Tag Archives: rod handling

EML369 Multi-Load

An evolution in ‘hands free’ exploration drilling

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Evolution Drill Rigs out of Queensland, Australia, believes it has come up with a cost-effective and time saving solution to one of the most labour-intensive parts of the exploration drilling operation: handling drill rods.

Its Evolution EVO Multi-Load drill rod handling system is a true “hands free” diamond drill rod & casing handling and storage system, according to General Manager, John Slattery, explaining that it has been designed to work with most current exploration drill rigs, including the Evolution FH2000 & FH3000 and Sandvik DE840 & DE880 drills.

Evolution is not the first to come onto the market with a hands free rod handling system – readers may be thinking of Boart Longyear, Epiroc, Major Drilling, MEDATech Engineering’s Borterra division and others here – but Slattery is convinced the EVO Multi-Load system has the potential to make the biggest market impact.

“By choosing to design a system to work in conjunction with existing rig designs, the drilling contractors are able to utilise existing equipment with a few small changes,” he told IM. “Rather than invest in completely new drill rigs and handling systems, they can save significant capital outlay by investing in the EVO Multi-Load system.”

The other benefit of working with the existing rigs is the increased efficiency of rod tripping operations by using the existing rig main winch, he explained. “The ability to trip rods in 9-m lengths on deep holes during bit changes and ‘Navi-runs’ is a significant time saving method when compared to tripping rods in either 3-m or 6-m lengths as some other rod handling systems are limited to,” Slattery added.

The company already has one company speaking to these benefits too, with South32 recently running a 12-month trial of the EVO Multi-Load prototype at the Jessica and Cararra exploration projects in the Northern Territory of Australia. The company conducted this trial with its contract partner DDH1 Drilling, owned by Perenti, and said it was a “success” with plans to deploy the system on other South32 exploration projects in its 2025 financial year. South32 also provided funding to support Evolution’s prototype field trial and ensure the equipment was suited for ongoing use.

Slattery said the company’s ongoing testing of the prototype rig – in the workshop and the field – had led to an ongoing improvement plan ahead of commercialisation.

“Our engineering staff have worked closely with our customer DDH1 Drilling during the EVO Multi-Load development and our workshop team continued this during the testing phase and field trials,” he said. “We identified some areas for improvement during the workshop testing, which were incorporated into the rod loader prior to the field test: the sequencing of adding and removing rods from the loader has simplified the operation and helped with productivity.

“We have a few more updates in the pipeline to streamline the tripping process and increase overall productivity.”

This process has been aided by collaboration with DDH1 Drilling, according to Slattery, allowing the company to understand the contractor’s methods and requirements for handling rods during deep coring and directional drilling. “This allowed us to further develop our concept into a working prototype,” he said.

DDH1 Drilling’s experience with the use of several other types of drill rod handling system has allowed Evolution to benchmark operational cycle times against competitor products and confirm the productivity of the EVO Multi-Load system, he added.

Outside of the top head drive multi-purpose drills the Evolution system has already been designed to work on, there is the prospect of expanding this list further with a few small tweaks.

“In regions outside of our native Australia, such as Africa and South America, there is a large existing fleet of multi-purpose drills that could most likely use the system,” Slattery said.

This speaks to the faith Slattery has in the global potential of the system.

“We believe the majority of the drilling contractors and mining companies are interested in improving the operational safety around drilling projects in general, and drill rod handling is a big part of that,” he explained. “The EVO Multi-Load drill rod handling system has been designed around the needs of deeper core and directionally drilled holes, large volumes of drill rods, as well as the need to deal with different pipe and casing sizes. These more complex drilling programs are normally undertaken by the larger mining companies that have been calling for reduced human involvement in the drill rod handling process for some time.”

He concluded: “Our system has been designed to work with a range of rod and casing sizes and is flexible enough to be used on any brownfields exploration drilling program that involves the need to drill deep holes.”

Major Drilling ready to deploy MEDATech robotic rod handling solution at exploration sites

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Specialised drilling contractor, Major Drilling, has joined forces with MEDATech’s Borterra division to start deploying a robotic rod-handling solution for use in its exploration drilling projects.

RodBot™ is a hydraulic robotic handler that eliminates manual rod and casing handling, according to MEDATech. Suitable for mining, construction and the oil & gas industry, it can be adapted to work on virtually any piece of drilling equipment.

RodBot has three control modes:

  • Manual control whereby the operator has manual control of each moving element of the arm through a radio remote;
  • Tip control computer assistance to allow the operator to control the arm moving the drill pipe in a linear motion. Single-axis input on the joystick translates to the pipe, moving in a straight line either vertically or horizontally out from the arm base; and
  • Semi-autonomous control where the RodBot moves along a path determined by the operator and/or is automatically adapted to the current mast position. The operator has hands-on control and can start/stop at any time if safety is ever in question.

