation, and continue our journey towards being able to deliver our customers fully autonomous mechanical rock excavation machines,” Uwe Restner, Product Manager Roadheaders and Digitalisation, Mechanical Cutting Division, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said.