Tag Archives: Drill and blast

Seequent moves downstream with OreControl software partnership

Environmental, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining safety, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Seequent has partnered with OreControl Blasting Consultants, the US-based developer of OrePro 3D software, as it looks to expand its reach into the drill and blast arena.

OrePro 3D software allows geologists to model the movement of ore during blasting in order to delineate ore and waste more accurately for efficient downstream handling, according to Seequent.

“The software’s use of 3D modelling and visualisation techniques revolutionises how geologists determine ore boundaries and select dig directions, yielding significant improvements over traditional 2D methods,” the company added.

OrePro 3D embeds in a mine’s ore control process with seamless data integration with up-stream and down-stream systems, and intuitive workflows, according to the company. The software also contains a tool showing the financial impact of different mining scenarios.

Seequent’s GM Mining & Minerals, Nick Fogarty (pictured), says: “Mining companies continue to look for ways to improve their operating efficiency. By reducing ore loss and dilution, more valuable rock can be sent to the processing plant. OrePro 3D has already been adopted by many large mining companies who are using the solution to improve yields and operating efficiency, which in turn reduces the operation’s environmental impact.

He added: “This is another area where best of breed geoscience modelling techniques and 3D visualisation create value for our customers.”

William Hunt, Co-founder and President of OreControl Blasting Consultants, says: “By accurately highlighting where the pay material is located, post-blast, and then optimising dig blocks accordingly, operating efficiency and commercial returns can be dramatically improved. The value of additional recoveries after a single blast can represent an immediate return on investment and resources can also be extracted using less energy and water.”

According to Hunt, OrePro 3D can be used without direct measurement, which removes the need for transmitters and the need to put staff onto risky muck piles.

Minnovare boosts Azimuth Aligner marketing in Peru with Core Tech deal

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

Minnovare has signed on Lima-based Core Tech as its official sales and support agent for the Azimuth Aligner® product throughout Peru.

Used in mining exploration and civil construction, the Azimuth Aligner automates the drill-rig alignment process – substantially increasing accuracy and efficiency, while reducing downtime and costs by up to 90%, according to Minnovare. It has previously been tested out at LKAB’s Kiruna mine, among other operations.

Established in 1996, Core Tech offers solutions for mining exploration, surface mining, underground mining and construction, providing customers with the best products, brands, services and prices in the region, Minnovare said.

Minnovare Commercial Director, Mick Beilby, said: “We’re very pleased to be able to sign this distributor agreement with Core Tech. Core Tech have built a solid reputation in the Latin American mining sector over the past 20 years. Their cultural fit aligns well with Minnovare’s and we look forward to collaborating with them in the years to come.”

Minnovare has progressively been expanding the reach of its Azimuth Aligner. In June 2019, it signed an agreement with Geophysique TMC that saw the Quebec-based company become the official sales and service agent for these products throughout the Canadian province, while, in July 2018, International Directional Services signed on as a distributor in the US.

Hexagon adds Blast Movement Technologies to Smart Mine portfolio

Explosives and blasting, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Hexagon AB has acquired Blast Movement Technologies (BMT) from RCF Jolimont Mining Innovation in a deal that will see customers “extract greater profit from every blast”, the Stockholm-listed company said.

The acquisition of BMT, a pioneer in blast movement monitoring and analysis for open-pit mines, will complement Hexagon’s drill and blast solutions with accurate ore location information, according to Hexagon.

“The ability to accurately track blast movement is a huge benefit for mines striving to be smarter and more sustainable,” Hexagon said. “It’s a highly variable process that can cost mines millions of dollars in lost revenue per year from ore loss – where valuable ore is sent to the waste pile, and dilution – where waste is sent to the mill.”

Through a combination of sensors and software, BMT’s solution provides customers with accurate blast information that is used to recover all of a mine’s resources, Hexagon said. The patented solution collects data from blast movement sensors, which move with the blasted material. Software is used to transform the data into actionable insights – from the post-blast location of ore to the outputs of more precise dig lines based on the measured movement.

