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Sandvik to showcase digital, battery-electric and diesel-electric advances at MINExpo 2024

Automation, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining finance, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik will introduce innovative new solutions and showcase its latest technologies at mining’s largest tradeshow, MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2024, in Las Vegas, including battery-electric and diesel-electric equipment to help customers improve their sustainability.

The OEM will have its latest innovations on display at the show, September 24-26, including its new Toro™ diesel-electric truck demonstrator and latest battery-electric concept surface drill rig.

Sandvik’s 21,000-sq.ft (1,950-sq.m) exhibit will demonstrate its vision for the “future of mining”, a theme that emphasises its focus on the technologies and solutions that will help customers mine more sustainably without compromising productivity or efficiency.

“As the mining industry helps drive the global green transition and decarbonisation efforts accelerate within our own sector, we continue to innovate within automation, digitalisation and electrification, key areas that empower our customers to mine more sustainably,” Mats Eriksson, President of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said.

Digitalisation is poised to become even more vital in solving the industry’s ever-increasing challenges of safety, productivity and profitability. The centrepiece of Sandvik’s exhibit will be a 645-sq.ft (60-sq.m) immersive room, a sensory experience that will showcase the company’s end-to-end digital offering and other key technologies, the company says. MINExpo attendees can step into a mine control room and cap lamp room, explore Sandvik’s MineGame advanced simulation tool and discover technologies including Sandvik’s digital convergence system and collision avoidance system.

Sandvik is expanding its technology portfolio by developing a diesel-electric range of underground loaders and trucks to complement its leading BEV offering, expected to boost productivity, reduce total cost of ownership, improve availability and extend component lifetimes. Sandvik first showcased its Toro diesel-electric truck demonstrator to customers at a technology workshop in Turku, Finland, in 2022. Boasting a capacity of 60-plus-tonnes, the demonstrator has since undergone extensive performance testing and the Sandvik product development team is using customer feedback to ensure its future commercial offering meets industry needs.

On the surface drilling side, Sandvik will showcase its Sandvik DR411i rotary blasthole drill rig and Pantera™ DP1510i top hammer drill rig, as well as its latest battery-electric concept surface drill rig. On display for the first time outside of Finland, the down-the-hole BEV is the first in its size class, capable of drilling DTH holes up to 9 in (229 mm) in diameter and blending the autonomy of battery with the continuous endurance of power cable.

On the underground drilling side, the Sandvik DL422iE longhole drill will be on display together with Sandvik’s future direction for battery-electric underground drilling applications, a new rock drill offering and the latest in iSURE® and Sandvik DrillConnect capability. Underground drilling and Deswik integration for longhole mine planning will also be presented, alongside Sandvik ground support solutions including its ARI System, resin injection head, pump resin kit and mesh products.

Sandvik will display some of its latest rock tools at MINExpo, including the new CT55 and CT67 curved thread top hammer tool systems for surface bench drilling and underground longhole drilling, Golden Shank with unique corrosion resistance, push bore reamer system for underground slot hole drilling and Sandvik RR340 single seal roller bearing rotary drill bit. Sandvik will also launch new rock tools at the show, including a new DTH hammer and bit family and a new collective concept for its digital rock tools suite.

Sandvik’s parts and services exhibits will showcase the company’s comprehensive lifecycle support, blending the unparalleled OEM expertise of Sandvik service technicians with advanced technology to maximise performance and longevity for Sandvik equipment – whether it’s diesel, hybrid or electric, the company says. Sandvik will also present its latest developments within its suite of digital services, which leverage data and insights from its connected equipment.

For rock and mineral processing applications, the Sandvik booth will feature a display of Sandvik hydraulic hammers as well as the company’s latest lineup of high-capacity vibrating screens and feeders. Recent acquisitions enable Sandvik to offer one of the most comprehensive ranges of vibrating screens and feeders on the market, it says, with equipment capable of handling up to 8,000 t/h. MINExpo visitors will see the SL3672M, a double deck flat screen that measures approximately 12 ft (3.6 m) in width and 24 ft (7.3 m) in length and weighs around 33 t. Also on display will be Sandvik’s new screen condition monitoring and screening media management systems, designed to help operators maximise processing plant uptime and efficiency.

Representatives from Sandvik Financial Services will be available at the booth to discuss equipment financing opportunities.

