Tag Archives: underground loaders

Sandvik LH115L low profile loader gains ROPS and FOPS ISO certification

20th October 2021Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining safetyDeon Lambert, FOPS, Jet Park, LH115L, LHDs, ROPS, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, South Africa, underground loadersDaniel Gleeson

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions’ South African operation has another feather in its cap, having achieved ISO certification for the roll over protection structure (ROPS) and falling object protective structure (FOPS) of the Sandvik LH115L low profile loader.

The ROPS and FOPS for the South Africa-built Sandvik LH115L low profile loader has always been engineered in accordance with ISO standards, according to Deon Lambert, Business Line Manager at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

“The only difference was that local customers initially requested a total height of 1.6 m for the unit, which meant it was limited to low height deflection-limiting volume (DLV),” Lambert said. “More recently, we have increased the height of the canopy by 70 mm, giving us the DLV to secure full certification in terms of ISO.”

Following the acceptance of the new canopy design from the factory, the way is now clear for manufacturing to be carried out locally. The new design was successfully tested at the company’s Finland head office facilities, according to Sandvik.

The LH115L loader has been produced in South Africa since 2017 when Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions established a manufacturing facility in Jet Park, near Johannesburg. This has allowed about 70% of the machine’s content to be locally sourced.

“The first customer to place an order for a machine with the new canopy height already has five of our locally produced LH115L loaders at its mine, and these will be retrofitted with the new certified canopy,” Lambert said. “All future units of this model produced by our local facility will also have the newly designed canopy and the associated certification.”

In addition to complying with the latest safety requirements of South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, the local content of the Sandvik LH115L low profile loader will assist mines in meeting their Mining Charter local procurement targets, Sandvik said.

Designed for harsh underground conditions, the 5.5 t payload loader boasts high availability and ease of maintenance, together optimising its lifetime operational costs, the company said.

Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions says it provides the full low-profile portfolio offering of underground drills and bolters to ensure matching sets of equipment.

Finning captures large Cat equipment order from Codelco’s Andina, Chuquicamata mines

4th August 2021Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining servicesAndina, Caterpillar, Chuquicamata, Codelco, Finning, mining support, R3000H, Scott Thomson, underground loadersDaniel Gleeson

Caterpillar’s relationship with Codelco in Chile continues to strengthen with the OEM, through its Finning dealer, set to deliver mining support equipment and underground loaders to two of the copper miners’ operations.

The orders, revealed in Finning’s June quarter 2021 results, contributed to a building equipment backlog in mining and construction registered during the three-month period in South America.

New equipment sales were up 48% year-on-year in the June quarter in South America and up 14% from the March quarter of this year, driven by improved market activity, mostly in construction, Finning noted.

Finning’s backlog in South America included the Codelco orders.

First was a recently awarded order for Caterpillar support equipment from Codelco’s Andina mine, valued at C$40 million ($32 million), for delivery in the first half of 2022. In addition, the company plans to provide 27 Caterpillar R3000H underground loaders to Codelco’s Chuquicamata mine, with 10 of these machines included in its June quarter backlog.

The 20 t class R3000H was launched in 2012 and remains Cat’s largest model. It replaced the R2900 XTRA, providing added value for hard rock mine operators with a significant increase in truck loading capacity, being able to three pass load 60 t class trucks, and having enhanced digging and breakout performance, faster speeds on grade, a strengthened front frame, and an available Ventilation Reduction Package. Since then there have been a number of deployments of the LHD but there are only a few underground mines in the world with a potential requirement for large numbers of loaders of this class at one operation. One of these is Codelco’s new Chuquicamata Underground blockcave copper mine. This is one of the largest single large LHD orders ever made and will help the mine achieve its intended production rate of 140,000 t/d which is a rate on a par with sister operation and the world’s largest existing underground copper mine, El Teniente. Chuqui Underground includes four levels of production; a 7.5 km main access tunnel, five clean air injection ramps and two air extraction shafts. It will produce 366,000 t of fine copper and more than 18,000 t of fine molybdenum per year & extending Chuqui’s minelife to 2060.

Overall, Finning registered June quarter revenue of C$1.8 billion and net revenue of C$1.7 billion, up 30% and 28%, respectively, from a year earlier when COVID-19-related reductions in market activity hit.

All regions delivered a strong quarter, demonstrating operating leverage in a recovering market, Finning noted. June quarter EBIT as a percentage of net revenue was 9.3% in Canada, 9.8% in South America and 5.3% in the UK & Ireland, representing a step-up in profitability levels for all regions, the company said.

The company’s consolidated equipment backlog at June 30, 2021, increased to C$1.4 billion, from C$1.2 billion at March 31, 2021, with order intake in Canada and South America outpacing deliveries in the quarter, Finning said.

“We are pleased with our strong execution and results in the second (June) quarter,” Scott Thomson, President and CEO of Finning International, said. “With a reduced cost base and more efficient operations and supply chain, we are confident in our improved earnings capacity, which puts us firmly on track to achieve the mid-cycle targets we set out during our Investor Day in June.”