Hexagon President and CEO, Ola Rollén, said: “Today’s acquisition of BMT is a powerful addition to our Smart Mine portfolio, further closing the drill and blast loop for our customers and, ultimately, improving their ability to measure, manage and improve mining operations from pit to plant.”

Nick Hare, Hexagon’s Mining division COO, said the deal was great news for Hexagon customers. “The Blast Movement Technologies system is the only one of its type and generates significant profits for customers in every blast at over 120 open-pit mines globally. The company is rapidly growing and is becoming standard best practice for open-cut mining operations. It will be a highly valuable and complementary addition to our suite of pit-to-plant digital solutions.”

With offices worldwide, Brisbane-based BMT counts more than 100 customer sites mining nine commodities in nearly 40 countries. The company, which will continue to be run by Jacques Janse, CEO of BMT, will be fully consolidated and operate within the mining unit of Hexagon’s Geosystems division. BMT’s 2019 sales amounted to €19 million ($21.1 million), according to Hexagon.

NSR transforms Kalgoorlie drill & blast ops with Minnovare Production Optimser

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

A newly released case study from Minnovare and Northern Star Resources (NSR) has shown just how effective the Australia-based technology company’s Production Optimiser drilling solution has proven at the gold miner’s drill and blast operations.

The study, ‘Northern Star: 1-Year-On’, shows drill and blast productivity has increased significantly since implementing Production Optimiser in March 2018. At just one of NSR’s Kalgoorlie gold operations, the miner achieved 42,000 additional stoped tonnes, or around 8,300 oz/y of gold; increasing revenue by A$18 million ($12.2 million), according to the study.

In addition to this, the technology led to a cumulative 31% increase in drilling productivity, a 7% reduction in average stope cycle time and a 54% decrease in “bridged tonnes”.

Minnovare implemented the Production Optimiser system at one of NSR’s operations in March 2018 – running three long hole production rigs. This was followed by a second operation in August 2018, also running three long hole rigs, where NSR increased drilled meters by 33% – boosting average drill meters towards 10,000 m per rig, per month, it said.

Production Optimiser, which works independently of the rig’s on-board systems and can be retrofitted to any make or model of drill rig, uses Minnovare’s CORE software. This software digitises “drill plans and plods (Digi-Plan/Digi-Plod) for accurate drill-data capture and real-time transfer throughout the mine” to deliver greater speed, accuracy and reliability in rig setup – leading to greater drilling accuracy and optimum blasts, according to Minnovare.

Improved stope productivity and, ultimately, increased profitability follow, the company said.

Jeff Brown (pictured), Principal Innovation and Technology at NSR, said: “We’ve seen average drilled meters across our Kalgoorlie operations increase by up to 33%. That’s a significant impact, which has been underpinned by this technology.

“The follow-on from that increase is an equally significant impact to the productivity and, ultimately, profitability of our operations. It’s a prime example of a new technology can quickly add value to multiple areas – producing a better business outcome.”

Due to the success achieved from the Production Optimiser, NSR has entered into an official ‘Collaboration Agreement’ with Minnovare.

Brown said: “This [agreement] will help fast-track a number of new product developments currently in the pipeline, that we see as having the potential to make just as big an impact on our operations. That’s exciting and promising for us as we look to develop and expand on our assets.”

In addition to the work in Kalgoorlie, NSR has agreed to equip its fleet of long-hole drill rigs at the Pogo gold mine, in Alaska, USA, with the Production Optimiser technology.

MinePortal offers up an integrated view of mine site data

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

DataCloud’s MinePortal solution has links to the ‘artificial intelligence’, ‘big data’ and ‘digitalisation’ buzzwords that are heard throughout the conference halls at any global technology conference today, but, unlike some of its competitors, the concept is very easy to understand.

