Tag Archives: IMDEX

IMDEX joins Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct, plans for Dirt Lab

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining safety, , , , , ,

IMDEX says it has become a major industry partner of the new Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct in Perth, Western Australia.

The partnership with the state government-owned precinct will allow IMDEX to accelerate testing and demonstration of technology including its BLAST DOG™ at a site close to its Balcatta headquarters

IMDEX BLAST DOG is a commodity-agnostic blasthole sensing and physical measurement technology that provides near real-time blasthole physicals and orebody knowledge, and a 3D view into the bench.

The 51 ha automation and robotics precinct 40 km north of the Perth Central Business District was purpose-built for testing, research and development, and training in autonomous, remote operations, and robotic systems and equipment.

Launched in October 2021, the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct currently provides extensive test beds, freehold lots and an onsite office for industry use. It is being developed into a facility for innovation, with a state-of-the-art Common User Facility operation building, research and development facilities such as laboratories and design co-labs, and advanced test beds with multiple areas and roadways for physical testing.

IMDEX has signed on as an industry partner for an initial period of two years and will build and maintain a common user drill pad as a critical part of a 22 ha Dirt Lab, which will enable various commercial and collaborative opportunities as an innovation mine test and development site.

IMDEX Chief Executive Officer, Paul House (pictured on the right with IMDEX Chief Strategy Officer, Michelle Carey (centre) and Stuart Nahajski, DevelopmentWA General Manager Regional (left)), said having a purpose-built, robotics research and development site so close to the company’s headquarters was ideal.

“While we operate globally and have an unrivalled presence on all major mining operations, Western Australia is home to some of the world’s major mining companies so having the opportunity to develop and promote our technology locally is an additional benefit,” House said.

“BLAST DOG won’t be the only technology we will test at the site. We have plans for testing a range of IMDEX tools and technology developed by our research and development team.”

IMDEX has recently signed deals with two tier-one mining companies for further commercial testing of BLAST DOG.

The company achieved its first commercial contract with BLAST DOG in August 2022, at Iron Bridge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with the agreement providing for the staged use of up to three units together with associated products, software, data analysis, reporting and support.

Six commercial prototype trials were planned for the 2023 financial year under the first phase of BLAST DOG development.

BLAST DOG has been developed in collaboration with Universal Field Robots and IMDEX industry partners Teck Resources and Anglo American.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMDEX readies a host of new survey and measuring tools for PDAC crowd

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining events, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

IMDEX will reveal the latest advances in its survey and measuring tools and its aiSIRIS interpretive mineralogy software at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference next week.

IMDEX claims to have the most accurate north-seeking gyro on the market – REFLEX SPRINT-IQ (pictured) – but Chief of Product Management and Marketing, Michelle Carey, says the new OMNIx gyros to be revealed at PDAC offer another level of accuracy, reliability and speed.

REFLEX IQ-LOGGER, the company’s existing core logging tool launched at PDAC in 2015, has been redesigned and re-engineered and will be introduced as LOGRx.

Advancements and development of aiSIRIS have facilitated the release of a new product in the aiSIRIS suite, aiSwyft, offering results in minutes, and at a reduced cost to the consumer.

“The continued improvement of these tools, as with all IMDEX technology, further strengthens our ability to assist the mining industry improve its resource stewardship,” Dr Carey said.

“Resource stewardship starts with reliable, accurate orebody knowledge, and that is what these IMDEX products deliver – quality data around the location, structure and mineralogy of rocks contributing to orebody knowledge.”

PDAC runs from March 5-8, in Toronto, Canada.

OMNIx

The advanced gyros, featuring Bluetooth communications, will have above and underground applications. REFLEX SPRINT-IQ has been upgraded, improved and streamlined and will be renamed OMNIx42, a 42-mm diameter tool. IMDEX is also introducing a new north-seeking gyro, OMNIx38, a 38-mm diameter tool.

Modifications and improvements for OMNIx42 have delivered reductions in tool length and weight, with savings in time per run and reduced running gear costs, according to the company.

The new OMNIx38 is at least 80% more accurate than IMDEX’s existing tool, which is the best and most accurate north-seeking gyro on the market, it added.

“The vast majority of rock knowledge data collected in the resource industry come from drill holes,” Dr Carey said. “There is no alternative to drilling a hole – so IMDEX is developing, designing and improving the best tools available to produce the most accurate drilling results.”

aiSwyft

aiSIRIS continues to be the leader in automated spectral mineralogy from handheld infrared spectrometers, processing millions of spectra from mining projects across the globe, and now has a new product offering, IMDEX says.

