Tag Archives: IIoT

Miners making slow progress on digital transformation journey, Axora research shows

Automation, IoT, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Barely half of mining organisations describe their progress towards deploying a digital/technology transformation strategy as “advanced” – while simultaneously and universally designating such transformation as “critical to survival”, new research from global technology marketplace Axora shows.

At 53%, the proportion of mining organisations describing progress as ‘advanced’ is up just 6% from 2021’s figure, despite them dedicating an average of 9% global annual revenue to digital transformation and innovation, Axora says in its Innovation Forecast 2022/23: Digital Transformation in Mining report.

The Axora Innovation Forecast is an annual market research report from Axora, detailing the trends and technologies driving the metals and mining industry forward. The second 2022/23 report highlights how digital transformation and technologies offer companies an element of control in an industry where many factors are out of their control. The survey of over 160 senior decision makers was conducted on Axora’s behalf by research company Vanson Bourne.

The survey’s respondents – all of which are senior IT and technology decision makers in the mining and metals sector, Axora says – also described the extent of numerous obstacles hindering the adoption of digital transformation technologies, including:

  • Cybersecurity concerns (referenced by 44% of respondents);
  • Lack of vision into the potential for digital solutions (41% of respondents, up from 31% in 2021);
  • Lack of market knowledge in new solutions (also 41% of respondents, up from 33% in 2021); and
  • Slow decision making by senior management (cited by 31% of respondents)

Perhaps as a result of these and other obstacles, another finding showed an average of just 60% of the budgets allocated to digital/technology transformation ends up being spent on it.

Ritz Steytler, CEO of Axora, said: “Without control of the price received for their product, or of many of the costs associated with production, many of mining’s digital transformation initiatives seem to be linked by the idea of improving control – or at worst, ‘management’ – of the factors they can influence: certain costs, safety, productivity, efficiency, people. Such an analysis certainly makes sense given our respondents’ overwhelming agreement that the success of their digital transformation efforts is critical to the survival of their business.

“Yet, despite that ‘survival’ imperative, respondents made it clear that they are having to deal with a variety of obstacles – including obstacles that one might have thought would have been successfully addressed or eliminated by now.”

Joe Carr, Director of Innovation at Axora, said: “Many of the obstacles to digital transformation cited by our respondents are rooted in the skills gap. It’s well-known that the entire sector finds it difficult to attract and retain the ‘technology talent’ it needs. This is, then, an awkward time for the mining companies: the need to digitally transform is only going to become more urgent – in order, as our respondents say, for mining businesses to thrive and survive.”

Increasing productivity remains the top driver for the many technology deployments that are taking place; productivity was also the most common benefit seen from deploying new technologies (66% of respondents). Productivity improvements are being achieved through a wide variety of technologies, from autonomous vehicle projects, to the application of machine learning/artificil intelligence to problems, to reducing accidents, to improving training.

Other statistics identified by the research include:

  • The proportion of respondents saying that “the cost of a technology investment is more important than the value it delivers” rose from 24% in 2021 to 34% in 2022;
  • Some 82% of respondents said that tensions between corporate and site-level teams were hindering innovation progress; and
  • Respondents identifying the Industrial Internet of Things as a technology platform that will provide the biggest growth opportunity in the coming year leapt from 37% to 51%; robotics fell from 45% to 27%.

Weir Minerals and AVEVA team up to offer secure access to Synertrex IIoT hub

Automation, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , ,

Weir Minerals has signed a digital business framework with industrial software provider, AVEVA, with an aim to use the AVEVA PI System™ as the data foundation for the OEM’s Synertrex® digital ecosystem.

Weir Minerals intends to use the AVEVA PI System to collect, contextualise and analyse data streams wihtin the context of Synertrex, its advanced Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform.

The objectives of the agreement include:

  • Digitally enabling the mining industry by simplifying data access and data sharing with easy and secure on-premises or cloud integration between Weir Minerals and its customers;
  • Establishing the data foundation for technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to optimise equipment and processes and thereby maximising sustainable performance; and
  • Pioneering new and innovative digital solutions supporting our common customers digital transformation and adoption of intelligent solutions.