“Rod handling is the part of drilling historically most prone to accidents,” observes Marc Landry, VP Technology & Logistics at Major Drilling. “Major Drilling is committed to reducing risk for our employees and so we are pleased to have found a solution that really works—the MEDATech Borterra RodBot.”

According to MEDATech President & CEO, Robert Rennie, the magic of RodBot is really in the software. “Thanks to electric-hydraulic operation it’s very robust and precise, it’s easier to use than most video games,” he says. “The learning curve is quick in every mode – manual, tip control and auto.”

The collaboration between MEDATech and Major Drilling began in 2021, with MEDATech’s newly-developed RodBot. The two companies worked together to refine the machine through trial and experimentation. The robotic rod-handling solution now saves time in addition to being 100% hands-free, according to the companies.

Major Drilling provided significant guidance on the development of the RodBot’s grapple, while MEDATech refined everything from the machine’s fine motor control to its software. This led to Major Drilling recently entering into an agreement with MEDATech for exclusive rights to RodBot for use in exploration diamond drilling, everywhere Major Drilling operates.

RodBot has what robotics engineers call “go” and “no-go” areas: zones within the arm’s reach in which it’s safe to operate and zones where it’s not, MEDATech explains. That includes defining zones where there is equipment in the way and must be avoided.

“With RodBot, an operator can program a starting point, an ending point, and the robot will calculate the most efficient path, including navigating around any defined obstacles, using collision-avoidance software built into the robotic operating software,” the company says.

RodBot can be mounted on a drill rig, pipe tub, tracks, or be set beside the drill on a skid. The operator can define and modify no-go zones for both the path taken by the robotic arm and exclusionary zones for the drill setup at each new location.

“The rod movements are fast and consistent,” explains Borterra Division Manager, Taylor Davies. “The controls are easy to master and RodBot significantly reduces the potential for human error.”

RodBot can, according to MEDATech, be retrofitted onto existing cranes and drill rigs, attached to pipe tubs or mounted on a skid. Borterra can also supply a dedicated hydraulic powerpack (diesel, gas, or electric), help integrate an existing hydraulic system, or supply the information required to carry out a retrofit.

PERFORATOR develops industry-first automated friction welding machine for drill pipes

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PERFORATOR has started producing drill pipe with the industry’s first automated friction welding machine, it says.

In July, the Walkenrieder, Germany-based company kicked off production with its brand-new robotic tube handling system, which comes with a friction welding machine for drill pipes.

“This friction welding was developed according to our specific requirements and is unique in the drill pipes industry,” Johann-Christian von Behr, CEO at PERFORATOR GmbH, says. “We needed it to work for a maximum range of products, from very small to extra-large diameters. We are now able to friction weld all kinds of drill pipes within this range: 40-220 mm diameter; 4-25 mm wall thickness; and 0.5-13 m length.

“At the same time, it provides additional functionalities that enable us to perform our friction-welding processes much more efficiently and with more flexibility.”

The new system was assembled and installed on site during the past 10 months, in close cooperation with several providers. Special features include the automated loading and unloading system – made up of individual separating and conveyer systems – and two robots that allow more flexible use of the friction welding machine.

Set-up and training times have been reduced and the loading system obtains its data automatically from the controls of the welding machine, according to PERFORATOR. In addition, the cycle time can be lowered.

von Behr explained: “We were looking for a welding machine with automated loading system that could accommodate our various demands. As we couldn’t find a suitable complete solution on the market, we contacted various suppliers and, together with them, we were able to engineer an individually designed machine.”

With this “unique” installation, PERFORATOR says it has been able to improve the quality of its products and improve its process reliability through friction-welding, a process, it claims, is more efficient than traditional arc welding technology.

With this investment, PERFORATOR says it has enhanced its competitive position, particularly in the drill pipes industry.

PERFORATOR, a Schmidt Kranz Group company, is specialised in the design and manufacturing of a wide range of horizontal and vertical drilling technologies. Its core competencies are in the field of drill pipes, drilling tools and injection and grouting pumps.

New Major Drilling rod handling rigs start turning at Hecla’s San Sebastian mine

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Two new Major Drilling EF-75 drills have arrived and are now turning at Hecla Mining’s San Sebastian mine in Durango, Mexico, the drilling services company says.

The drills arrived in March and are part of Major Drilling’s fleet improvements, adding innovative rod handling capability to the project, it said.

“We are thankful that we are partnered with a company like Major Drilling that can provide newer, innovative drills,” Stephen Redak, Exploration Manager Mexico, Hecla Mining, said.