Building on the several million spectra in the database behind the aiSIRIS cloud-based AI spectral mineralogy solution, aiSwyft allows standardised and repeatable results within minutes of uploading spectra.

aiSwyft provides the solution to those users who put an emphasis on quick turnaround, as well as allowing a reduced end cost to the user. It still operates within the aiSIRIS platform, allowing a smooth transition for current aiSIRIS users, and enabling faster decision making, the company says.

As with the current aiSIRIS offering, aiSwyft can be used to process historical datasets, ensuring all data is interpreted in a consistent and standardised way, improving the understanding of geological deposits and helping with the planning of future drilling programs.

Dr Carey said: “The value to the customer of using aiSwyft is the ability to have consistent and unbiased mineralogy results, using a repeatable process, at a lower cost per spectrum, almost instantaneously.

“It provides expert quality results simply, without having a spectral geologist on staff or hiring a consultant and at the same time building up a consistently interpreted database which becomes increasingly valuable over time.

“For aiSIRIS, results are checked and audited for quality control and interpretation accuracy. Expert human oversight is applied in providing an interpretation of the spectra.

“With aiSwyft, an accuracy assessment metric is provided that indicates the level of confidence in the results. It is reported as a ‘probability’ value for each interpreted mineral.”

LOGRx

IQ-LOGGER remains the market-leading core logging solution, providing accurate structural measurements, IMDEX says.

The device records structural measurements (dip and dip direction), structure type and depth at the push of a button. Data collected can be visualised and validated instantly in an app where structural readings can be viewed on a stereonet before they are updated to HUB-IQ.

IQ-LOGGER significantly reduces time required for logging, while the digital transfer of structural measurements provides a reliable audit trail, according to the company.

Improvements in design, ergonomics and workflow have been introduced in the new LOGRx to further streamline the data collection process and make the tool easier to use.

IMDEX delivers record H1 revenue amid ongoing M&A drive

Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining finance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

IMDEX has announced record first-half revenue to end-2022 matched with targeted acquisition activity designed to, it says, further enhance its market-leading position.

The company reported strong growth in Africa, South America and the Asia Pacific, and increasing demand for critical minerals as it revealed record revenue of A$198.8 million ($137.7 million), an 18.4% increase on the same time last year.

During this period, the company announced plans to acquire Norway-based Devico AS in a A$334 million ($230 million) deal that, it said, would reinforce its market-leading position in mining technology and deliver increased market penetration. This deal, the company says, is expected to be completed by the end of February. The company also signed a binding heads of agreement to acquire a 40% in Krux analytics, which delivers drilling analytics software, and an increase in its Datarock holding to 40.9%, from 30 per cent, in the period.

Revenue from the Americas in the six-month period was up 14% on the same period last year to A$89.3 million; Africa and Europe up 22% (A$48.4 million); and Australia and Asia up 22% (A$61.1 million).

IMDEX Chief Executive Officer, Paul House, said the M&A activity was a highlight of the first half of the year and the results demonstrated the strength of the company’s core business.

“We are very pleased with the performance, particularly our ability to grow the business notwithstanding the current macro-related uncertainty in our operating environment and to deliver further margin expansion on a normalised basis,” he said. “The company is well positioned to leverage the robust industry fundamentals through the unique competitive position our global presence, leading technologies and integrated solutions provide.

“Combining the IMDEX and Devico businesses is expected to further strengthen this position.

“Directional drilling, a market where Devico is the leader, is one of the fastest growing segments of the mining-tech space, as companies continue to look for deposits at depth, explore complex ore bodies and respond to the growing needs of faster, cheaper more accurate drilling services.”

Normalised EBITDA for the first half of the year of A$62.8 million, which excludes the exceptional litigation costs not expected to recur during the remainder of the financial year, was up 22% on the same time last year, and up 11% on a constant currency basis.

House said revenue from sensors and software had increased as had activity linked to the search for critical minerals.

“The global commitment towards net-zero emissions and the resultant demand for critical metals or the continued extraction of reserves is outstripping their replacement,” he said.

“Critical minerals are growing at a faster rate and IMDEX is well place to benefit from the necessary supply demand rebalance.”

Industry growth was underpinned by strong demand from mid-to-major mining companies, which reported ongoing or expanded exploration budgets for 2023, and strong financing for junior and intermediate companies in December.