The use of AVEVA PI, along with AVEVA Data Hub, a cloud-native hub for aggregating and contextualising on-premises and remote data, will offer the mining industry a unique solution for securely connecting mining operators with Weir Minerals as an OEM, the company said.

The business model will provide a variety of flexible integration solutions – from on-premise to cloud – that will make it easier for miners to integrate with the Weir Minerals’ Synertrex digital ecosystem. It uses a secure and simplified approach to access and share real-time and historical operations data, according to the company.

These shared ecosystems will provide miners and Weir Minerals with full data transparency and an easy-to-access, real-time 360° view of all Synertrex-enabled equipment and processes. They will also be the basis of the further development of digital twins and predictive algorithms, which will provide decision makers with recommended actions and real-time decision support, Weir Minerals said. This will lead to less power and water consumption and extended equipment life.

Ole Knudsen, Weir Minerals, Director Digital, said: “The AVEVA PI System is an established industrial data management solution that is currently used by nine of the top ten Fortune 500 mining companies. The proven and secure PI System enables us to build a series of Asset Framework templates for our equipment, making it a secure yet simple plug and play exercise to connect our equipment to our customers’ digital ecosystems. This will enable the critical first steps of a structured and standardised data approach.

“With the addition of the new AVEVA Data Hub and Weir Minerals’ Synertrex solutions, we’re in a unique position as an OEM to offer our customers a real game-changing approach to a flexible data sharing strategy. This will be the foundation of our data and intelligence driven digital optimisation solutions; this is how Weir Minerals will transform and enable more sustainable mining operations.”

Rónán de Hooge, AVEVA’s Executive Vice President of Information Management, added: “We’re very excited to work with Weir Minerals to deliver mining operators smart analytics to drive industrial transformation. AVEVA’s ability to collect real-time performance data in any location and deliver it securely to the Synertrex platform will give operators new insight into the health of their assets and help them optimise maintenance and avoid costly downtime.

“AVEVA is deeply committed to providing industrial companies with an open platform that is their trusted system of record for industrial data. Our products help companies harvest diverse types of critical industrial data across their distributed environments, enrich it with contextual information, and make it easily available to the people, applications and tools that will deliver transformation and sustainability.”

Maestro heads for the IoT edge with new future-proofed solutions

Automation, Environmental, Mine ventilation, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Driving out capital expenditure and standardising IIoT infrastructure have been the two key pillars propelling Maestro Digital Mine forward, and, 10 years after its formation, these two drivers are on show with its latest launches at the SME MineXchange Annual Conference & Expo in Salt Lake City.

Over the last decade, the company has become synonymous with improving underground mine ventilation safety as well as reducing blast re-entry times, with an offering that includes air quality stations, automated regulators, and “fail-safe” LED displays. Yet, Maestro’s core is IIoT devices and last mile digital networks for underground mines.

Michael Gribbons, CEO and Co-founder for Maestro, says the company’s production of “IIoT solutions” pre-dates the popular use of this acronym, with its big launch in Salt Lake City set to take Maestro into new “edge-based” territory that will allow it to cope with multiple communication protocols or artificial intelligence-led process miners look to leverage over the next decade.

He explained to IM: “We have re-envisioned and redesigned both our hardware, embedded firmware and external software to allow greater flexibility and capabilities for today and the future; the platform, if you will.”

This current hardware platform has, among other things, underpinned the success of its Vigilante AQS™, which was created to solve applications for mine ventilation monitoring and control.

“Every year, Vigilante customers kept asking for different capabilities, and we have said yes to these requests until we couldn’t.” Gribbons said. “We ran out of hardware space – we just couldn’t do the things the clients were asking anymore, forcing a major platform redesign that is now shipping.”

This constant cycle of improvement has already led Maestro into the realm of dust monitoring and regulator control. It also saw the company devise products and solutions that eradicated the need for expensive PLCs, customer panels and fabrication. Its plug-and-play philosophy, in turn, has reduced the amount of engineering required to install and monitor these solutions.