Simply put, MinePortal collects existing datasets from within a mining company’s operation and aggregates that data into a model that shows the entire process – from drilling through to processing in the plant.

Technology-agnostic, it uses cloud computing to ingest and process this data in near real-time, applying the company’s proprietary geostatistical and machine learning algorithms to continually update models.

The fact it can look at the entire mining process – from end-to-end – makes it almost unique in the industry, according to DataCloud Chief Technology Officer, Krishna Srinivasan.

“Data is no longer the problem in mining,” he told IM on the side lines of the Mines and Technology conference in London last week. “What mines haven’t got is a place where all of this data is displayed together for analysis. This is what MinePortal brings.”

In addition to leveraging off a mine’s existing fleet management and condition monitoring platforms, it also uses its own RHINO blast hole measurement package on production drills to enhance geology data right from the source.

RHINO (below) uses vibration signatures in the drill steel, acquired via IoT-enabled sensor devices, to calculate blast-critical subsurface information such as compressional and shear moduli, compressive strength, density, velocity, and more. This can help detect waste boundaries, faults, fractures, and many grade indicators, according to the company. Once this data is recorded, it is streamed to MinePortal and analysed to characterise the orebody.

Srinivasan says the integrated visualisation capabilities MinePortal offers allows companies to find out where the obvious opportunities are to improve performance in their operations.

Such analysis could, for example, highlight that drill and blast patterns need to be amended to improve rock fragmentation for improved recoveries at the milling stage, or, conversely, milling needs to be tweaked to account for the increased hardness of ore coming into the plant.

It connects the dots between the various processes in mining and “provides the context” mining companies need to increase production and productivity, according to Srinivasan.

In addition to being able to visualise the mining process in an integrated fashion from anywhere in the world through the cloud, DataCloud’s geostatistical and machine learning algorithms can predict the processing outcomes should a site, for example, amend their drill spacing at the drill and blast stage.

Srinivasan was keen to stress these algorithms do not ‘take over’ a mine’s processing procedures, instead offering up estimates based on previous operating data and existing industry data MinePortal has analysed.

MinePortal has, until now, mostly been used as a visualisation tool at open-pit mines, but DataCloud recently signed an agreement with Trevali Mining to use the software on its Caribou underground zinc mine in New Brunswick, Canada.

DataCloud said of this agreement: “Unleashing MinePortal will provide vast feedback applications across the value chain empowering their teams to make geology data-driven decisions.”

This is part of the mining company’s wider plan to digitalise its operations through its T90 business improvement program. T90 is targeting $50 million in pre-tax annual sustainable efficiencies by the beginning of 2022 through “operational improvements, standardisation, and the deployment of technology”.

Outside of its work with Trevali, DataCloud is encouraging miners to get in touch for a customised demonstration of MinePortal’s capabilities to a mine site’s specific data, workflow and goals.

“Give us a year’s worth of data and we’ll display this in MinePortal for you,” Srinivasan said, explaining that the company is confident miners will be able to see areas for improvement through this visualisation and that it will lead to them engaging with DataCloud over a longer timeframe.

Orica and Epiroc take first steps ‘towards automation of drill and blast operations’

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

Orica and Epiroc Rock Drills AB say they are working on a project to jointly develop a semi-automated explosives delivery system, enabling safer and more productive blasting operations in underground mines.

As mines go deeper and orebodies become more remote, the case for blasting automation becomes clearer, a case that Orica has continually made for the past few years.

Orica says its partnership with Epiroc will “bring together the deep expertise and experience of two global industry leaders” to address the growing demand from customers mining in increasingly more hazardous and challenging underground operations.

The first prototype system is expected in 2020, with the first commercially available systems to enter service in 2021, according to Orica, which said more details on the collaboration and technology will be communicated later.

Orica Chief Commercial and Technology Officer, Angus Melbourne, said: “This exciting partnership with Epiroc will allow us to leverage our exclusive wireless initiating system, WebGen™, to deliver the critical first steps towards the automation of drill and blast operations.