Other first-half highlights included:

  • Rock knowledge sensors on rent up 6% and IMDEX HUB-IQ™ connected revenue increased by 41%;
  • Released next generation IMDEX ioGAS™ V8 data analysis software;
  • Completed first generation IMDEX MINEPORTAL™ software to support BLAST DOG™ trials and contracts;
  • Commercial prototype IMDEX BLAST DOG™trials progressing as planned; and
  • Spectra analysed with aiSIRIS™ software up 4%.

IMDEX aims for directional drilling leadership with Devico acquisition

Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , ,

Global mining-tech company IMDEX has entered a binding agreement to acquire Norway-based Devico AS in a A$334 million ($230 million) deal that, it says, will reinforce its market-leading position in mining technology and deliver increased market penetration.

The proposed acquisition of Devico AS, a provider of advanced sensors and directional drilling technologies, is expected to be completed by late February.

IMDEX Chief Executive Officer, Paul House, said the proposed acquisition was a highly significant investment that extended IMDEX’s core business in both geographical reach and technology capability. It follows on from a recent heads of agreement to acquire a 40% interest in Krux Analytics, a developer of drilling analytics software focused on the collection and analysis of exploration and production drilling data in real time, for $6.42 million in cash.

The addition of Devico would strengthen IMDEX’s position as the leading provider of advanced rock knowledge sensors and establish the business as the number one directional drilling technology company globally, the company said, with Devico’s portfolio of rock knowledge sensors complementing IMDEX’s existing technology.

IMDEX said: “Through increased scale and market penetration, particularly in Europe and South America, IMDEX would further expand its presence on mine sites, opening further opportunities for its solutions to be delivered to established customers.

“Devico services mining and civil industries globally, has world-class facilities located in a key hub in the Scandinavian mining market, and strong research and development capabilities.”

Alongside this, it has a track record of commercialising innovative mining technologies and a commodity-agnostic product offering which complements IMDEX’s core business, it added.

House said IMDEX saw significant value in combining the complementary product portfolios, market-leading R&D capabilities and global presence.

“Devico’s flagship facility in Trondheim will become a key asset for IMDEX – providing us a new innovation and manufacturing hub for the European market,” he said. “Devico’s expertise, professionalism and their relentless customer focus matches our own and we are excited about what our teams can achieve together for the mining industry. We have commenced integration workstreams and are confident in a smooth transition.”

Devico has a workforce of 200 personnel across 15 locations around the world, with the existing management and technical team seen as a key asset for IMDEX.

Devico is expected to deliver 2022 revenue of about $61 million and EBITDA of $29 million and has demonstrated its ability to scale its business over the past three years with a revenue compound annual growth rate of 17% per year. About 46% of Devico’s revenue is generated from its sensors and 56% from its directional drilling technologies, according to IMDEX.

IMDEX’s Lawie on BLAST DOG’s continual orebody knowledge evolution

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

In a presentation to the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney, Australia, today, entitled ‘Get a Dog’, IMDEX Chief Geoscientist and Chief Technologist – Mining, Dave Lawie, charted the five-year development journey of the company’s BLAST DOG™ technology that, the company says, provides unrivalled pre-blast orebody knowledge and a 3D view into the bench.

BLAST DOG is a commodity-agnostic blast hole sensing and physical measurement technology that will provide near real-time blast hole physicals and orebody knowledge, according to IMDEX. The value of the technology is in the power of integrated data, enabling experts to make informed decisions that affect each stage of the mining value chain.

“Ten years ago, orebody knowledge was quite an abstract notion,” Dr Lawie said. “When we first discussed it, people wanted more information. Five years ago, they were becoming more interested, and today it’s a theme in the industry.

“IMDEX has led that discussion and been at the forefront of the development of technologies that deliver better orebody knowledge. Reliable orebody knowledge is central to good mine planning. It provides the data that allows for informed decision making that delivers savings throughout the mining life cycle.”

The BLAST DOG sensor is on a track-mounted robotic platform with semi-autonomous hole positioning and alignment capability working over variable terrain and bench conditions, IMDEX explained.

IMDEX Chief Geoscientist and Chief Technologist – Mining, Dave Lawie

Directly and rapidly measuring the orebody via blast holes reveals what the ore reserve looks like in the ground, at a high resolution, and immediately prior to its extraction, providing mining companies with “insurance” data that protects people, heritage, equipment and neighbouring communities, according to the company.

