Tag Archives: BlastLogic

Maptek helps Anglo American with continuous drill and blast process improvements

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

Maptek’s BlastLogic drill and blast software is helping Anglo American’s mines significantly improve its processes, the Australia-based company said in its latest Forge Newsletter.

The miner commenced implementation of Maptek BlastLogic in 2017 to deliver the digitisation of critical drill and blast information. The goal was to transform inconsistent practices into an integrated function underpinning safety and value protection.

In a Technical and Innovation update from May 2021, Anglo American reported a 50% improvement in drill and blast execution versus plan, which, it said, was enabled via real-time, in-field digital platforms.

Dr Alan Tordoir, Lead Drill & Blast Group Mining Technical & Sustainability for Anglo American, oversees drill and blast for 20 surface and 12 underground operations. He benchmarked the original rollout of BlastLogic at six open-pit sites, which has enabled streamlined uptake at a total of 15 global locations so far, according to Maptek.

“It’s a really exciting time to be in the industry, with a lot of new technologies and processes emerging,” Dr Tordoir says.

Traditional paper-based drill and blast processes are inefficient, complicated by multiple platforms contributing to design, hole placement and tie-up, according to Maptek. Data transfer between stages leads to further communication challenges between the field and office.

BlastLogic stores a single source of truth for all processes, Maptek says, with the outcome being a significant increase in downstream productivity and better management of explosive risks. It is an all-in-one solution adding value to open-pit operations through streamlined drill and blast design, tracking and analysis.

“It enables operations to make blast implementation decisions with reference to mine plans, geology and geotechnical data with instant data connection and visualisation in the field or office,” Maptek says.

Anglo American, Maptek says, has found that design and execution teams have been brought closer together by using BlastLogic, while providing the data in a timely manner allows every level of the organisation to make proactive decisions.

“However good a new system is, the changeover phase can be disruptive,” Maptek says. “Maptek supports customers through BlastLogic configuration, training and implementation, aiming for minimal disruption to the production environment.”

Dr Tordoir paid particular attention to proving the benefits during the Anglo American rollout, mapping out the process and troubleshooting at the original sites so that replication was straightforward for subsequent sites.

Benchmarked data was made universally available, so teams could track their adoption trajectory curve.

“When an operation can see how others have overcome initial problems, uptake is faster,” Maptek says.

Maptek has found that other customers have a similar change management experience.

“Recent graduates may be initially more comfortable with new systems, but longer-term players soon recognise the benefits of digital processes and quickly absorb them into a new integrated workflow,” it says.

Anglo American found continuous improvement is much easier when multiple sites are sharing the same system.

“Operations can learn from each other and can see what good practice looks like,” Maptek says. “The key performance indicator data showed how some sites were performing better than others.”

Having a unified platform for design work enables consistent training and upscaling. This ensures that engineers are performing at the required level to deliver fit for purpose designs that promote safe and efficient operations.

“Improvement is a never-ending journey,” Dr Tordoir concluded.

Upcoming releases of BlastLogic will introduce a drilling data entry on the blast loading tablets for sites with contractor drill rigs, so all the drilling and charging data is captured for analysis, Maptek says.

“Automation of the blast design process is an exciting innovation by Maptek to advance analysis of the interaction of different factors as part of blast design,” it said. “Engineers can then better understand how they can trade off objectives to determine the value that can be gained by small incremental design changes.”

The future will also bring blast design deeper into the upstream planning process and broader cross-operation scenario design, according to the company.

Maptek brings fragmentation analysis option to PointStudio 2020

Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

A powerful fragmentation analysis tool is a highlight of Maptek’s new PointStudio 2020 geospatial modelling and reporting software.

Better understanding of fragmentation can account for downstream cost efficiencies, with implications for many aspects of an operation, according to Group Product Manager Mine Measurement, Jason Richards.

“Sub-optimal fragmentation is immediately associated with inefficient excavation and haulage,” Richards said. “Undue damage to crusher parts is another impact. Excessive energy usage, crusher downtime due to wear and tear outside of planned maintenance and delivering out-of-specification product are directly linked to operational performance.”

PointStudio Fragmentation Analysis, released to customers this week, allows key performance indicators to be achieved consistently, Maptek says.

Individual rocks can be modelled from scanning of muck piles and draw points to provide accurate fragmentation S-curves from blasting or caving operations.

The new tool allows blast engineers and surveyors to quickly assess the condition of blasted rock, ideally before the material heads to the crushing process, while oversize rocks can be isolated for more effective haulage and processing, the company says.

“A simple scan-analyse-report workflow provides a table where rocks outside of spec can be identified and dealt with before the material gets anywhere near the plant,” Richards said. “A unique feature allows editing rocks or fines in the 3D view and characterising any that are not correctly defined.”

Visual and tabular reporting is immediately understandable so rock can be fed with optimal dimensions for crushing, according to the company.