“For example, legacy analogue actuators are now being driven out of the equation by coupling ModuDrive™ actuators to automate regulators allowing significant capital expenditure reductions and improved diagnostic monitoring by using edge-based embedded IIoT technologies,” Gribbons said. “The mining industry is following other industries by applying modular construction where proven solutions can be selected and applied instead of the typical one-time custom engineering design and build where individual components are collated and customised on an individual basis. The main advantages of applying modular construction is schedule acceleration and capital expenditure reduction.”

Gribbons sees the new platform – a combination of hardware, user interface, on-premise and cloud-based software allowing data to be stored and trended by the customer as they choose – being able to take advantage of “true edge-based technology” to make better and quicker decisions.

The new platform installed on the Vigilante AQS, SuperBrite™ Marquee display, MaestroFlex™ regulator and ModuDrive actuator are on display at the SME conference.

Looking past the fixed automation infrastructure Maestro has made its name on, the company is now embedding its expertise into more mobile solutions that the industry has been taking a liking to, namely drones and unmanned robots.

Also featured on the Maestro stand – and the Exyn Technologies stand – at the event is an aerial drone with a Maestro gas monitoring IIoT device fitted on it.

This new gas monitoring drone, which will integrate critical gas sensors onto the ExynAero™ and ExynPak™ platforms, is, effectively, the “quickest and safest mobile gas monitor on the planet”, Gribbons remarked. “The drone is able to automatically launch and log targeted gases directly on the point cloud in any confined area without deploying mine rescue personal with Scott Air-Paks. Again, we are improving worker safety and accelerated time to obtain accurate data in emergency conditions or for more granular data at the headings for reducing blast re-entry times.”

Powered by ExynAI’s multi-sensor fusion capabilities, gas sensor readings are captured while the robot is in flight and displayed in real-time via a ruggedised tablet, Exyn explained. These sensor readings are saved with precise coordinates in a high-fidelity point cloud that can be exported and examined in a variety of mining software.

These mobile applications will remain a minority interest for Maestro, but it offers the company another way to influence the underground mine safety dynamic and ensure it stays loyal to its “we leave no one stranded” brand promise.

Such collaborations are nothing new for Maestro. Just last year, it teamed up with Howden to integrate its IIoT solutions into the Ventsim CONTROL ventilation optimisation software, while, in 2020, it brought the Plexus PowerNet™ last mile communication network to MacLean Engineering’s Sudbury test mine and Dynamic Earth’s educational mine to enable continuous connectivity underground.

Gribbons said the company has also just worked with Spain-based Zitron on designing large 4 x 4 m MaestroFlex™ regulators on underground booster fans at a major gold mine in Canada.

All these partnerships are part of the company’s recipe for success.

“We’ve progressively eliminated elements of underground mine automation infrastructure to simplify and allow for the future automation of mining,” Gribbons said. “This is working; the clients continue to return, and we stay true to our core purpose of enhancing lives by the pursuit of productivity and safety excellence.”

Zyfra presents new ZR RoboDrill autonomous drill rig solution at MINExpo 2021

Automation, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

At MINExpo 2021 in Las Vegas, Zyfra, a Finnish-Russian group of companies specialising in AI and IIoT based solutions for mining and other heavy industries, has presented its new ZR RoboDrill autonomous drill rig solution.

The ZR RoboDrill can improve productivity and personnel safety as well as reduce drilling operation costs, according to Zyfra. The system is designed to autonomously operate one or more drill rigs. This could see execution of the drill plan remotely controlled by an operator who can manage up to four drills at the same time, tracking the status of each machine.

This solution can autonomously change the rig position within the drilling site using an optimised route, the company sats. While moving, it will scan the surrounding area for obstacles, equipment and personnel.

While drilling, the rig’s platform and mast level will be maintained within 0.3° in two planes. The autonomous drill is equipped with an automatic emergency stop system, which can guarantee the safety of personnel in the work zone, according to Zyfra. The operator in the control room can take over control of the drill rig at any time, using respective monitors and all information required for manual remote operation.