The data has the potential to be used to develop programs to, the company says, improve safety; mine planning; blast design; fragmentation; reduce fume, flyrock, vibration, air-blast and dust; and improve material assignment post blast.

Dr Lawie said an IMARC presentation in 2015 discussing spatial factors among the activity drivers in mining confirmed to IMDEX that its identification and focus on orebody knowledge was correct. But at the time there was no “Internet of Geosensing” system able to deliver the right information.

“The reference to spatial factors is really the Internet of Geosensing; IoG is an orebody knowledge system, and that’s what BLAST DOG delivers,” he said.

The reduction or management of variation alone creates value, with the characterisation of waste as important as the identification of the target metals or minerals, according to IMDEX.

It creates the opportunity for better segregation of ore from waste during mining and, therefore, grade optimisation as well as maximisation of ore recovery and minimisation of dilution.

With the delivery vehicle coming from Universal Field Robots and the downhole sensors designed and refined by IMDEX, the addition of MinePortal 3D visualisation software has accelerated IMDEX BLAST DOG for mining production, IMDEX says.

The company achieved its first commercial contract with BLAST DOG in August this year, at Iron Bridge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with the agreement providing for the staged use of up to three units together with associated products, software, data analysis, reporting and support.

Six commercial prototype trials are planned for the 2023 financial year under the first phase of BLAST DOG development.

IMDEX concluded: “The BLAST DOG technology will continue to evolve, with new answer products, novel and democratised modelling and visual outputs being developed along with expansion to other commodities and geographies and eventually to underground applications.”

IMDEX reveals record quarterly results as new tech developments await deployment

Automation, Base metals, Energy minerals, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining finance, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

IMDEX has revealed record September-quarter revenue amid a strong start to its financial year, with CEO Paul House noting revenue growth was up in all key regions with an increasing demand for real-time orebody knowledge and robust industry fundamentals.

IMDEX says its technologies enable resource companies and drilling contractors, to find, define, and mine orebodies – with precision, confidence and at speed.

Record unaudited first-quarter FY2023 revenue of A$105.9 million ($69.2 million) was up 22% on the same period last year, IMDEX said.

Sensors on hire were up 13% on a year ago and 9% on the previous quarter, meanwhile.

House, speaking at the company’s AGM today, said supply chain pressures also continued to ease during its first quarter of the financial year.

Revenue growth was up 17% year-on-year in the Americas, 29% in Africa and Europe, and 27% in Australia and Asia.

He said exploration budgets remained strong in Australia, with clients reporting longer order books of nine to 10 months rather than three to four months.

Major and mid-cap mining clients were reporting ongoing or expanded exploration budgets, and deeper orebodies were resulting in larger and more complex drilling programs, he added.

The drive to expand existing projects or find additional orebodies to sustain current production levels, continuing strong demand for metals across a broad range of sectors, and an increased demand for critical metals all contributed to a strong outlook.

“It is worth noting that during this current cycle, unlike any cycle previously, the industry has not made any major discoveries,” House said. “We believe that this supports both the continued need for exploration drilling and the importance of precision mining technologies that may improve the economics of smaller deposits or increase the mine life of existing operations.”

IMDEX CEO Paul House

House said that early in the first quarter of FY23 IMDEX signed its first significant commercial contract with a tier-one resource company in South Africa for its BORE HOLE STABILISER™ (BHS), part of its suite of drilling optimisation products.

BHS is a multifunctional product formulated specifically for air drilling applications, particularly drill & blast applications.

Trials are underway with underground commercial prototypes in Africa, Asia, and Australia, and further opportunities exist for surface applications, according to the company.

House also provided an update on development of BLAST DOG™, a multi-sensor probe designed to measure a wide range of geophysical properties of an orebody and map its material rock properties.

The data collected by BLAST DOG has the potential to be used by mining companies to develop programs that could improve mine planning, blast design, fragmentation and material movement tracking, post-blast.

IMDEX achieved the first commercial contract with BLAST DOG in August 2022, at Iron Bridge in the Pilbara. The agreement provides for the staged use of up to three BLAST DOG sensors, together with associated products, software, and support, over the initial term. This will result in an estimated contract value of A$13 million.

House added: “Our MINEPORTAL™ 3D visualisation software, acquired from DataCloud in September 2021, has been instrumental in demonstrating the value of BLAST DOG to customers,” House said.

He said the initial focus for development of BLAST DOG was copper and bulk metals within Australia and the Americas.

