Tag Archives: MinePlan Schedule Optimizer

Hexagon’s Mining division introduces new features to software suite

21st March 2023IoT, Mining services, Mining softwareAPI, Hexagon, HxGN MinePlan Activity Scheduler, MinePlan Block Model Manager, MinePlan GeoLogic, MinePlan Geosciences Suite, MinePlan Schedule Optimizer, mining softwareDaniel Gleeson

Hexagon’s Mining division has introduced a new innovative block model management solution to its HxGN MinePlan solution, seeking to address the complex challenges associated with orebody data management.

This release will introduce HxGN MinePlan Block Model Manager, which enables users to quickly populate, manage and share block models from HxGN MinePlan 3D and third-party systems.

One of the key features of HxGN MinePlan Block Model Manager is its new API, which simplifies integration with other systems enabling data interoperability, according to the company. This means users no longer need to manually import or export block model data, streamlining the process and saving valuable time.

To remain at the forefront of technology changes, Hexagon says it is continuously modernising MinePlan, ensuring it remains a leading-edge solution that fits seamlessly into the modern digital ecosystems its clients are investing in, making it adaptable to changing needs.

Among other new features included within Hexagon’s Mining division latest releases are an enhancement of the MinePlan 3D Auto Cut Generation tool to allow for batch configuration of cut parameters. This will allow planning engineers to configure the cut parameters for all their pits in the first step of their workflow and run the batch of cut operations in the next step, according to the company.

In the HxGN MinePlan Geosciences Suite release, the company has included the ability to back-code geologic solids to drill holes, creating new intervals that the solids intersect. This has been a long-requested feature that will better enable field exploration planning, support superior reconciliation of geologic domain models and improve geostatistics resolution, according to Hexagon’s Mining division.

*The results of MinePlan Geologic can be coded to drill holes. Users can validate results of coding operations in MinePlan 3D*

The company’s HxGN MinePlan GeoLogic implicit modelling solution has also further undergone several enhancements, which will result in more realistic geologic models in complex geological settings, particularly in environments with complex faulting, the company says.

Lastly, in the HxGN MinePlan Schedule Optimizer solution, users will now be able to restrict the availability of roads by phase and elevation, while road availability by bench elevation has been added to allow further control of material routing. Alongside this, the software developers have included the ability to update the model location without resetting the schedule, allowing the user to define the new file path of a block model without having to reset the schedule, if the block model is moved to a new location. This will enable users to use the latest features in MinePlan Schedule Optimizer, such as destination coding if they need to move their block model to a new location, the company says.

MinePlan Schedule Optimizer also no longer requires users to set the destination ramps in a specific direction (from source to destination), eliminating unnecessary setup requirements.

*Road availability can be toggled by segment and bench elevation in MinePlan Haulage*

And, now that MinePlan Schedule Optimizer supports shovel scheduling, additional equipment information fields have been added, providing more comprehensive reporting, Hexagon’s Mining division said.

Lastly, on the HxGN Mineplan Activity Scheduler, Process Points – a destination type that can perform basic or complex calculations – allows users to model complex routing scenarios, such as routing by material type or pebble rejects sorting point for the mill. Blending Optimized Layers is a module inside MinePlan Activity Scheduler that allows the user to blend material coming from different sources to hit tonnage, volume and grade targets.

These two features can now work together, according to the company, providing a “great addition” for operations that needs to model complex routing scenarios and hit blending targets at the same time.

HxGN MinePlan Activity Scheduler works with three different types of volumes: BCM (Bench Cubic Metres), LCM (Loose Cubic Metres), and HCM (Haul Cubic Metres). MinePlan users can now run a blending scenario maximising HCM and LCM volume and using HCM and LCM as constraints, it said.

Hexagon’s Mining division updates mine planning software suite

20th May 2022Mining services, Mining softwareAutoslicer, Block Schedule Coding, Hexagon, HxGN MinePlan, mine planning, MinePlan 3D, MinePlan Project Evaluator, MinePlan Schedule Optimizer, Pit Expander, planning and hybrid scheduling, Shovel ControlDaniel Gleeson

Hexagon’s Mining division has added to the capabilities of its mine planning software, HxGN MinePlan, with a new release that, it says, brings new functionality to MinePlan 3D, MinePlan Schedule Optimizer and MinePlan Project Evaluator, along with vast improvements in performance and speed.

MinePlan 3D is the hub of all Hexagon’s mine planning tools and activities, with the latest release improving performance and responding to customer feedback, the company said.

The new reserves engine is now integrated into the Autoslicer tool, allowing users to select between legacy and new reserve logic setups to slice by tonnes as a target. This allows users to quickly generate shapes to help meet planning requirements.

The new reserves engine can be used in the Pit Expander, enabling users to select between legacy and new reserve logic setups to run bench reserves while designing a pit. Audit pit reserves during the design process, meanwhile, ensure best design and comparison with strategic pit optimization.

MinePlan Schedule Optimizer (MPSO) ensures optimal scheduling with great detail, with Hexagon enabling mid-range planning and hybrid scheduling, combining optimal and manual scheduling.

Block Schedule Coding is a new feature which allows users to code back MPSO period and destination schedule results to the block model. This reconciles optimisation and operational models and assists in pre-targeting material for short-range planning and grade control.

Shovel Control (screenshot, pictured) assigns shovels to areas, phases, benches and cuts in advanced constraints. Users can limit the number of shovels applied to a given cut per period. This will help generate more operational schedules by controlling shovel allocation and movement, the company says.

Improved with speed and greater performance, MinePlan Project Evaluator ensures a user’s long-term plan starts with an economically optimised shell.

The ability to skip invalid cases in a task with multiple runs allows multi-case runs to continue regardless of invalid cases, and without the need to monitor process time, the company says.

Users can also now limit their pit optimisation by an existing surface, speeding up run time for optimisation as fewer blocks will need to be analysed.

Hexagon MPPE brings about new era in strategic mine scheduling space

16th October 2019IoT, Mining services, Mining softwareDustin Meisburger, Hexagon, HxGN MinePlan Project Evaluator, mine scheduling, MinePlan Schedule Optimizer, mining softwareDaniel Gleeson

Hexagon’s Mining division has announced the introduction of HxGN MinePlan Project Evaluator (MPPE), a strategic planning software tool that, the company says, optimises ultimate pits and life-of-mine strategic schedules.

MPPE is part of the Engineering suite of products in the MinePlan portfolio, which built on almost 50 years of development and is proven in mines worldwide, Hexagon said.

“Today’s release provides mine planners with the familiar methodology to generate ultimate pits, plus an abundance of new functionality when it comes to strategic scheduling,” the company added.

Featuring a modern interface, MPPE allows planners to consider multiple potential scenarios both in the pit optimisation and scheduling process using robust case management tools. Reports are integrated into the interface and can be exported to many formats for inclusion in other documents. Pit-by-pit graphs can also be quickly created to identify the ideal ultimate pit.

Dustin Meisburger, Product Manager, said MPPE begins a new era in the strategic scheduling space: “MPPE scheduling uses the same MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) optimisation technology that has made MinePlan Schedule Optimizer the industry standard.”

He added: “Together, these solutions make for a formidable engineering package that enables pit optimisation and strategic scheduling to maximise net present value.

“Planners will be able to quickly generate a large number of mining schedule scenarios, with NPV optimised over the life of the mine using multi-period schedule optimisation. This will help to increase overall project NPV by ensuring the best mining strategy is selected.”