Tag Archives: Titan 3330

Global mining tech and equipment suppliers gearing up for AIMEX 2023

The organisers of Asia Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) are expecting thousands of attendees to gather at Sydney Showground in Australia in just 75 days’ time, where over 250 local and international companies will put their best foot forward as part of the free-to-attend trade exhibition.

From September 5-7, leading companies supplying the mining sector with technology and equipment that improves efficiency, productivity and sustainability will showcase their best at AIMEX, Australia’s longest-running mining event.

With exhibitors including Bosch Rexroth, Danfoss, CR Powered by Epiroc and XCMG Mining Equipment, the trade expo promises a one-stop destination to meet local and international suppliers and investigate new technologies, the organisers say.

Industrial hydraulics powerhouse Bosch Rexroth and ground engaging tools (GET) specialists CR Powered by Epiroc will be exhibiting in the Transformative Technology Pavilion, a new addition to this year’s event showcasing exponential technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics and data utilisation. The space will gather exhibitors who are solving specific industry issues with technology, like Bosch Rexroth’s eLION electrification solutions for mobile machinery or CR’s GET Trakka, a GET loss detection system that uses embedded IoT connected sensors.

Peter Hopewell, NSW State Manager from Bosch Rexroth, says AIMEX 2023 represents an exciting opportunity to meet face-to-face with suppliers and showcase new product lines from their Hydraulics and Industrial Automation solutions.

He said: “This year at AIMEX we will be unveiling exciting new products and technologies that will shape the future of the mining industry. This exhibition will be the first time we are showcasing our eLION solutions in Australia. eLION is Bosch Rexroth’s electrification solution specifically designed for the electrification of off highway machinery.”

While the Transformative Technology Pavilion would be dwarfed by one of CR’s Hurricane dragline buckets, CR Powered by Epiroc says it is looking forward to engaging with customers around their digital solutions for maintenance and productivity.

Hannah Sabih, Global Marketing Manager for CR Powered by Epiroc, said: “We’re delighted to be exhibiting at AIMEX this year and sharing both our hardware and complementary technology with visitors. We’ll be showcasing Titan 3330, our digger-based payload management system which visitors will be able to experience for themselves at the show. Titan has been proven across commodities to increase operational productivity by up to 22%, tighten payload spread by up to 25% and reduce associated emissions by making load haul circuits more efficient.

“Of course, we’ll also have interactive models of our lips and GET for both surface and underground machines, designed to increase payload and decrease maintenance-related downtime.”

The second new addition to the trade exhibition this year is the Decarbonisation Zone, supported by International Copper Association Australia and populated by companies like Danfoss and XCMG Mining Equipment, aiming to offer real solutions to industry’s decarbonisation challenges and ESG obligations.

Chris Page, General Manager, Danfoss Pacific Region, says the mining industry has plenty of opportunity to support decarbonisation goals through smart solutions like enhanced energy efficiency and integrated energy systems.

He added: “At Danfoss we integrate our ESG ambitions into everything we do. Our unique products and solutions provide real value to our customers through sustainable innovation and leading application know-how, supporting them in their journey toward decarbonisation in an intelligent and cost-efficient way. We are particularly proud to be supporting the mining industry as it takes a leading role in the transition to net zero and beyond. This year’s AIMEX conference and exhibition in Sydney provides a fantastic opportunity to hear more about the current challenges facing the industry and for partners to find out more about Danfoss’ energy efficient solutions.”

XCMG Mining Equipment may be a relatively new face within the mining industry, but as the world’s third-largest construction machinery manufacturer, they have plenty to offer, particularly in the decarbonisation space.

Roy Rossini of XCMG says the company has been working on electrified and natural-gas powered products for almost a decade.

Rossini said: “As the world looks for a greener, cleaner construction industry, XCMG is delivering solutions that reduce carbon emissions across the whole industry chain and total life cycle. As early as 2013, XCMG were researching and developing new energy projects. They were the first in China to launch a natural gas-powered truck crane, motor grader, loader and hybrid excavators. The energy savings equate to over 25%, when compared to diesel powered products.”

International Mining is a media sponsor of AIMEX, taking place from September 5-7 in Sydney.

Epiroc to acquire Australia-based GET player CR

Epiroc is bolstering its exposure to the ground engaging tools (GET) market through the planned acquisition of Australia-based CR.

The company has agreed to acquire the GET and related digital solutions company as part of a plan to expand its “first-rate offering” of essential consumables and digital solutions, it says.

CR, which has an offering covering surface and underground mining, is headquartered in Brisbane and operates globally. The company’s products include cast lips, teeth, and protective shrouds installed on mining buckets and loaders. Its digital solutions include, among other offerings, the real-time GET loss detection system, GET Trakka, and the Titan 3330 payload management system. The solutions strengthen safety and productivity, and protect against expensive delays in the mining operations, according to CR.

CR has about 400 employees and had revenues of about A$240 million ($163 million) in the 12 months ending September 30, 2022.

“This acquisition will expand our offering of innovative and high-quality consumables and digital solutions that strengthen customers’ productivity and safety,” Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO, says. “We look forward to welcome the strong team at CR to Epiroc.”

