Tag Archives: MineWare

MineWare Argus Wheel Loader achieves North America first with CAT 992 installation

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MineWare’s new Argus Wheel Loader has made its debut in North America, with the OEM-independent wheel loader monitoring system having recently been installed on a CAT 992K operating at a gold mine in Nevada, USA.

The system, purchased to improve wheel loader truck payload management and performance at the operation, was installed in July by the company’s North America team.

On top of it being the first commercial deployment of MineWare’s Argus WL monitoring system in the North America region, it is also MineWare’s first system installation on a CAT 992K wheel loader, the company told IM.

The release of Argus WL in February followed 18 months of field trials conducted across three Western Australia mine sites.

Argus WL improves wheel loader efficiency, effectiveness and payload accuracy, according to the Komatsu-owned company. “The system weighs each bucket in real time, without the need to stop and calculate payload before dumping the load,” it said.

“Often dubbed as ‘support’ equipment, the wheel loader makes it possible for the primary loading and hauling equipment to do their jobs more efficiently,” MineWare said. “When a large wheel loader has the capacity to replace a small digger, it’s vital not to forget the importance of these assets and the impact they have on mining productivity and profitability.”

The company concluded: “MineWare’s Argus Wheel Loader system is OEM independent/agnostic. Our ‘all makes, all models’ approach gives customers the best opportunity to standardise systems across mixed fleets of equipment.

“For example, on this one particular customer site, MineWare supports three different equipment makes and models: Komatsu, Hitachi and CAT.”

MineWare takes Argus to new heights at Chile copper mine

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MineWare says it has recently completed its first high-altitude installation of its Argus monitoring system at one of Chile’s largest copper mines.

While technology continues to digitise and automate many mining processes – with the company recently helping a major copper mine in Chile set up its Argus and Pegasys monitoring systems on five of its electric rope shovels without stepping foot on site – there are still some tasks that need to be managed on the ground, it says.

Reflecting on a recent installation of MineWare’s Argus monitoring system on a P&H 4100XPC shovel at this large copper mine in Chile, MineWare’s Vice President for South America, Ramiro Mesina, said his team specialise in adapting and responding to clients’ environmental conditions.

“We pride ourselves on understanding the unique challenges and opportunities at each of our clients’ sites,” he said. “Our technology has been developed to support this and our team are well-versed in solving complex problems.

“Our recent work in Chile saw our team manage an installation of our Argus monitoring system at an altitude of 4,800 m above sea level in -10°C temperatures with occasional earthquakes: definitely not your every-day situation.

“While this was our first high-altitude installation, the process and care our team puts into planning this type of operation is tried and tested. Efficient project management and coordination, led by our Regional Operations Manager, Hector Mendoza, was key to ensuring a successful installation as well as the safety of all involved.”

In addition to the location of the mining site, the MineWare team also needed to manage this process during a global pandemic. Mining sites in South America have continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 situation, however for many this has been at a reduced level or with a skeleton staff.

Mesina said the strict COVID-19 regulations put in place to protect worker’s health and safety meant there was also minimal on-site assistance to support MineWare’s installation process.

“This was another factor we needed to address in our planning,” he said. “We knew we needed to reconsider logistics as there would be challenges with making resources and vehicles available.

The Argus E in-cab operator display

“We determined that the most efficient process would be to add additional time to our preparation on-site and run the installation over four night shifts. This allowed our team to identify any other issues prior to the installation while taking into consideration the potential impact of the altitude on our team.”

Mesina said the team successfully completed the installation on schedule, with only a couple of small earthquakes halting the progress on-site.

Argus is an advanced monitoring system for electric shovels, hydraulic excavators and wheel loaders.

The interoperable solution captures and shares valuable operating data to on site and remote mining personnel in real time to optimise payload performance, mine compliance and machine health, according to the company.

MineWare integrates mining value chain with new Argus tool

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MineWare has introduced an advanced Material Classification module for its Argus Shovel Monitor to, it says, enable mine sites to save millions of dollars by reducing the amount of lost or contaminated ore.

The module integrates precise material information from each bucket, per the mine plan, with any fleet management system to give machine operators, haul truck drivers and processing personnel more accurate knowledge and feedback on the type of material being loaded and hauled, it said.

MineWare Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Roy Pater, said by knowing upfront what exactly is being loaded at the face, the Argus Material Classification Module improves what material is being moved through the value chain – from pit to plant.

“Argus sets up the entire workflow for better success, providing the right feedback to more people and processes downstream to make informed decisions,” he said. “Shovel operators can now see in real time, via an intuitive, colour-coded display screen, the type and grade of material being loaded, not just the quantity of material.