“Automation is a key pillar of our technology strategy and supports our vision of transforming drill and blast to unlock mining value by creating safer and more sustainable operations.”

Epiroc Senior Executive Vice President Mining and Infrastructure, Helena Hedblom, said: “This promising collaboration with Orica is an important first step on an exciting journey toward automating the whole drilling and explosives charging process.

“It is a vital part of both Epiroc’s and Orica’s vision of making the mining operation as safe, productive and cost efficient as possible.”

Orica says: “Orica and Epiroc are the ideal partners to optimise the explosives charging process for underground mining. Orica is the world’s largest provider of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems to the mining, quarrying, oil and gas and construction markets, and Epiroc is the industry leader in developing innovative underground mining equipment, including face drill rigs and production drill rigs.”

Micromine 2020 to assist mine planning operations with Stope Optimiser

Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

The launch of MICROMINE’s latest version of leading exploration and 3D mine design solution, Micromine 2020 will see the introduction of new stope optimisation functionality, according to the mining software leader.

The new edition is due for release in November and, with Micromine 2020 not only including innovative upgrades to existing modules, but also new functionality added in response to industry needs, according to Gordon Thomas, Micromine Technical Product Manager.

“One of the new modules specifically caters to the needs of underground mine planners looking to optimise mine design to ensure project profitability. Micromine 2020 builds on the success of our Pit Optimisation module and provides an equivalent strategic planning tool for underground mining operations,” Thomas said.

Unlike many competing products, Micromine 2020’s Stope Optimiser uses integrated mathematical programming to produce optimum 3D solutions, instead of stitching together 2D results produced using approximate methods, according to Thomas. This allows it to identify regions within a resource model that can be mined profitably using designs for a range of potential stoping methods. It also assists mine planners in selecting the most profitable combination of method, stope design and mine life.

MICROMINE said: “Suitable for all planning horizons, Stope Optimiser generates the best possible stope outlines that satisfy design and economic parameters. It can also generate optimum dig-lines to suit minimum mining widths for open-pit mining, making it a great tool for open-pit grade control and mining operations too.”

Maximise profits

Stope optimisation plays a pivotal role in underground mine planning and design. The feasibility and ultimate profitability of a mine depend on optimising the layout of the stopes and minimising the cost of the infrastructure required to access and mine those stopes. Proper integration of stope optimisation into a mine’s planning will result in stopes yielding the highest possible return for the given resource model. “That’s why the best possible stope optimisation tools are a necessity, not a luxury for today’s mine planners,” the company said.

According to MICROMINE, Stope Optimiser provides all the tools mine planners need to determine the maximum possible profit for an underground mining operation.

Thomas explained: “The advanced automated stope design tool in Micromine 2020 generates the optimal configuration of stopes to maximise the discounted value of future cash flows, subject to inherent physical, geotechnical and geological constraints over the lifespan of underground mining operations.”

Stope Optimiser assists in optimising the size of a mining operation based on net present value by providing full support for standard long-term planning methodology with provision for mining, processing and sales rates, start-up costs, capital injection and discounted cash flow analysis, according to the company.

“By identifying the most profitable regions for stoping, Stope Optimiser helps mine planners ensure the best utilisation and management of the human and financial resources involved in an underground mining project,” the company said.

Recognising that an optimal layout or 3D spatial distribution of stopes guarantees the maximum profitability over the lifespan of an underground mining operation, Stope Optimiser aims to give mine planners a competitive edge, MICROMINE said.

Saving time and improving selectivity in underground stope design are other key benefits the software provides, according to MICROMINE.

Using the resource block model, minimum stope dimensions, stope orientation, processing options and economic parameters, Stope Optimiser can automatically produce stope shapes that take into account stope geometry together with geological and geotechnical restraints, according to the company. This means mine planners can optimise the stope boundary by fine-tuning desired stope shapes.