Fragmentation analysis on 3D data is considerably more powerful and intuitive than methods that rely on analysing imagery. For operations with Maptek BlastLogic, the digital output can be used to compare actual with predictive fragmentation for continuous improvement of drill and blast processes.

While Fragmentation Analysis is a paid add-on in PointStudio 2020, many other new and enhanced features will be delivered to existing customers for free in the update, Maptek says.

One of the new options allows field surveyors using R3 laser scanners to complete scan registration immediately after scanning has finished.

“We’ve made it possible for fully registered scans to be imported from the scanner controller tablet into PointStudio,” Richards said. “Subsequent scans can then be registered with a single click as they are acquired.”

Surveyors can immediately start interrogation, analysis and modelling in PointStudio. An additional benefit derives from field access to aligned scans, allowing timely checks for survey coverage before moving to the next position.

Mine operations commit significant effort to the capture and measurement of as-built data for working faces and stockpiles, Maptek says.

“They can’t afford to let data inaccuracy and inefficient processing prevent them from getting full value from their survey data,” Richards added. “Bad data can lead to poor productivity and risks bad decisions based on incomplete information.”

Maptek, PETRA Data Science combine mine schedule optimisation and digital twin expertise

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mine surveying, Mineral exploration, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

In what is claimed to be an industry first, Maptek and PETRA Data Science have established a partnership to enable “seamless value chain optimisation and simulation” from resource models through to metal produced.

This development will allow mining companies, for the first time, to use millions of tonnes of their historical performance and resource metadata for dynamic optimisation, according to the two companies.

PETRA Managing Director, Penny Stewart (pictured, left), said: “I see Maptek as the go-to company for spatial data in mining. Whether you are looking at their 3D virtual environments for geological modelling and mine optimisation, or long-range laser scanners for 3D mapping and monitoring, every aspect is custom built for mining. Any true digital twin in mining needs to consider geology.”

She continued: “Our partnership with Maptek provides PETRA with easy access to upstream geological data for value chain optimisation, and enables Maptek to extend schedule optimisation downstream of the mine. For the first time, miners will be able to play forward the mine schedule into the processing plant.”

Stewart recently visited the Maptek R&D facility in Adelaide, South Australia, where she listened as the Manufacturing Manager explained how in response to customer requests, they have shed 4 kg off the weight of their scanners, she said.

“The custom-built innovations incorporating aerospace technology and military grade specs are really impressive. I mention this example because it illustrates Maptek’s laser focus on their mining customers, and this is strongly aligned with PETRA’s reason for being.”

She concluded: “As a mining engineer, I know that Maptek’s reputation for maintaining substantial investment in software and hardware for spatial data is second to none. I feel honoured that Maptek has chosen to partner with PETRA, and the whole PETRA team is excited by what this partnership will achieve for the mining industry!”

The integrated technology offerings of PETRA and Maptek cover solutions from geological modelling to plant and process optimisation and simulation. The partnership combines deep domain expertise from across the whole value chain and, together, PETRA and Maptek offer the industry a practical alternative to the common practice of siloed optimisation, according to the two companies.

Under the partnership, Maptek Evolution mine schedule optimisation will be dynamically linked to PETRA’s latest digital twin performance models including; metal produced, grade, quality, recovery and throughput. “Dynamic mine scheduling is made possible by bringing together Maptek optimisation engines and PETRA’s prediction and simulation algorithms,” they said.

The agreement will see Maptek BlastLogic blast design optimisation also benefit from dynamic links to PETRA digital twin models for loading, crushing and grinding. In addition, PETRA MAXTA digital twin blast design simulation will benefit from connection to BlastLogic historical drill and blast design data.

Stewart will continue to drive the growth and development of PETRA solutions, with Maptek Managing Director, Peter Johnson (pictured, right), appointed to the PETRA Advisory Board. “PETRA will continue to operate a platform-agnostic business model, with investment funds channelled into further development of PETRA’s open format integrations, including APIs and architecture,” the companies said.

Peter Johnson said Maptek’s goal to enable customers to realise greater value from the available mine data requires consideration of a context far beyond the orebody model and mine plan.

“We need to empower our customers to relate the performance and characteristics of processes and equipment far downstream from geology or planning assumptions and understand the relationships better,” he said.

“PETRA has a proven capability to create prediction and optimisation algorithms for miners through the innovative application of their data science expertise and experience in the real world,” he added.

He concluded: “Our investment and ongoing partnership is all about building business improvement into the mining cycle by leveraging the technology of both companies.”

PETRA’s algorithms are deployed by mining companies around the world, while its MAXTA digital twins for value chain optimisation ingest 10s of millions of tonnes of ore data to predict and simulate plant performance using machine learning. The latter have been successfully used for geometallurgical prediction, drill and blast simulation, and process control simulation and optimisation.

The company recently applied its big data and AI capabilities to an iron ore mine in Western Australia, which, according to PETRA Technical Director, Zeljka Pokrajcic, was able to demonstrate the link between the mineral resource and comminution.