The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first half 2023.

CR Digital plans Titan 3330 virtual simulator mine site roadshow

CR Digital has built a virtual simulator to, it says, bring the Titan 3330 Load Haul Optimization System out to the mine site.

Players can experience Titan 3330 as if they’re the operators of a backhoe excavator, trying to hit target payloads and getting real-time feedback on their accuracy.

The experience is as realistic as possible, and players can test their skills under different weather conditions or at night, according to the company. Ground engaging tools can even fall off while operating, with players notified by GET Trakka to stop and find the component.

Unveiled at MINExpo 2021, in September, the simulator allows visitors to control an excavator using two joysticks and a large monitor, along with a real Titan 3330 screen to monitor their digging in real time.

CR’s Global Marketing Manager, Chris Mayo, said: “We had players at MINExpo who operate excavators every day, and the feedback from them was that it’s very realistic. For anyone without operator experience, it’s a fun challenge to learn the controls and start getting closer to target payloads.”

For an added challenge, players competed for the highest score based on two measures:

  • Productivity: how many tonnes were moved and how closely trucks were loaded to target payload – as scored by CR’s Orion Data Analytics; and
  • Safety: safely operating the excavator by avoiding collisions with dump trucks.

Looking forward, CR will look to bring the Titan 3330 simulator out to mine sites and directly to customers so players can continue to experience the accuracy of Titan 3330’s payload monitoring for themselves.

“Once customers see for themselves how Titan 3330 helps operators improve payloads in real time, we think there’s going to be a lot of excitement for the system, particularly as we grow our presence in North America,” Mayo said.

CR Digital bring AI to its Titan 3330 load haul payload management system

CR Digital has unveiled its most advanced real-time payload monitoring system, with the upgraded Titan 3330 solution, now powered by artificial intelligence.

Guided by 2.5 billion tonnes of in-field experience, every new capability was developed to help operators load trucks more accurately, increase average payload per truck and reduce maintenance events caused by overloads, the company says.

The new AI-powered system continually improves its ability to identify a productive load, learning and optimising further with each bucket, according to the company.

Kevin Greenwood, Head of Product Strategy at CR Digital, says the upgraded Titan 3330 system is the result of years of work and represents a huge breakthrough in CR Digital’s product offerings.

“Our artificial intelligence is now able to determine when a machine is digging versus gardening with increased accuracy,” he said. “Even better: Titan 3330’s ability to identify productive digging will only increase over time. More accurate data leads to better decision making for our customers, and ultimately improved productivity.”

Titan 3330 now also comes with new Truck.Trakka technology, which quickly and accurately identifies a customer’s haul truck fleet, so target payloads are adjusted and optimised by individual vehicle.

“To fully optimise the payload cycle, we need to understand the capacity of each truck in the fleet,” Greenwood said. “Our Truck.Trakka technology can accurately identify which individual truck is being loaded at any time, so Titan 3330 can understand what a productive load is and adjust the target payload accordingly.”

CR Digital partnered with operators to develop an evolved user experience that’s more intuitive than ever, it said. This means operators can access and interpret critical information more readily, enabling more focus on digging efficiently.
The architecture of Titan 3330 has been similarly upgraded.

Continuing CR Digital’s commitment to technological advancement, the new software platform is built to grow with its customers; increasing functionality, insights, supportability and availability, CR Digital says.

Greenwood added: “Our new software architecture puts us in a position to be able to deliver future upgrades more easily and faster, with minimised downtime for our customers. These kinds of behind-the-scenes improvements aren’t obvious to our customers but result in software that simply works.”

An open-source API means more real-time data and better data-driven decisions, according to the company.

“With Titan 3330 now supporting the most comprehensive range of machines yet, across both surface and underground mining, your mine site’s load haul data can be consolidated into one cloud-hosted location,” CR Digital said. “Titan 3330 supports any make and model of face shovel, backhoe, wheel loader and underground LHD machines.

“You won’t drown in data, however, as CR Digital’s intelligent Orion Data Analytics solution empowers you to see the big picture and translate data into action.”

Titan 3330 comes with market-leading hardware built to withstand the harshest conditions of mining, while hard anodised aluminium construction (IP67-rated) provides total protection from dust, high pressure water, extreme temperatures, shocks and vibrations, the company said.

CR enhances large mining wheel loader cast lip system offering

CR Mining has launched a new mining wheel loader cast lip system that, the company says, can deliver a 33% reduction in total running costs.

DecaEdge DE1545 is a game-changer for companies seeking premium small to large mining wheel loader cast lip systems, CR said.

The new nine-station lip has the potential to last for up to 25,000 hours without major rebuilds, and as a result, can deliver that 33% cut in total running costs, the company claims.

The DE1545 suits small to large mining wheel loader buckets with 14-20 cu.m.

“A lot of applications on wheel loaders in mine sites are plate lips,” CR Mining Product Marketing Manager, Katie Edser, said. “These require maintenance teams to do a lot of hot work around those particular lips, which is a safety risk as well as a maintenance issue.