The new module automatically generates the highest value stope solids across a wide range of mining method geometries and orebody types, delivering strategic stope designs and pillar location optimisation against complex orebodies. Key features include:

  • The built-in material flow model, which supports material bins can be defined using simple filters or complex expressions. It also derives block optimisation values, which can also be calculated externally and pre-assigned to blocks;
  • Zone and region support – specifies where stopes should be confined to or excluded from using zones defined by polygons/wireframes, and applies different design parameters to multiple regions; and
  • Stope functionality – accepts sizes and orientations of minimum stopes and minimum pillar width, in addition to overlaps minimum stope sizes as required to form larger mining areas to satisfy minimum mineable shapes. At the same time, this functionality constrains stopes to planes, digital terrain models and centreline strings with the option to anchor planes and digital terrain models to a reference point and replicate at regular elevation levels.

Thomas said: “Stope Optimiser allows mine planners to optimise the stope design while satisfying physical mining constraints and maximising the profit from operations.”

Strategic outputs

The stope wireframes and reports generated by the Stope Optimiser functionality facilitate strategic and tactical mine planning, according to the company.

“Stope Optimiser automates stoping design for a range of methods used in underground mines, enabling mine planners to quickly analyse stoping methods and parameters for a defined geological block model to maximise the value of the orebody and develop a strategic plan assessed against a variety of approaches and constraints,” the company said.

Feasibility studies for underground operations can be performed, while also allowing the investigation of stoping frameworks and economic scenarios. Stope Optimiser’s integration with other Micromine modules also provides time and money savings as the outputs can be used in other applications, like scheduling.

“The stope wireframes generated can be directly incorporated into the mine planning process to create the optimum solution, while a full suite of reports can be created to facilitate post-processing and analysis of all input parameters, block processing outcomes and generated stopes,” MICROMINE said.

Reports can be customised, summarised and have unit conversions applied using Micromine’s new Report Generator. Reports integrate with Microsoft Excel and Business Intelligence software, enabling pivot tables and other post-processing datasets to be used.

Seamless integration

Designed for both open-pit grade control and mining, and underground mine planning, the Stope Optimiser seamlessly integrates with the suite of Micromine modules.

Accessible from one integrated platform, Micromine’s integrated tools for modelling, estimation, design, optimisation and scheduling all “talk” to each other, enabling easy data transfer and compatibility, MICROMINE said.

“Stope Optimiser is fully compatible with the Micromine Pit Optimisation module, sharing many common parameters. And, since they share the same concepts and workflow, proficiency with one module translates to proficiency with the other – saving time and money.

Micromine 2020 is due for release in November and in addition to the new Stope Optimiser, it will include advances in the Implicit Modelling and Pit Optimisation modules, and new Report Generator with full support for user-defined fields and unit conversions.

MICROMINE ups drill and blast ante in Micromine 2020

Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , ,

MICROMINE is looking to improve the accuracy and precision of drill and blast operations with its soon to be launched Micromine 2020 software.

The latest edition of the leading exploration and 3D mine design software solution will include a series of truly innovative Ring Design tools, the company said.

Micromine 2020 Ring Design, which will be released in November, offers highly accurate, intuitive and sophisticated ring design planning tools which enable engineers to realise unprecedented levels of control and precision during their design, according to MICROMINE.

It is fully integrated into the Micromine software solution, which is used by more than 1,500 customers worldwide.

Andrew Esmaili, Micromine’s Product Analyst, said: “We all know that ring drilling typically occurs in confined spaces, so it’s vital for design engineers to have an awareness of geometry, mining conditions and drilling equipment. However, the reality is that modern engineers spend more time behind computers and less time in underground workings. This is where our new tools come in.