“Unlike traditional systems that just track material via machine position, Argus precisely monitors each bucket fill and position, classifying the material in real time via a block model overlay on the Argus screen. The operator knows exactly what they’re digging, and where. Argus removes subjectivity when interpreting boundaries and reduces the risk of grade contamination at the dig face.”

Pater said operators no longer need to change grade manually or make assumptions on what they are digging, with the improvement in classification of material upstream having a positive effect on operations downstream.

“Better classification of material in the pit leads to better production output by knowing exactly what’s going in the truck and where it needs to go,” he said.

Argus feeds this material information from the shovel through to the mine’s fleet management system in real time.

Pater said: “The driver then knows exactly where to take the material based on its type and concentration – whether that’s a stockpile, waste point or straight to the crusher for processing.”

Poor stockpile management, ore loss, dilution and grade contamination are common challenges for mining operations, costing millions of dollars annually, according to Pater, with many of these downstream problems and efficiencies in mining directly linked to upstream load and haul processes.

“The misallocation of even a single bucket of high-grade ore can lead to significant monetary losses for mines, either in the pit or in the processing plant,” he said. “At the other end of the spectrum, highly acidic waste material must also be allocated correctly to ensure its safe removal and disposal.”

Pater said the new technology meets the global mining industry’s need for instant, on-demand access to information across a mine that can only be achieved by sharing data in real time between the various mining systems.

“By connecting more of the dots and closing the feedback loop between loading, hauling, dumping and crushing, Argus addresses these issues head on,” he said.

Detailed material classification compliance reports also help geologists, surveyors and reconciliation engineers meet their legal reporting obligations, with easier access to more accurate data on what and how material has been distributed on site, MineWare says.

Argus is an advanced monitoring system for electric and hydraulic loaders, designed to manage payload, mine compliance, machine health and situational awareness.

MineWare goes remote for latest Argus and Pegasys deployments

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MineWare has been ramping up its remote deployment offering during these challenging times, with the Komatsu-owned company’s local teams recently helping a major copper mine in Chile set up its Argus monitoring system on five of its electric rope shovels without stepping foot on site.

The company is focused on helping its customers stay operational and keep safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and CEO, Jason Fisher, said the company’s ability to adapt and innovate had proven key to finding new and different ways to meet customers’ needs in the field given numerous virus-related constraints.

“Remote monitoring, service and support is a fundamental part of our business. It’s what we know and what we do best,” he said.

“During the pandemic, we’ve pushed the boundaries of these capabilities to help our customers protect their workforce while continuing to drive forward productivity and efficiency.

“Our local field support teams around the world have transitioned to deliver more services remotely, thinking outside the box to perform tasks traditionally delivered on the ground, like the deployment of new systems.”

Fisher said innovation, collaboration and communication have been critical success factors in helping customers adapt to the changing environment.

Referencing the Argus deployment at the Chile copper mine, he said: “Calibrating multiple systems, for the first time virtually, was a historic achievement, made possible by the collective efforts of our remote teams working in close partnership with customer teams in the field.”

Argus, an advanced monitoring system for electric and hydraulic loaders, is designed to manage payload, mine compliance, machine health and situational awareness.

The company’s North American team has also recently been successful in completing its first 100% remote Pegasys dragline system calibration, with instruction to and assistance from the customer, Fisher added.

Pegasys is, MineWare says, an advanced payload and mine compliance monitoring system for draglines that enables mine sites to establish best operator practice.

Fisher believes there will be increased demand from the global mining industry for innovative solutions that facilitate greater connections between remote and in-field workers.

“As we start to see many of the large mining companies return to normal rosters, workforce safety and connectedness will drive continued demand for digital technologies and remote service offerings,” he said.

“The industry needs interoperable, OEM-agnostic solutions that improve the flow and visibility of information between equipment, systems and people – to make operations safer, more effective and more productive.”

Komatsu creates group focused on automation interoperability

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To maximise the opportunities and potential that exists with furthering automation in mining, Modular Mining’s parent company, Komatsu, recently created the Komatsu Technology Interoperability Center of Excellence.

This group, based in Tucson, Arizona, focuses entirely on driving product strategy and developing roadmaps for technology and automation. Some of its recent work is geared towards an interoperability-focused ISO standard that, it says, will help make interoperability of automated equipment a reality.

Komatsu explained: “These in-development strategies and roadmaps aim to include the full range of mining equipment across all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) within the Komatsu family, including both surface and underground equipment, and leverage the original technology manufacturers including Modular Mining, MineWare, and Immersive Technologies.”

The new Technology Interoperability group is focused on providing customers with a high-quality portfolio of state-of-the-art, integration-ready technologies and automated systems for all types of mining, according to Komatsu.

“The group’s vision centres on delivering innovative mine automation solutions that exceed customer expectations and provide a step change in safety and productivity,” it said. “Recognising that each mine has its own unique requirements and that customer operations span the various levels of being autonomous-ready, Komatsu is committed to developing solutions across the automation spectrum, including offerings specific to: truck spotting, assisted operation (including active blade control), autonomous drilling, and more.”