Sandvik seals largest-ever single surface drills order from Country Boy Supply

Automation, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

Country Boy Supply, LLC, one of the newest dealers for Sandvik in the USA, has selected Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to supply 34 surface drill rigs to replace its current contractor fleet in Georgia and Tennessee, the largest-ever single surface drills order for Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

Country Boy Supply (CBS) already had a large order focusing on the construction market in Georgia and Tennessee when Two Eight Drilling, its largest customer, approached CBS with a decision to switch to Sandvik equipment.

The record-setting order includes 16 Leopard™ DI650i drills, six Leopard DI550 drills, five Pantera™ DP1600i drills, three Ranger™ DX800 drills, three Ranger DX700 drills and one Pantera DP1500i drill.

“We were impressed with the productivity and uptime of the Sandvik surface equipment and made a strategic choice to flip our entire fleet,” CBS customer Brent Taylor, CEO of Two Eight Drilling, said. “We look forward to gaining all productivity improvements and testing the latest automation technology. CBS and Sandvik support was also un-paralleled.”

Deliveries are scheduled to start in the March quarter of 2024.

Jake Schmidtlein, General Manager of Country Boy Supply, LLC, said: “The key to getting this across the finish line was that both teams at CBS and Sandvik, along with the other members of the supply chain, worked together seamlessly. This is an excellent example of how business-led collaboration across the whole chain can create value for all parties.”

The surface drill rigs will be used for production drilling in various large quarries or open-pit mines, as well as construction work sites. Sandvik intelligent surface drill rigs bring the latest technology to surface mining applications, the OEM says. Designed to work in the toughest operating conditions, these rigs combine power with precision and are designed for efficiency and operator comfort.

“We are delighted to partner with Country Boy Supply and deliver the most productive and powerful surface drill rigs available to upgrade their fleet,” Ville Keinänen, Business Line Manager for Surface Drills, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, said. “These new drill rigs will help increase profitability and productivity over their lifecycle. Our partnership will further strengthen Sandvik’s position in the surface drilling solutions market.

“Automation will be a key feature in the fleet upgrade as some of the drills will be equipped with AutoMine® readiness. We look forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand to add value to CBS’ business.”

Sandvik launches the CT55 and CT67, its most advanced top hammer tool systems yet

Automation, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Featuring an industry-first curved thread design, Sandvik’s new CT55 and CT67 top hammer tool systems are, the OEM says, the most advanced it has launched.

The unique design increases efficiency and reduces cost while saving fuel and simplifying automated drilling in surface bench and underground longhole applications, it says.

The new multi-patented, first-of-its-kind curved thread design from Sandvik reduces stress levels by distributing them over a larger area inside the tool. This enables the system to handle higher drilling power and a drill rig’s full potential.

“We are proud to offer an innovation that delivers significantly increased efficiency, since higher drilling parameters are allowed with fewer stops for breakages,” Anders Brungs, Vice President Product Line Top Hammer at Sandvik, said. “Our design increases productivity by 15% while reducing fuel consumption by 15%, as faster drilling means less flushing time.”

Sandvik’s unique new curved thread CT system is designed to increase drilling productivity and reduce cost both underground and on the surface.

“Surface drill rigs have much more power than current standard tools can handle,” Fredrik Björk, Product Manager for Top Hammer Surface Tools at Sandvik, said.

“This means the full potential of the drill rig cannot be used. Our new CT system radically increases the fatigue strength and we’ve also seen 30% longer tool life together with better hole precision in our product evaluation tests with early-adopting customers. This is a fully optimised system that includes the drill rig, the rock drill and the rock tool. The CT system also brings out the full potential of Ranger™ DXi and Pantera™ DPi rigs.”

The higher productivity of the CT systems can be reached with more aggressive settings for parameters like percussion, rotations and feed.

“Trouble-free drilling is key when operating underground,” Robert Grandin, Product Manager for Top Hammer Underground Tools at Sandvik, said. “In addition to higher productivity and lower cost, the extended service life of our CT system will be especially important for underground operations where tool breakages create frustration and interrruptions.

“The stronger geometry that comes with the curved thread design boosts tool service life by more than 30%. The curved design also makes the CT system automation-ready, since easy coupling and uncoupling in itself is an important enabler for automation, a vital technology in many underground operations.”

Sandvik’s new curved thread systems, CT55 and CT67 for surface mining and CT67 for underground mining, are now available. Drill bit diameters are 89-127 mm on CT55 and 102-140 mm on CT67, plus reaming bits 152-204 mm.