“If I was trying to describe these tools to someone in a few words I’d say: you’ve probably seen the benefit of proximity sensors on cars. Now think proximity sensors but for underground planners preparing drill plans in confined tunnels. Now, let me elaborate: Micromine’s ring design tool allows planners to define the size and shape of rig(s) being used at a mine. Once that is done, planners can utilise a new utility to apply constraints that ensure that the boom’s range and coverage limits are not inadvertently exceeded during the design process.”

He said users can ensure drill plans are safe and practical by specifying distance constraints that prevent the boom from being positioned too close to the sidewalls of a tunnel. A similar utility can be used to maintain a distance to the floor of a drive – a feature that is particularly important when drilling in rugged surfaces, according to Esmaili.

He conclude: “These new utilities provide interactive feedback to the designer, eliminate guess work, eliminate manual intervention, minimise the probability of downtime and, of course, lead to more precise designs.’’

Micromine 2020’s enhanced ring design allows engineers to easily create, view, edit, mirror, copy or replicate rings, according to the company. Dedicated tools are also available to simplify updating designs as new survey data becomes available.

Users can also generate detailed plots of ring designs with customisation options such as adding annotations, summary tables, legends and graphs.

The Micromine 2020 ring design feature also accepts centrelines and wireframe for underground production drives, while ring boundaries can be defined by hand, using templates, or auto-generated using wireframes.

Better ring design is just one of the new and improved features that engineers and miners can access through Micromine 2020.

The release offers integrated tools for modelling, estimation, design, optimisation and scheduling, with data sets all saved and easily accessible within the Micromine product, the company said.

It also boasts new charting tools, a new Stope Optimiser, an improved scheduler and advances in the Implicit Modelling and Pit Optimiser modules, according to the company.

MacLean Blockholer to keep ore flowing at all-electric Borden gold project

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The flagship unit of MacLean Engineering’s Ore Flow suite is now ready to join the equipment manufacturer’s battery-electric fleet at Newmont Goldcorp’s Borden project, in northern Ontario, Canada.

The MacLean Blockholer is a “versatile warrior”, according to Viv Bhatt, Product Manager – Ore Flow, Drill & Blast at MacLean Engineering.

“We call it a Blockholer, you may know it as a secondary reduction drill, but either way it comes down to the same thing…a critical tool for making sure the ore flows in underground mining,” Bhatt said, adding that there are more than 125 success stories from across the globe that attest to this.

MacLean’s battery-electric fleet at Borden, billed by its owners as being the world’s first all-electric mine upon start-up (expected later this year), has been steadily growing over the past year or so. The company said back in March that the delivery to Borden of the Blockholer would see its fleet hit 15 units, comprised of six bolters and nine utility vehicles.

On the Blockholer specifically, Bhatt said: “Whether it’s a low hang-up in a drawpoint, or oversize rock on the ground that’s too large for scoops to handle and too disruptive to get rid of with concussion blasting, it’s your secondary reduction rig that solves the problem and ensures that production isn’t held up.

“And when it’s not tasked with this mission, it can be put to use for ancillary drilling for mine services.”

Bhatt listed off five reasons why the self-contained blockholer drill could become the workhorse of hard-rock underground mining fleets:

  • “Improved safety – In dealing with low hang-ups, runs of muck remain a potential risk. Remote-controlled drilling and loading explosives from a safe distance is a much safer option than manual loading of concussion blasts, and this is precisely what Blockholer drills deliver;
  • “Improved production – One mine went from 700 tons per day (635 t/d) off a mucking horizon to 3,000 tons/d after the introduction of a Blockholer. Another had a pillar blast break poorly and they were unable to make 50% of schedule prior to acquiring a Blockholer. (In this instance the unit was paid for entirely with the savings in secondary blasting explosives.) Also, pulling the wrong boxhole because of a hang-up or because it is choked with large muck results in improper draw leading to dilution and/or loss of metal vis-a-vis calculated reserves;
  • “Reduced Scooptram maintenance costs – The safe and efficient treatment of oversize improves scoop availability (ie it increases tonnage) and, at the same time, it reduces parts costs especially for major items in the drive train such as planetary gear boxes, drive shafts, and differentials, and in the mucking action for cylinders, linkages, and buckets;
  • “Reduced blasting powder and rehab costs – Over and above the safety benefits, self-contained blockholer drills deliver substantial cost savings with regard to the use of secondary blasting powder, as well as reduced detonation effects on ventilation air. Elimination of concussion blasting in drawpoint throats (especially with powder packs wedged between a large chunk and the brow) also significantly reduces the need for brow repair and re-bolting, as well as damage to mine services like air lines, water lines, power cables, ventilation doors, vent ducting and fans”, and;
  • “Versatility for mine support – Blockholers can also efficiently and safely perform mine service support functions such as drilling for the installation of ventilation doors, dams, fans, pipelines, power cables, etc. This is particularly beneficial when installing or repairing services in remote or high-traffic areas of a mine.”