Unmanned technologies can keep operators out of zones deemed hazardous because of various mining, geological and technical factors, creating a safe and comfortable working environment as well as reducing the risks to occupational health.

Pavel Rastopshin, Managing Director at the Zyfra Group, says: “Digital transformation and its current stage, automation of mining processes, are key factors for improving efficiency and safety of mining as well as competitiveness of mining companies in the increasingly complex mining, geological, technical and climatic conditions. Zyfra’s mining division has been engaged in the digital transformation of mining businesses for over three decades and our autonomous drill rig solution is another milestone in the transition to unmanned mining operations in the world.”

The new ZR RoboDrill solution is OEM-agnostic and can be installed on most new or used drill rigs. It is compatible with diesel and electric-powered drills, the company says.

Rajant and ESG Solutions partner on microseismic data transmission for underground mining

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

Rajant Corporation, the provider of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, and ESG Solutions, a leading microseismic solutions provider, say they have completed successful testing with Rajant as the backbone for carrying microseismic data to the surface.

Underground and open-pit mining customers could benefit from these developments as both companies start deployment trials in October as the last step in the qualification process, they say.

ESG’s Technical Sales Advisor, Tony Butler, said: “Many mines install microseismic systems for rockburst monitoring and to collect data from microseismic events that can lead to a better understanding of rock mass deformation. ESG Solutions installs microseismic systems that rely on sensors (geophones and/or accelerometers) to record digitised seismic waveforms with our ESG Paladin® data acquisition units housed in junction boxes. Each Paladin unit must be accurately time-synchronised across the network for optimum seismic event location determination. Data and system timing signals are currently transmitted to and from the Paladin units via fibre-optic networks. To reduce initial system costs and ongoing fibre system maintenance, clients have been asking if it would be possible for our systems to operate on a wireless system.”

The main hurdle to a wireless approach for microseismic monitoring has been the ability to provide accurate seismic system timing synchronisation between the Paladin units, according to Butler.

“With Rajant Kinetic Mesh, we are overcoming the time synchronisation issue with Precision Timing Protocol system timing of 30 microseconds (+/- 10 microseconds) being achieved for networked Paladins,” he said. “Together, we have demonstrated in the lab that Rajant and ESG can do seven hops through the Kinetic Mesh and maintain extremely accurate system timing.”

This development will allow Rajant’s wireless network to be considered for microseismic system monitoring in the field for up to 10 kHz sampling rates, Butler explained, with the system timing accuracy more than sufficient for the vast majority of microseismic systems installed that use geophones and/or accelerometers.

Darrell Gillis, Rajant Sales Director for Canada, added: “Rajant provides voice and data communication at the working face for mines. Deployed in 230-plus of the largest mines globally, Rajant’s fully mobile, autonomous V2X/M2M for underground mining eliminates the struggles of a voice-only leaky feeder with multi-radio high-speed connectivity. Next-generation technology, such as what ESG provides, has mission-critical requirements to function ‘no fibre required’. Rajant offers a robust, reliable, and redundant alternative to fibre that is easy-to-install and maintain.

“Rajant supports very accurate system timing, which is impossible with a Layer 3 solution, making Rajant Kinetic Mesh unique, not only for mining but for other IIoT applications, such as oil fields and civil projects.”

Autonomous conveyor belt condition monitoring in times of a crisis

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

As the digitalisation of processes in mines progresses, machines linked into the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gain in importance, according to Bernd Küsel of CBG Conveyor Belt Gateway.

An important part of predictive maintenance and accident prevention is the continuous examination and diagnosis of steel cord conveyor belts, which are mainly used in the long-distance conveying of ores, coal and other raw materials. These conveyor belts are essential to many mining and loading facilities.

Many operators still rely on inspection personnel from service companies equipped with portable devices to inspect conveyors, but their appointment can be problematic. And, with today’s travel restrictions, this is close to impossible.

The problem comes as such inspections provide an insufficient picture of the condition of a conveyor belt that is reliant on interpretation by trained persons, with portable devices that only cover parts of a conveyor belt, according to Küsel. Moreover, inspections only offer a snapshot in time without the possibility to intervene in the case of threatening belt defects that could lead to a total failure of the conveyor system.