A rigorous assessment defined by global mines with the capacity for more than three drill rigs identified a serviceable addressable market beyond five years of approximately 400 sites, IMDEX says.

With IMDEX focussing on the top 25% of those that were more likely to support the introduction of technologies that are disruptive to existing mining workflows, the assessment had determined that the obtainable market over the same period was about 100 mine sites to support this first phase of growth for the BLAST DOG.

Six commercial prototype trials are planned for the 2023 financial year under the first phase of BLAST DOG development, according to the company.

“The next generation BLAST DOG will incorporate additional sensors, software, and data answer products, and we will expand its application to other commodities and geographies and eventually to underground applications,” House said.

IMDEX’s BLAST DOG to receive first commercial runout at Iron Bridge

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Mining support technology, BLAST DOG, which was developed in Australia by IMDEX Limited, is set to be used at the Iron Bridge Operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia under a new three-year agreement.

Iron Bridge is an unincorporated joint venture between Fortescue Metals Group subsidiary FMG Iron Bridge and Formosa Steel IB, with the agreement being the first commercial application of IMDEX’s BLAST DOG.

The agreement provides for the staged utilisation of BLAST DOGs, which IMDEX estimates will generate revenue of A$13 million ($9.2 million) over the initial term.

The BLAST DOG is a commodity-agnostic blasthole sensing and physical measurement technology that is semi-autonomously deployed for logging material properties and blasthole characteristics at high spatial density across the bench and mine.

IMDEX Chief Executive Officer, Paul House, said this contract win was a defining moment for IMDEX.

“This is homegrown technology designed to provide meaningful, quantifiable benefits for the mining industry,” House said.

“We are not aware of any other technology that has the capacity to produce the same quantity and quality of pre-blast rock data and provide as large an impact on downstream processes.”

“The commercial success of BLAST DOG reflected in today’s announcement is a credit to IMDEX’s R&D team and their drive to make a difference in the mining industry.”

IMDEX Chief Geoscientist, Dave Lawie, said the company overcame many obstacles, including mine access issues caused by COVID-19, to deliver the BLAST DOG project in Australia and the Americas.

“Today’s announcement is exciting because we know what BLAST DOG can produce,” Lawie said.

“It is recognition for five years of intense effort spanning the USA, Queensland, Western Australia and Chile in conjunction with our METS Ignited project partners.

“In addition to the work for the Iron Bridge joint venture, we are involved in ongoing, pre-commercial trials across various operations in Australia, Canada and Chile.”

IMDEX’s BLAST DOG provides material physical property measurements prior to blasthole drilling to inform decisions regarding blasting, screening, blending and stockpiling, among others, before these materials are subject to processing. These properties form the inputs to a tactical approach to ore characterisation and processing, IMDEX says.

Possible benefits offered by IMDEX’s BLAST DOG include the ability of mining companies to develop programs which:

  • Optimise explosive selection and costs;
  • Improve fragmentation;
  • Improve material and grade control;
  • Reduce geotechnical risk;
  • Detect voids;
  • Define ore boundaries and prevent ore waste dilution; and
  • Reduce fume, flyrock, vibration, air-blast and dust.

The BLAST DOG contract capped off a year in which IMDEX delivered record revenue, record earnings and continued margin expansion.

It reported record revenue of $341.8 million, a 29.3% increase on the same time last year; alongside record EBITDA of A$104.9 million, an increase of 38.9% on last year; and net profit after tax of A$44.7 million, up 41% on last year.

IMDEX focuses on drilling fluids, AMC BORE HOLE STABILISER release to boost productivity

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , ,

IMDEX is talking up the use of drilling fluids as part of its holistic focus on improving drilling performance when out in the field.

The company’s drilling optimisation solutions combine best-in-class technologies, sensors, and motors to deliver improved performances, but, for IMDEX Drilling Optimisation General Manager, Charles Macfadyen, drilling fluids are at the start of the value chain, maximising the data delivered from the company’s technology and tools.

“Costs are always increasing, so the emphasis is on precision drilling: drilling smart metres and drilling efficiently,” Macfadyen said.

“It all relies on fluids to be able to do that. Fluids are an essential part of the drilling process with the potential to unlock hidden productivity when used effectively.”

He says while the oil and gas industry has long understood the importance of fluids and the skills of mud engineers, the understanding within the mineral exploration community has not been as widespread.