And, of course, the Blockholer is equipped with MacLean’s latest EV Powertrain, providing zero emissions, low noise and low heat operations, Bhatt concluded.

IMDEX’s drill and blast technology gains traction

Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

IMDEX, known for its technical sensing capabilities in exploration, is looking to lock in non-cyclical global revenue streams through the development of technology for drill and blast applications.

The company, in an update last week, said its BLAST DOG™ technology remains on track to increase mine to mill efficiency for clients globally and it was conducting trials in multiple commodities with global resource companies.

To date, successful trials have been undertaken in Nevada, USA, and in Queensland, Australia; with additional trials planned in Chile and Australia in the first half of 2020, IMDEX said.

“The company continues to have strong support from industry partners including: Orica; Anglo American; Teck Resources; and METS Ignited and expects to generate revenue from the drill and blast technologies in the 2020 financial year,” it said.

In addition to updating the market on its BLAST DOG technology, the company also revealed details about drilling productivity technologies COREVIBE™ and MAGHAMMER™.

Back in January 2018, IMDEX revealed it had an exclusive option agreement to acquire Flexidrill and its patent protected drilling productivity technologies, the COREVIBE and MAGHAMMER.

“The company has been progressing the development of these technologies based on strong demand from drilling contractors and resource companies,” IMDEX said, adding that it undertook successful trials at the company’s test site in New Zealand, which concluded that COREVIBE generated a productivity gain of 33% over conventional coring. These results were also validated by SGS, a leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, according to IMDEX.

More recently, IMDEX conducted client trials with the COREVIBE in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. “These trials were successful and supported the results achieved at IMDEX’s test site,” the company said.

Further trials with another large drilling contractor in Arizona, USA, are scheduled for late July 2019 and IMDEX expects to have COREVIBE units on rent in the current September quarter, it said.

Development of the MAGHAMMER at IMDEX’s test site in New Zealand is also progressing and the company intends to commence client trials in the second half of 2020, it said.

“The first iteration of the MAGHAMMER will be targeting high speed pre-collar drilling through barren rock to the coring zone,” IMDEX said. “This eliminates the need for multiple drill rigs at site and accordingly, the MAGHAMMER will significantly reduce the cost of drilling these targets. Additional development of the MAGHAMMER will provide geological samples.”

On the basis of continued positive development of the drilling productivity technologies and ongoing successful client trials with COREVIBE, IMDEX said it anticipated exercising its option to acquire Flexidrill in December 2019.

IMDEX Managing Director, Bernie Ridgeway, said: “We have an exciting pipeline of new technologies and connected devices to support our growth strategy. The new technologies have the potential to grow our core business by enhancing technical leadership; and extending our capabilities into the larger adjacent mining market, to create an additional non-cyclical revenue stream.

“Our new technologies – including the COREVIBE, MAGHAMMER and BLAST DOG – have the ability to deliver important advancements in drilling methods and mining workflows. New deposits are likely to be deeper and under cover; and resource companies are embracing innovation to achieve greater productivity. These new technologies position our company to benefit from changing industry dynamics.”