“Because the DE1545 has mechanically attached GET (ground engaging tools), our cast lips require less welding and less hot work.”

The DE1545 also has CR Mining’s first GET Trakka-enabled lip – or a digitally enabled lip – which allows customers to use CR’s digital products to enhance performance.

GET Trakka sensors can be inserted into the available sensor cavity. The sensor is activated while digging and, if the GET comes loose, breaks off or gets lost, the operator is immediately alerted and can stop to avoid any further lip damage. Lost GET can then be located using a small hand-held scanner and eliminates the risk of GETs entering a crusher and the inevitable damage resulting in a costly repair. This avoids the need to shut down mine sites which will impact overall productivity.

CR Digital’s Titan 3330 load haul optimisation system for wheel loaders offers customers another level of productivity data they haven’t had access to before, the company said.

“Combining Titan 3330 with the DE1545 DecaEdge can help customers monitor cast lip and bucket performance, machine health and truck and bucket payload accuracy that delivers benefits that continue to flow through a mine site’s entire production,” it said.

The DE1545 is a welcome addition to the DecaEdge cast lip range known to deliver up to 7% less downtime, 34% strength increase, 27% mass reduction and a 30% reduction in digging force, CR said.

CQMS Razer targets global growth in mining engineering, tech space as it becomes CR

CQMS Razer is looking to grow its mining engineering and technology footprint across the globe with a new name – CR – and direction that, it says, better aligns the company’s growing portfolio with the needs of its customers.

Already recognised across Australia’s mining industry for its surface mining solutions – including dragline products, cast lips and ground engaging tools – the CR brand change “reflects the company’s aspiration of growing its market reach and next-generation mining technology”, the company said.

The move follows several high-profile acquisitions of Seattle-based Thunderbird Mining Systems, a developer of market-leading blasthole drill optimisation technologies that complemented CR’s digital product range and its Titan 3330™ Load Haul Optimization technology, and California-based Berkeley Forge & Tool’s mining products business.

These have added meaningful scale, market connections and, importantly, deep mining knowledge from decades of product development and sales, the company says.

CR CEO, John Barbagallo, said the company’s growing product portfolio and prospective market opportunities meant it was essential to consider its reshaped business direction and how it plans to serve customers in the future.

“Today is an important day for CR as we launch our refined strategic direction and brand, a demonstration of our commitment to mining engineering and technology innovation and our capability to support our customers globally,” he said.

“The move to CR is very much about retaining the proud heritage of CQMS Razer, while providing us with a sharper and more focused brand, allowing us to add complementary businesses and products into the future.

“An important element of introducing the CR brand is to galvanise our brand and image for our employees. Together we are CR is a reflection of our strength and the reputation we have built over the last 40 years delivering reliable, innovative and customer-focused solutions for mining operations across the world.”

CR will include new product divisions that will better align the company’s growing portfolio to the needs of its customers, it said. This will see CR Mining, CR Digital and CR Contracts emerge, all of which are managed at a strategic level under the CR brand.

“Our experience and passion for what we do has seen us develop our business and become to a leader in our field, delivering outstanding results for our customers,” Barbagallo said. “This is a reputation we are keen to foster and build upon with our customers and markets worldwide under the new CR name.”

CR Digital to tackle fragmentation optimisation with Thunderbird buy

CR Digital has agreed terms to acquire Seattle-based Thunderbird Mining Systems in a transaction that, it says, further expands CQMS Razer’s digital technology division’s product offering, IP, sales/marketing and technical support activities.

Thunderbird founder, John Vynne, and his team have been pioneering measurement while drilling (MWD) technologies since founding the company and have a rich history in drilling technology and guidance for surface mining, CR Digital said.

Damian Assaillit, Head of CR Digital, said: “Thunderbird Mining Systems were highly regarded in the mining technology sector, providing world-leading blasthole drill optimisation technologies to mining customers for over 30 years.”

Vynne added: “There is immense appetite for digital knowledge of drill planning and blast outcomes, and the Thunderbird technology combined with CR Digital’s Load Haul Optimization creates a unique and compelling combination that our mining customers will be able to leverage.

“Thunderbird’s technology is proven to increase mine productivity, reduce drilling costs and improve blasting effectiveness.”

The addition of blasthole drill optimisation and rock knowledge systems reflects a strategic move by CR Digital to expand its product range across fragmentation through to load and haul optimisation, it said.

Assaillit said: “Thunderbird Mining Systems products complement our existing CR Digital product range, including our market-leading Titan 3330™ Load Haul Optimization technology. Optimised fragmentation is a key variable in the productivity of load haul circuits and being able to offer our customers more real-time knowledge is a great opportunity to further enhance mining productivity using technology.”

The Titan 3330 technology uses sophisticated instruments and patented algorithms to calculate and display the payload of each bucket, accurately, in real-time and during motion, before it is dumped into the truck, according to CR Digital.

CR Digital said Thunderbird Mining Systems’ customers will benefit from the enhanced capability of the global CR group, CR Digital’s proactive technical support, the data analytics capability of its Orion platform, and access to a broader technology portfolio providing enhanced value to their operations.