Hecla’s San Sebastian property is a silver and gold mine, where exploration work is underway in two main veins. Using these new drills at the San Sebastian project enhances Major Drilling’s 12-year history with Hecla in Mexico. This has seen more than 354,000 m drilled since 2009.

Major Drilling’s EF-75 core drill is new equipment for the Mexico branch. It combines safety with a high level of productivity, according to the company.

With the rod manipulator, operators benefit from rod handling, horizontal stacking and a safety screen to protect them while lifting and lowering rods. The rig is capable of depths of up to 2,700 m.

Workers are protected by rod handling innovation, and they improve results using a unique mast designed for accurate core orientation, the company says.

David Boucher, Major Drilling Mexico General Manager, said: “Hecla has been a long-time client of ours in Mexico, and we are very excited to bring these new drills out in Durango to really see what they can do at San Sebastian. We are very happy to have this equipment turning in Mexico.”

Major Drilling’s USA Division previously partnered with Hecla at the Fire Creek Mine in Nevada (now under care and maintenance). The company’s exploration teams have also drilled at Hecla surface exploration projects in other locations in the western USA.

Ausdrill gets hands on with hands-off-steel diamond drilling tech

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With Ausdrill having recently added a Boart Longyear LF160 drill rig and FL262 FREEDOM™ LOADER combination to its diamond drilling fleet in Australia, IM caught up with Eric Gobbert, Senior Operations Manager, Exploration, to find out more about the company’s ‘hands-off-steel’ initiatives.

The newest coring rig – capable of pulling a 4.5 m sample – comes with a tilting top drive head to simplify rod handling, a foot clamp and braking device, and visible wireline. This is the second LF160 in Ausdrill’s portfolio, and a third rig is on the way. Meanwhile, the company is actively exploring a similar system capable of offering 6 m samples.

One rig is currently active at a Queensland coal operation, with the second at a nickel operation in the Goldfields of Western Australia. The third is expected to go to the Pilbara iron ore sector.

It is the combination of the LF160 with the FL262 FREEDOM LOADER that is bringing safety benefits to Ausdrill and its customers.

With totally hands-free rod handling, the combined rig and loader require no intervention from the driller’s assistant to trip in and align the rods or connect to the top drive head – thus offering greater freedom to drill by reducing the risk of hand and back injuries while handling rods. This freedom of movement comes as a result of the FREEDOM LOADER’s remote-control panel, which allows drillers to move to – and work from – a safer location away from the risks of moving rods.

“It’s a good innovation and has enabled us to provide a much-needed solution,” Gobbert said.

Ausdrill, a Perenti company, was encouraged to adopt this new diamond drilling technology as part of its own commitment to developing the mines of the future in partnership with clients. “Most companies have technology roadmaps with a strong safety vision. These roadmaps outline the future expectations for increased safety of exploration drill rigs,” Gobbert told IM.

Exploration drilling is an obvious place for Tier 1 miners to look to for safety improvements. A manual and repetitive job, traditional diamond drilling comes with many injuries as a result of drillers and offsiders removing and inserting heavy drill rods into the rigs. While automating part of the exploration drilling process may not provide the same financial payback as automating haul trucks or blasthole rigs, it does significantly reduce risk to personnel.

Gobbert agrees: “If you look at the drill inserts and the ongoing safety risks associated with being a driller’s offsider, or drilling in general, reducing the whole hands-on steel process and going down the automated or autonomous path makes sense.”

It is improving safety that is the real aim of leveraging such technology, according to Gobbert.

“De-risking the manual handling component is the real winning aspect of this,” he said. “We all want to achieve our business aims, but more importantly ensure our staff and our client’s staff are safe in the process.”

And, by reducing these risks, companies are ensuring continuity of operations, with personnel less likely to obtain the injuries that so often come with diamond drilling.

“Safety has always been at the centre of our technological drive – we understand that a safe project is a successful project,” Gobbert said.

This is not Ausdrill’s first foray into hands-off-steel diamond drilling. Drill Rigs Australia, an Ausdrill subsidiary up until July, previously engineered a similar style rod presenting system on one of its rigs at a Tier 1 client’s operation. Gobbert says the rig is still successfully operating – a full five years on.

“Ausdrill has a 30+ year history of designing and customising fleet to suit the needs of our clients and the swiftly-evolving market,” Gobbert says. “Today, we work in partnership with our clients, OEMs and third-party tech service providers to bring a bespoke combination of fleet and equipment, geared specifically to the needs of each project. Our project success and notable safety records showcase just how well we are delivering on our intentions, and tracking along our roadmap.”