Brauteseth Blasting continues expansion into South Africa with support of Sandvik drill rigs

Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Based near Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, Brauteseth Blasting’s success has evolved into a national footprint – and beyond – with multiple drill rig acquisitions from Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions bolstering its production capacity across South Africa and multiple industries, including mining.

In fact, remarks Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions Account Manager Andre Blom, Brauteseth Blasting has acquired units from every Sandvik boom drill range in a single year.

“This included Leopard™ DI550 and Leopard DI650 down-the-hole (DTH) drill rigs from our Leopard range, the Pantera™ DP1500i and the Ranger™ DX800 and Ranger DX900i surface top hammer drill rigs,” Blom says. The two companies have built a strong partnership since 2005, when the first Sandvik rig was acquired by Brauteseth Blasting.

Brauteseth Blasting began mainly in the civil engineering sector and in quarrying, but has now moved decisively into surface mining as well. Clive Brauteseth, Managing Director since 1989, points to the geographic expansion now beyond KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape – into Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and beyond South Africa into Zambia.

By this year, the number of Sandvik drill rigs acquired by the company over the years has reached almost 50, and more acquisitions are in the pipeline by the end of the year, Brauteseth says.

“We have built a strong relationship with Sandvik over my 35 years with the company,” he says. “We have some of the best equipment in the market, and keep it well maintained and up to date; this means continual investment in replacing plant regularly.”

He notes that the quality and performance of Sandvik drill rigs gives Brauteseth Blasting the uptime and reliability that its projects demand, backed up by the experience and skills of its stable and committed teams. The ongoing upskilling also ensures the latest technology investments are put to the most productive use in the field – to deliver the bottom-line results that keep customers loyal, it says.

Of Brauteseth Blasting’s acquisitions during 2021 into 2022, the Leopard range is designed for high capacity production drilling in medium-sized to large open-pit mining operations, while the Ranger DX800 and Ranger DX900i drill rigs serve mainly the construction and small mining sectors. In between, the Pantera DP1500i rig is a ‘cross over’ for applications in quarries and smaller open-pit mines.

With the experience of almost two decades of running Sandvik drills, Brauteseth believes Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has the edge in this market. This is important for the way that his company embraces new technology to help keep it a step ahead.

“When there is new equipment in the market, we are always interested in what it can do for our fleet capability and our customers,” Brauteseth says. “I really value Sandvik’s continuous innovation, and the way they listen to customers when pursuing those developments.”

Blom highlights the unique partnership between the companies, where Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions provides solid OEM support to enable Brauteseth Blasting to remain self-sufficient operationally and technically. More drill rig acquisitions are in the pipeline for 2023, as the company’s growth trend only gathers strength.

Sandvik AutoMine open-pit drilling automation offering surfaces

Automation, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology is taking its underground automated drilling expertise to the surface with the release of AutoMine® Surface Drilling.

A leader in mining automation, Sandvik has for a number of years been helping mining companies across the world improve productivity and increase safety with the use of its intelligent AutoMine systems for trucks, LHDs and underground drill rigs.

Even so, the commercialisation of the AutoMine Surface Drilling system marks an important milestone for the company in surface mining automation, it said.

The system is designed to meet customer’s challenges and maximise productivity and safety while increasing drilling efficiency. It enables mines to operate multiple Sandvik iSeries drill rigs from a remote control room miles away.

AutoMine Surface Drilling is available for Pantera™ DP1100i, Pantera DP1500i and Leopard™ DI650i rigs as well as Sandvik DR412i and DR416i blasthole drill rigs. It will be available for the recently released DR410i in the December quarter, the company added.

“This game-changing technology is the most advanced commercialised autonomous fleet system in the world enabling customers to reap the benefits of an autonomous drilling cycle,” Riku Pulli, Vice President Automation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology, said.

Like the AutoMine Underground solution, AutoMine Surface Drilling dramatically improves the working conditions and immediate safety of the operator while keeping mine personnel out of hazardous areas, Sandvik said. This reduces the operator’s exposure to noise, dust, and vibration and the hazard of working close to high walls.

Automated on-board functions enable iSeries rigs to work autonomously while the operator monitors at fleet level. Automated drill operation, accurate rig control and positioning increase the drilling quality and the overall excavation efficiency, according to Sandvik, thus ensuring higher productivity for the mine.

“We look forward to working closely together with our customers to automate drilling operations and unlock the full potential of AutoMine Surface Drilling,” Pulli said.