“There is a big difference in the cost of exploration drilling between oil and gas, and mineral exploration, but the science and logic will come to mining; the understanding that it’s far more than just a fluid, there’s an understanding of what equates to precision and enhanced performance that makes it special.”

Additional costs caused by higher operational standards, environmental restrictions and increased hole depths will continue – and could be the catalyst for a greater understanding of the part played by fluids, according to IMDEX.

IMDEX has around 100 drilling fluid products to cater for specific regional and global requirements, with the most recent addition being AMC BORE HOLE STABILISER™ (BHS).

BHS is a multifunctional product formulated specifically for air drilling applications, particularly drill and blast applications.

It helps prevent a wide range of down-hole problems including poor collaring, hole decay or sidewall instability, provides a degree of lubrication to the hole and will improve the lifting capacity of the air stream for cuttings transportation, according to the company.

Use of BHS in an underground mine in Western Australia resulted in an increase of up to 40% more metres drilled per day, reduced drilling consumables by up to 50%, improved load times and explosives use for explosive crews, and reduced HSE risks through less manual handling to mobilise and install casing, IMDEX says.

“For drill and blast, the side wall imperative is for both function and efficiency,” Macfadyen said. “BHS delivers improved productivity while using less explosives and less redrills.

“IMDEX drilling fluids are much more than a fluid – you actually get the knowledge that comes not just from making premium fluids and understanding that over more than 30 years, but also the knowledge that comes from our understanding of the drilling market, and of rock knowledge.

“Others don’t have that rock knowledge. It’s the tangible knowledge that at any given moment in time you know what you’re drilling through, the geological understanding, the resource definition, the granular knowledge behind how to optimise your fluids program to cater for that.

“Whether it’s orientation, mineralogy or any geological understanding it’s the essential knowledge that you need to develop a fluid or optimise a drilling program.

“It puts us in a leading position. Unlike others, IMDEX is able to leverage intimate rock knowledge, lab capabilities and global mud engineers to unlock the potential of any drilling program.”

IMDEX’s presence in 70% of major mining operations globally has allowed the company to foster this knowledge, according to Macfayden.

IMDEX lines up three new product launches for PDAC 2022

Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining events, , , , , ,

IMDEX plans to arrive at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto, Canada, next week with a suite of products targeting quality, accuracy, and precision.

The company will use the first in-person PDAC conference in more than two years to showcase new and improved tools and technologies that build on its reputation as market leaders in enabling clients to find, define and mine orebodies with precision and at speed, it said.

The in-person event will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) from June 13-15.

IMDEX General Manager – Rock Knowledge, Mark Gabbitus, said the re-engineering, design upgrades and product evolution inherent in each of the products reflected IMDEX’s approach of constantly reassessing its products to ensure they are the best in market.

REFLEX GYRO SPRINT-IQ™

Responding to customer requirements, IMDEX has re-engineered and improved its REFLEX GYRO SPRINT-IQ running gear, reducing the weight of the total kit by around half, from 90 kg to about 45 kg.

“These improvements really address user requirements,” Gabbitus said. “We have taken a tool that has been in the market for a long time and made improvements around the size and the workflow.

“We’ve made it lighter, shorter, easier to handle and therefore safer. The running gear for overshot applications made the tool around 3.3-m long that came in three cases weighing 90 kg and took two people to handle. Now it’s around 2.7 m and is light enough for one person to manage easily.

“We’ve done a lot of work to improve it, making it smaller and lighter, easier to carry and to operate. This is particularly important in the confines of an underground environment.”

REFLEX OMNI-IQ™

IMDEX will demo its new gyro tool, the REFLEX OMNI-IQ which, it says, maintains its position as the leader in survey accuracy.

“OMNI addresses quality and accuracy of delivered data,” Gabbitus said.

“Sprint has been the most accurate gyro on the market to date, but gyro technology has evolved and now OMNI is the most accurate; it’s the natural evolution of the technology that we have developed and pioneered.

“We’re testing commercial prototype tools in Australia and Canada and the workflow and data results have been excellent.”

REFLEX IQ-LOGGER™

IMDEX will also present the next generation of its IQ-LOGGER, the core logging solution that provides fast, accurate structural measurements.

Gabbitus said the improvements were, again, in response to customer feedback.

“We’ve taken what is a very popular product and revamped it, making the workflow more efficient, and the tool more robust, easier to handle, and better from an ergonomic perspective.

“We launched IQ-LOGGER at PDAC in 2015, so it’s fitting to be able to unveil the new-look, next generation of the tool this year.”