In times of crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to use a self-sufficient, automatic diagnostic system, according to Küsel.

“The virtually maintenance-free CBGuard scanner provides complete knowledge of the condition of the conveyor belt in real time,” he says. “It is operated from the user’s control centre or via the Internet.”

Damage can be repaired at the best possible time for the customer, reducing unnecessary downtime and the associated costs and loss of production that come with this.

The CBGuard scanner can be an indispensable part of a predictive maintenance program, Küsel says.

“With it, conveyor belts can be integrated into the IIoT, ie into seamless communication with other electronically monitored systems. CBGuard provides a complete, detailed knowledge of the condition of the conveyor belt – non-stop and online,” Küsel said. “Virtually every cubic millimetre of the conveyor belt is checked during operation. The CBGuard scanner compares the detected values with the target values in real time. Every critical change triggers a reaction. The operating personnel are immediately informed of serious errors via SMS. In addition, the exact thickness of the entire conveyor belt can be measured and outputted as a contour map.”

The CBGuard Life Extender, meanwhile, detects internal damage such as steel cord breakage, corrosion, misplacements and other defects of the tension member. The exact condition of each steel cord can be viewed on a monitor in real time. The same applies to certain belt breakers and conductor loops.

Damage such as holes, foreign bodies, protruding ropes, edge breakage, bubbles, rubber cover abrasion and even insufficient belt cleaning are detected. Each defect automatically generates a predetermined, individual reaction. Information about the findings is additionally available at any time as a photo, video or inspection report, which tells personnel exactly what kind of damage it is, how severe it is and the location of said damage.

The CBGuard scanner also prevents fatal consequences caused by splice defects, Küsel said. As the weakest links in a conveyor belt, splices pose a greater risk to the operation – with potentially devastating consequences.

The CBGuard Life Extender scans all splices. Every single splice is individually assigned in the database and compared with its target state. Any critical deviation generates an alarm or a stop of the system in case of threatening defects.

“No other method available on the market can provide such exact and comprehensive results,” Küsel said.

The way CBGuard works is similar to that of X-ray machines in the healthcare sector or in airports.
The device consists of an X-ray generator with a tube, a receiver module and a control unit. The generator produces artificial X-rays from electricity, with the ionising rays penetrating the moving conveyor belt and then hitting the receiver module – an amorphous silicon imaging field.

It is a process like that of photo diodes in a digital camera. Countless, seamless images are continuously generated and defined by CBGuard’s smart software – based on advanced face and palmprint recognition algorithms – checking the condition of the belt, while accounting for the individual structure, size, colour and position of deviations and reporting them as a specific event (eg damage).

“Using a CBGuard is safe,” Küsel said. “The device complies with all international regulations on radiation emission. It does not contain radioactive material!”

The compact design and low weight of the CBGuard makes for a quick and easy installation on almost any belt conveyor. The scanner is also almost wear-free, according to Küsel, as it has no moving parts or contact with the conveyor belt.

All functions of the CBGuard Life Extender can be remotely controlled via TCP/IP, with maintenance or programming work possible from anywhere in the world. The analysis software runs under Windows 7 and 10, and the program is intuitive and easy to use, he said.

CBGuard has proven its performance in over 300 applications, according to Küsel, noting that large copper mines in Peru and Chile rely on CBGuard. There are many other applications in Australia and Asia in the limestone and coal sectors, he added.

The CBGuard scanner ensures fully automatic, complete monitoring of steel cord conveyor belts making inspections by personnel or devices that only cover a part of the conveyor belt spectrum unnecessary, Küsel says.

The gain in safety, the independence from personnel availability and the reduction of capital expenditure and operating expenditure are convincing arguments for the use of a CBGuard, he explained.

On the operation expenditure side, for example, there is no longer a need to employ internal maintenance personnel or outsource external services to inspect the belt. Such inspections, typically carried out weekly, are conducted in belt ‘creep mode’ and involve a full shut down, according to Küsel.