The pace of the technological evolution in the consumer world is driving mining’s evolution, Komatsu says.

“We’re seeing faster adoption of automation technologies and enablers at mining operations worldwide. Automation capabilities in the consumer automotive industry, including the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems that provide lane assistance and adaptive cruise control, are becoming standard systems on new cars. The underlying technologies of these automation capabilities, including controllers, sensors, algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI), among others, are becoming more mature, thus opening opportunities for adoption into the mining industry.”

Effective mining automation solutions require interoperability, as most mines have a mixed fleet of equipment. To support that customer need, Komatsu says it is leading the development of an ISO standard that will help make interoperability of automated equipment a reality.

“Together with Modular Mining’s OEM agnosticism and a focus on both safety and sustainability, we are confident these standards will support the delivery of improved solutions to meet customer and societal needs,” the company said.

Many miners have started to digitalise their processes, but the greatest optimisation occurs when silos are collectively broken down, data is shared and solutions are integrated, the company says.

“To further this effort, Modular Mining is working towards integration with third-party technology partners, which will allow the company’s IntelliMine solutions and third-party systems (such as mine planning and payload monitoring systems, among others) to seamlessly share data with one another.

“Access to this previously unavailable third-party data will enable Modular Mining to streamline overall operational efficiency by enhancing the existing decision-making algorithms within a site’s IntelliMine technologies.”

The advances in industrial computing and algorithm developments also allow AI and machine learning to be pushed to the ‘edge’ of onboard equipment, enabling automatic identification and corrective action for previously unsolvable production, maintenance, and safety related problems, according to Komatsu.

“As the role of automation in the mining industry continues to increase, so too does the excitement from Komatsu’s Technology Interoperability group,” the company said. “In the past year, our teams have had the privilege of working with many customers and internal groups to develop a new strategy and roadmap that will help drive future offerings for our customers. We are excited to continue applying advanced technology, equipment, and services to help support the mining industry’s exciting and necessary evolution to meet the demands of society for the long haul.”

MineWare founder hands reins to Jason Fisher

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MineWare CEO and founder, Andrew Jessett (pictured), has stepped down from his role at the company to pursue new opportunities, the independent monitoring systems company says.

Jessett founded MineWare in 2005, after independently creating and commercialising Pegasys, an advanced dragline monitor system.

“I’m immensely proud of everything the MineWare team has achieved over the past 15 years and I will follow its next growth phase with interest,” Jessett said.

MineWare Chairman, Lyle Bruce, said Jessett had notched up many significant achievements in his 15 years at the company; “guiding its growth into a global company and then successfully integrating with Komatsu three years ago”.

He added: “We thank Andrew for the incredible legacy he has created, upon which we will continue to innovate and grow.”

MineWare teams are focused on continuing to deliver innovative customer solutions, Bruce said, while the leadership seamlessly transitions.

Jason Fisher, formerly MineWare’s Regional Vice President for Australasia, will now act as CEO, supported by the company’s long-standing senior leadership team, the company said.

The transition commenced early this year, with Jason and Andrew working closely together for an initial handover term.

MineWare brings payload monitoring expertise to wheel loader market

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MineWare, after 18 months of field trials conducted across three Western Australia mine sites, has launched a new OEM-independent wheel loader monitoring system that, it says, lifts productivity and reduces cost per tonne in real time.

Argus Wheel Loader (WL) delivers real-time feedback to the wheel loader operator via an intuitive touchscreen to make material handling and loading jobs safer, faster and more accurate, according to MineWare.

The tool builds on MineWare’s Argus and Pegasys monitoring systems for electric rope shovels, hydraulic excavators and draglines.

MineWare Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Roy Pater, said Argus WL was developed based on a growing demand from MineWare’s customers to improve efficiency, effectiveness and payload accuracy across their large wheel loader fleets.

“Argus WL does this by weighing each bucket in real time, without the need to stop and calculate payload before dumping the load,” he said. “This, we understand from our customers, is an unacceptable practice required from other similar systems today, losing valuable production time to repeat this with every bucket load.”

Pater said the multi-purpose nature of the system was a key point of difference, with Argus WL offering advanced functionality in truck detection, structural monitoring, as well as payload optimisation in real-time.

“The real-time nature of Argus WL really stands our system apart as it gives operators direct feedback for them to make smarter loading decisions to optimise truck loading and payload management,” he said.

“Argus WL guides operators to move the right amount of material with every load, helping mines to reduce payload variability, meet production targets and predict the operations forecasts more reliably, when analysing machine productivity by shift and operator.”

