Tag Archives: eDev

Orica’s electronic blasting systems receive an upgrade

20th October 2023Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining services, Mining softwareEBS, eDev, Electronic Blasting System, I-kon, Orica, Rodney WilliamsDaniel Gleeson

Customers of Orica’s eDev™ II and uni tronic™ 600 electronic blasting systems are set to experience more efficient and productive operations, thanks to an update to both platforms, the ASX-listed company says.

The updated eDev II (pictured) and uni tronic 600 Electronic Blasting Systems (EBS) have been integrated with the field-proven Blaster 3000 currently used with the i-kon III System, Orica says. The Blaster 3000 will serve as a common blast box platform to deliver an improved user experience and blasting capabilities for Orica customers using eDev II and uni tronic 600.

Blaster 3000 is the blast box hardware for Orica’s flagship i-kon III EBS and is widely hailed for its superior precision and reliability, Orica says.

Orica Head of Initiating Systems, Dr Rodney Williams, said: “We are continually making blasting safer, easier and faster so that our customers can achieve more with less. The integration of our best technologies across our EBS product families demonstrates our commitment to delivering smarter solutions and adding value to our customers’ operations through technology and innovation.”

Designed for underground development and civil tunnelling operations, key highlights of the upgrades to eDev II, include remote firing capability enabling up to 800 detonators to be fired remotely, and improved firing precision to +/- 0.005% for greater precision and better blast outcomes.

The uni tronic 600 system, designed mainly for small surface mines and quarry and construction blasting operations, will now allow larger blasts to be fired remotely with synchronised firing capability for up to 1,600 detonators and starter detonator functionality also enabled through the upgrade.

The migration to the Blaster 3000 platform provides users with a range of additional benefits, including being able to store and access up to 30 blast reports to better support regulatory reporting and post-blast analysis.

Orica brings ORBS centralised blasting system to underground mining sector

29th August 2023Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining softwareBlasting, Dr Rodney Williams, eDev, I-kon, Omni Remote Blasting System, ORBS, Orica, Remote Blaster 3000Daniel Gleeson

Orica’s next generation centralised blasting system, ORBS™, has made a leap into the digital world, with underground mining operations set to feel the benefits.

ORBS (Omni Remote Blasting System) is now available to i-kon™ and eDev™ customers. It is designed to provide operations with the ability to safely initiate multiple development headings and production blasts concurrently from a remote, central location.

Building on Orica’s flagship Blaster 3000 architecture, ORBS enables greater productivity by initiating up to 30 Remote Blaster 3000s, or up to 90,000 detonators, in one blast sequence, Orica says. Its browser-based interface provides users with full visual oversight of all connected hardware and detonators and has enabled a host of valuable new features, according to the company.

Orica’s Head of Initiating Systems, Dr Rodney Williams, said: “We’re focused on providing the latest innovations and technology advancements to our customers. Upgrading our electronic blasting systems is as much about strengthening the capability as it is about enhancing our customers’ experience. We were conscious about developing a secure, simple-to-use and powerful system, and we’ve achieved this with ORBS.”

A key feature of ORBS is that it’s a ‘plug and play’ system that doesn’t require customers to invest in additional infrastructure, according to Orica. It connects to a mine’s communication network over LAN, Wi-Fi or LTE and users operate the system from a similarly connected electronic device such as a PC, tablet or iPhone.

With improved firing capacity and compatibility with Orica’s range of electronic detonators (i-kon III and eDev II), ORBS provides customers with greater versatility, Orica added.

Orica reaches electronic detonator milestone at Brownsburg facility

30th April 2019Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining safetyAdam Mooney, Blasting, Brownsburg, Canada, eDev, Electronic Blasting Systems, Helidon, i-kon III, Leah Barlow, Orica, uni tronic, WebGen, wireless blastingDaniel Gleeson

Orica, a leading manufacturer of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems, says it has now produced 100 million electronic detonators out of its manufacturing facility in Brownsburg, Canada.

The milestone Electronic Blasting Systems (EBS) detonator rolled off the production line on April 30.

Orica, Vice President, EBS, Adam Mooney, said: “Reaching the 100-million-mark demonstrates our commitment to customers in delivering a high quality and reliable supply of innovative blasting systems.

“Our state-of-the-art Brownsburg facility produces the full range of EBS systems for surface and underground operations, including i-kon™, uni tronic™, eDev™ and the world-first wireless initiation system, WebGen™. These market-leading EBS technologies, combined with our technical expertise on the ground, is how we deliver value to our customers every day.”

Since the first generation EBS manufacturing in 2006 at Brownsburg, Orica has continued to make advances in initiation technologies, supporting customers to enhance productivity with larger blasts, achieve faster deployment and blast set-up for both small and large scale blasting, and improve overall fragmentation and vibration control, it said.

Orica said: “The safety and reliability of Orica’s EBS systems are the best in the industry, the products are designed to perform safely and reliably even under extreme conditions. This includes extreme events such as detonators being struck by lightning, which customers face every day around the world.”

Orica’s EBS detonators are specifically designed with multiple safety features which enable protection against high-voltage electrostatic discharge, which occur in lightning strikes. These safety features were highlighted recently when an i-kon III detonator (pictured) in the Hunter Valley region of Queensland, Australia, was struck by lightning. The in-built safety features of i-kon performed as designed and did not result in an un-intended initiation of the explosive column, according to the company.

Today, Brownsburg has expanded production to include WebGen technology in the mining industry. This wireless initiation technology is breaking barriers in the mining industry, according to the company, through elimination of exposure to high-risk activities and enabling new mining methods and blasting techniques capable of delivering faster loading cycles, lower cost of production and improved, more flexible blasting reliability and management.

“The system provides for groups of in-hole primers to be wirelessly initiated by a firing command that communicates through rock, water and air, removing constraints imposed by the requirement of a physical connection to each primer in a blast,” Orica said.

WebGen™ is a critical pre-cursor to Automation and Orica is proud to be leading the reimagination of the mining industry through digital, automated blasting with products and solutions like the BlastIQ™ Platform, a cloud-based digital platform designed to enable continuous improvement of blasting outcomes through insights and data integration.

Orica Vice President, Initiating Systems & Packaged Explosives Manufacturing, Leah Barlow, said: “The Brownsburg facility prides itself on being a safety leader in Orica, with an excellent focus on robust safety systems and a proactive view to managing risk. Our robust quality control procedures coupled with a strong working relationship with our critical suppliers enable us to deliver EBS detonators that ensure safe, precise and reliable fires around the world.

“This 100-million-mark milestone achievement is testament to the Orica commitment to safety, excellence and innovation and is as much an achievement to be shared with the local community for their support over the years.”

With the recent addition of a new EBS assembly line in Helidon, Australia, another key global manufacturing site for Orica, customers in the Australia Pacific and Asia region are now benefitting from a stronger and more efficient manufacturing and supply chain operation that ensures reliable and quality supply of EBS within the region, the company said.