“With the CBGuard, you do not have any production downtime because it is carrying out the inspections all the time at the normally operating conveyor, at its normal speed,” he said.

Belt repairs also only occur when necessary, with details of failures coming from the CBGuard. “You will see serious damage immediately, so you can repair them before they get worse and cost much more money to fix,” he said.

This also provides capital expenditure benefits, with the CBGuard telling operators when and which part of the belt is worn out. In many cases, only part lengths will have to be changed, not the entire belt length.

This comes with inventory benefits too, with companies no longer having to carry extensive stock belting as the CBGuard is able to predict in good time when the belt will need to be replaced.

Maestro Digital Mine makes connections in Latin America

Communications in mining, IoT, Mine operation news, Mine ventilation, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Maestro Digital Mine’s Latin America expansion is gaining traction, with the Sudbury-based company recently landing sales from major gold mines in Argentina.

Its flagship Industrial Internet of Things measurement and control instrumentation solutions, such as the Vigilante AQS™ and Zephyr AQS™ air quality monitoring stations, and the Plexus PowerNet™ last mile communication platform, are designed to provide the visibility and communication miners require to keep up productivity and improve safety while operating at increasing depths

Having successful launched these products in over 130 mines, in more than 20 countries around the world, Maestro started its strategic outreach and market research in Latin America last year.

Maestro’s says its distribution channels are vital to its success in this area and, as part of the Maestro sales team, provide valuable feedback, access and service to potential clients in Latin America.

This strategy saw it partner with associations that assist with market research and business-to-business meetings, such as the Mine Connect (formerly SAMSSA), and the Northern Ontario Export Program led by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation (GSDC) and Mining Suppliers Trade Association (MSTA), as well as secure four new distributors/agents in the key mining hubs of Argentina, Chile, Peru and Mexico to support this growth.

This investment is already starting to pay off, with the company recently landing significant contracts across the region.

In Argentina, Yamana Gold’s Cerro Moro mine, in the Santa Cruz province, is installing the Plexus PowerNet solution. This delivers a high speed, low latency digital communication network that provides “PoE+ power” to Wireless Access Points, cameras and any other IP-based device, Maestro said. The system eliminates the need for costly outside fibre optic contractors and can be installed and maintained by any internal tradesperson, according to Maestro.

Cerro Moro, an open-pit and underground gold-silver operation, poured its first gold and silver doré back in May 2018 and, up until recent COVID-19-related restrictions hit mining operations, was expected to produce 117,000 oz of gold and 7.5 Moz of silver in 2020, according to the miner.

In that same province, Maestro has also installed the last mile communication solution at Newmont’s Cerro Negro mine. This operation includes five underground mines (Eureka, Mariana Central, Mariana Norte, San Marcos, Bajo Negro), one open-pit mine (Vein Zone) and one cyanide leach processing facility that yields gold recoveries of 96%, according to Newmont.

In Mexico, Maestro has installed Vigilante AQS – air quality monitoring stations in Peñoles mines. Peñoles, a subsidiary company owned by Grupo BAL, is the second largest Mexican mining company, the top Mexican producer of gold, zinc and lead and a world leader in silver production.

Coeur Mining has, meanwhile, installed and integrated the Vigilante AQS and MaestroLink software into its Mexican mines. This includes the Palmarejo silver-gold complex. The miner continues to expand Maestro’s digital solutions on each new level of its Mexico mines, Maestro said.

Maestro concluded: “With the support of our distribution partners, we are proud to be enabling worker safety and productivity in the mines of Latin America. It is through a collaborative model that Canadian suppliers can impact positive change in the global mining industry.”

Orway and Process IQ form JV focused on remote mineral processing consulting

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Orway Mineral Consultants (OMC) and Process IQ say they have formed an incorporated joint venture, Orway IQ Pty Ltd, to deliver a remote optimisation consulting service for the mineral processing industry.

MillROC (Milling Remote Optimisation Consulting) will initially focus on comminution circuits, the partners said.