Developed on an open IoT platform, the interoperable system works on any OEM machine and integrates with third-party production software, according to the Komatsu-owned company.

Pater said Argus WL leverages MineWare’s 15 years of experience in ground engagement equipment monitoring, productivity improvement and payload optimisation to create a purpose-built system made for mining.

“Argus WL takes productivity monitoring for wheel loaders to a new level, by working smarter, not harder, to get the job completed successfully,” he said.

Komatsu Australia launches updated PC4000-6 mining excavator

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Komatsu Australia has released the latest version of its 370-t-class mining excavator, the PC4000-6 Series 3, delivering higher productivity, reduced maintenance costs, increased reliability and upgraded safety features, the mining OEM said.

The new excavator is based on the PC4000-11 released at MINExpo in 2016 – but incorporates a Tier 2 emissions standard engine, rather than the Tier 4 Final engine fitted to the PC4000-11.

It achieves its productivity increases through having the highest digging forces – both in backhoe and face shovel configurations – in its class, a large-capacity 23 cu m backhoe bucket (22 cu m in shovel mode) and faster cycle times through variable-speed slew motors, according to the company.

Komatsu-designed-and-manufactured hydraulic pumps contribute to lower maintenance costs through long life and easy-to-maintain design, the company added, while a simplified Komatsu control system ensures a high level of reliability.

Safety standards for both operators and maintenance crews have been improved through several upgrades, including 45° stairway access stairs and factory-fitted exit ladders.

The PC4000-6 Series 3 has an operating weight of 388-405 t (depending on configuration) and is powered by a Komatsu SDA16V160E-2 engine rated at 1,400 kW.

According to Michael Hall, Komatsu Australia’s National Product Manager, Mining, the PC4000-6 Series 3 has been specially developed to suit Australian conditions.

“Apart from the engine, the PC4000-6 Series 3 is the same as the PC4000-11 released in Las Vegas – including all the safety and technological developments it incorporated. Komatsu can now supply the latest design and technology with a Tier 2 option to Australian mines not requiring the Tier 4 PC4000-11 model,” he said.

“For that reason, we are offering this model with the well-known and proven Tier 2 compliant Komatsu SDA16V160E-2 engine for Australia. And it comes direct from the factory aligned with Australian mining requirements, so minimal modifications are required.”

Hall said Komatsu Australia brought the first PC4000-6 Series 3 to the country in the June quarter of 2018 in backhoe configuration.

“This size and configuration of excavator is a flexible loading tool option for many Australian mining operations and, with the local industry showing improved growth and activity, bringing in a stock machine is a sign of our confidence in the industry’s future,” he said.

“We see excellent potential for this model and are keen to see the advantages and improvements it delivers used in mining operations in Australia.”

Upgraded safety features are key improvements on the PC4000-6 Series 3.

The 45° access stairs allow operators and maintenance personnel much easier and safer access to the machine, including easier access to the machinery house level and to the operator’s cabin.

“Another safety advance is a new emergency egress system, incorporating emergency exits on two sides of the machine, ensuring high safety standards for all personnel on the machine,” Hall said.

A flipdown two-piece ladder, with anti-slip surfaces helps ensure quiet and safe exit from the machine in case of emergency, while the front window of the cabin is 19 mm thick impact-resistant glass, giving additional operator protection.

A new lighting system, consisting of 14 high-performance working lights using the latest LED technology, ensures significantly better visibility at night and other times of low visibility.

The excavator’s control system has been simplified and upgraded, using Komatsu controllers to reduce nodes and provide additional redundancy for improved efficiency.

“The PC4000-6 Series 3 is fitted with Komatsu’s latest KOMTRAX Plus remote monitoring system, providing remote monitoring information about the machine’s performance and operating status,” Hall said.

“It also incorporates extended oil change intervals combined with easier and safer machine access, significantly reducing regular maintenance requirements.

“As well, the machine is Modular Mining’s ProVision ready, allowing it to incorporate a machine guidance system that integrates with mine planning software.

“It is also ready for MineWare’s Argus Payload System, allowing accurate, reliable payload measurements, so operators can optimise loading to required truck payloads,” he said.

In backhoe configuration, the machine has:

  • Operating weight of 394- 405 t;
  • Bucket capacity of 23 cu m;
  • Komatsu SDA16V160E-2 rated engine at 1,400 kW;
  • Arm breakout of 107,068 kg-f;
  • Bucket breakout of 117,775 kg-f;
  • Maximum dig depth of 8,000 mm.

In face shovel configuration, the machine has:

  • Operating weight of 388-400 t;
  • Bucket capacity of 22 cu m;
  • Komatsu SDA16V160E-2 rated engine at 1,400 kW;
  • Arm crowd force of 127,462 kg-f;
  • Bucket breakout force of 135,620 kg-f;
  • Maximum dump height of 12,000 mm.