Headquartered in Western Australia, Orway IQ is led by Pieter Strobos (Chairman of the Board), Fred Kock (CEO), Brian Putland and Daniel Van Der Spuy (Executive Directors).

Process IQ, meanwhile, was among eight companies nationally to share in A$15.6 million ($10.6 million) of funding to support collaboration and innovation, and address mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector priorities, as announced earlier this year.

Its project, which included Orway as one of three partners, was aimed at enabling grinding experts to interact directly and in real time with grinding circuits on remote mine sites to ensure they are operating at their most productive levels. “The project will develop automated artificial intelligence software to emulate the experts as there is very limited supply of this specialist expertise, leading to increased processing efficiency globally,” METS Ignited said.

The joint venture draws on Orway’s expertise in comminution design, modelling and optimisation and Process IQ’s expertise in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud-based computing, process control, automation and instrumentation, the companies said. Together the companies claim to have served the mining industry for more than 50 years.

Orway IQ’s MillROC uses real-time data in online process models and communicates the findings to the client, according to the companies. The product is a cloud-based reporting of all plant data related to circuit performance and optimisation, available anytime, anywhere – via the internet. Orway IQ expert consultants review circuits from around the world daily from its operations centre in Perth.

Orway’s Strobos said: “The joint venture company is aligned with the METS Ignited initiative to assist with the growth and innovation of the business. Process IQ, OMC and now Orway IQ are at the forefront of the digital transformation in the mining industry, having been recognised for their ground-breaking work in this space.”

Strobos continued: “We are receiving tremendous support from both Federal and State government and our consulting service, MillROC, has been recognised as having huge implications as a new product category for the mining industry.”

Orway IQ has also been chosen to participate in the RISE Accelerator program supported by the Western Australia Government Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, The Queensland Government, NERA and METS Ignited – which is run by KPMG. The program has been developed to spearhead innovation into industry and equip METS companies with the skills, capabilities and support to develop their innovation and grow their businesses.

Maestro Digital Mines’ Zephyr AQS leaves its mark at CIM convention

Automation, Communications in mining, Environmental, IoT, Mine ventilation, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Maestro Digital Mine has used the backdrop of the CIM Convention and Exhibition, in Montreal, Quebec, to launch its latest digital industrial internet of things (IIoT) solution, the Zephyr AQS™.

Maestro’s Zephyr AQS is a compact, low cost environmental air quality monitoring station for underground mines. It is an IIoT device that connects directly to an industrial network without the requirement of adding an expensive and complex programmable logic controller (PLCs) and several analogue-based instruments, the company said.

“Since it is a digital device, not only are the real time environmental conditions reported back to surface via a single ethernet connection, but all the advanced diagnostic data is available too, assuring maximum uptime,” Maestro said.

Michael Gribbons, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Maestro Digital Mine, said at the launch event: “The Zephyr AQS was developed to satisfy 75% of all the air monitoring requirements of a modern mine. Airflow rate, airflow direction, gas levels, barometric pressure and wet/dry bulb temperatures can be measured in real time and, now, affordably.

“The Zephyr AQS is designed for any mine aiming to increase production, improve miner worker safety and reduce energy by monitoring and controlling ventilation air in an underground operation. The first step of working to control ventilation is the requirement of measurement. Only then can you start to understand and drive value to increasing production by getting the miners back to the face quicker and safer. Or, reducing the energy demand by providing enough ventilation air to the areas of the mine that need it and reducing air to the non-working areas of the mine.”

Like all Maestro solutions, the Zephyr AQS is a fully digital solution that can be plugged into a network switch without the requirement of PLCs, PLC cabinets and all the associated wiring, terminations, software and complex labour for integration into the network, the company said.

“Based on direct customer feedback, Maestro’s digital products save mining companies, on average, 40-60% of capital expenditure compared to conventional monitoring solutions,” Maestro said.

“All Maestro solutions are provided with lifetime, free firmware updates. The full savings to mining clients is in the range of 70-80% over the full life cycle with no hidden hooks or costs to bear in the OPEX maintenance cycle.”

The new Zephyr AQS air quality station features three fully configurable sensor inputs that can be freely mixed and matched according to the customer’s requirements. Like the Vigilante AQS™, the Zephyr AQS will be configured through built-in webpages similar to that of a home network router, according to the company.

All the sensors connected to the Zephyr AQS electronics are digitally supported by the way the Zephyr AQS communicates over the mine’s network using standard network protocols. Maestro fully supports both of the two most popular network communication protocols – Modbus TCP/IP and EtherNet/IP™. Alternately, the Zephyr AQS offers on-board analogue outputs (3 x 4-20 mA) and two relay outputs to tie into legacy systems.

David Ballantyne, Vice President of Development and Technology, Maestro Digital Mine, said: “The Zephyr AQS is considered the baby sister of the Vigilante AQS. Both provide plug and play sensors and both are fully digital. However, the Vigilante AQS supports seven plug and play ports versus three for the Zephyr AQS. The Vigilante AQS also provides four complete Proportional – Integral – Derivative control loops to allow it to run autonomously in the event of network failure. It can also integrate up to 24 RTD sensors used in primary fan and booster fan applications.”

The Vigilante AQS was created to solve 100% of the applications for mine ventilation monitoring and controlling, Maestro said, however solving all the applications with a single device adds extra costs for most of the simpler requirements.

Maestro has supplied over 120 mines globally with this equipment. “We recognised that a lighter version would be adequate for many of the mines price sensitive markets such as Latin America and Africa,” it said.

Maestro has 100 units sold, pre-delivery, from three existing hard-rock mining customers in Canada, the US and Spain.

GE Digital to unlock and leverage machine data with new IIoT division

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , , ,

GE has announced plans to establish a new, independent company focused on building a comprehensive Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) software portfolio.

The company, GE Digital, has a head start with $1.2 billion in annual software revenue already locked in, plus an existing global industrial customer base.

GE Digital is intended to be a GE wholly-owned, independently run business with a new brand and identity, its own equity structure, and its own Board of Directors, the company said. It plans to unlock machine data to turn valuable insights into powerful business outcomes, according to the company.

“The proposed new organisation aims to bring together GE Digital’s industry-leading IIoT solutions including the Predix platform, Asset Performance Management, Historian, Automation (HMI/SCADA), Manufacturing Execution Systems, Operations Performance Management, and the GE Power Digital and Grid Software Solutions businesses,” GE said.

In addition to this spinoff, GE announced an agreement to sell a majority stake in ServiceMax, a provider of field service management software, to Silver Lake, a private equity firm focused on technology investments.

“With these actions, GE will sharpen the focus of its IIoT portfolio to position the new business for future growth,” GE said, adding the transaction was expected to close in the March quarter, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

GE Chairman and CEO Lawrence Culp Jr, said: “As an early leader in IIoT, GE has built a strong business with its industrial customers thanks to deep domain knowledge and software expertise.”

The IIoT is a nascent market but is expected to have significant growth, GE said.

“GE’s independent software business moves into the market with a strong position, building on the company’s experience and success developing solutions to drive the outcomes that matter most for asset-intensive industries,” it added.

GE’s new IIoT business would provide software for these asset intensive industries with a focus on the power, renewables, aviation, oil and gas, food and beverage, chemicals, consumer packaged goods and mining industries.

“These industries build on GE’s foundation and expertise as a leading MES provider for nearly 20 years. With an already thriving business in these areas, the new digital organisation is positioned to accelerate GE’s ability to deliver IIoT solutions that meet the needs of these industrial customers, addressing the most impactful aspects of the asset lifecycle,” the company said.

With GE Digital CEO, Bill Ruh, deciding to depart GE to pursue other opportunities, the company plans to conduct an internal and external search to identify the CEO for this new independent company.

GE Digital’s Predix portfolio – including the leading Asset Performance Management and Field Service Management applications, as well as Predix Private Cloud – helps customers manage the entire asset lifecycle.

Underpinned by Predix, the application development platform for the Industrial Internet, GE Digital enables industrial businesses to operate faster, smarter and more efficiently, wherever their operations require, the company said.