Sandvik and Volvo Penta collaborate on Stage V underground LHDs

4th December 2019Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Sustainable miningDiesel Particle Filter, engines, LHDs, Sandvik, Selective Catalytic Reduction, underground loaders, Volvo PentaDaniel Gleeson

Sandvik says it is readying the release of its first Stage V compliant underground loaders for hard-rock mining applications following extensive testing.

In early 2020, the company’s newest intelligent loaders, the Sandvik LH517i and Sandvik LH621i, will get the Stage V treatment. The Stage V Volvo Penta engines will be globally available as options, but require ultra-low sulphur fuel and low-ash engine oil to operate, Sandvik said.

The planned release follows more than 10,000 hours of LHD testing underground, on multiple customer sites in Europe, and with millions of hours of on-highway experience from Volvo. This has led to the new technology meeting customer expectations, equipment performance requirements and the most stringent emission regulations valid at the moment, according to Sandvik.

The base engine and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) purifier are proven Volvo technology, enhanced now with a ceramic diesel particle filter (DPF), according to Sandvik.

“As a result of the collaborative product development work, the engine – delivered by Volvo Penta – and Sandvik load and haul equipment work seamlessly together to maintain productivity and reliability in the most challenging environments,” Sandvik said.

The benefits of Stage V compliant loaders include reduced amounts of particles in the diesel exhaust – helping mines to improve air quality underground – and the ability to operate with up to 3% reduced fuel consumption, compared with previous stage engines.

Sandvik said: “Another key enabler for the equipment availability is passive regeneration of the diesel particulate filter; the soot accumulated in the filter is burned off during equipment normal operation, without the need for frequent stand still regeneration.”

A new feature in the Stage V engine is the modulating engine brake, which enables the operator to adjust the engine braking power, allowing for better control of vehicle speed downhill, while minimising brake and transmission overheating and brake wear. Both the modulating engine brake and the passive regeneration contribute to high uptime of the equipment.

Added benefits of the Stage V engines include high altitude operating capability – up to plus-3,500 m above sea level – and lower noise levels compared with previous Stage engines.

RCT’s Kalgoorlie branch makes quick work of automating Sandvik LH621i LHD

28th March 2019Automation, Communications in mining, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining softwareautomation, ControlMaster, Guidance Automation, Kalgoorlie, LH621i, LHD, RCT, Rick Radcliffe, Sandvik, underground loadersDaniel Gleeson

RCT says it has successfully installed its autonomous technology on the recently released Sandvik LH621i underground loader for one of its clients in Western Australia’s Goldfields.

Earlier this month, RCT’s Kalgoorlie branch received the loader and commissioned the ControlMaster® Guidance automation technology package only weeks after the machine was first released to the Western Australia market.

The ‘i’ series represents Sandvik’s latest iteration of its underground loader range and, according to Sandvik, is the LHD of choice for rapid mine development and large-scale underground production. It is a matching pair with the previously introduced 63-t payload Sandvik TH663i truck.

ControlMaster Guidance Automation means machines can automatically tram between production level locations at higher speeds while also providing real time, graphical machine information to operators situated in remote automation centres, RCT said.

RCT Kalgoorlie Branch Manager, Rick Radcliffe, said the company could install and commission the Sandvik LH621i loader and deliver it to site within a relatively short lead time.

“Now that we have documented the new LH621i, all future ‘i’ series loaders can be commissioned in exactly the same amount of time as traditional Sandvik 621 loaders,” he said.

“This work follows on from a previous project where we commissioned two Sandvik LH517i loaders in the Kalgoorlie workshop for clients in the region.”

Bingham Equipment receives Hard-Line distribution rights in Arizona

27th March 2019Automation, Communications in mining, Mining equipment, Mining servicesArizona, Bingham Equipment Company, Chad Rhude, Hard-Line, LP401, mining equipment, MT52, radio remote control, remote operation, RRC, underground loaders, USADaniel Gleeson

Hard-Line says it has signed up Bingham Equipment Company as the company’s newest distributor in Arizona, USA.

With 11 locations in Arizona, Bingham Equipment will distribute Hard-Line’s LP401, MT52, and the RRC.

The LP401 (pictured) is a remote control operated low profile loader (skid steer) that can be used in a variety of restrictive areas where a normal man-operated machine cannot operate, Hard-Line said. The MT52 is a mini track loader that can “dig, trench, move materials and reach small, tight spots”, while the RRC is a versatile radio remote control that can operate any machine, make and model and is designed to be used in rugged and harsh environments, the company said.

Chad Rhude, Hard-Line’s Vice President, US Operations, said: “We are excited to be working with a great partner like Bingham Equipment Company. With their excellent reputation and many locations throughout the state of Arizona, it gives us a local presence for sales and support of our LP401 product line.

“We look forward to working with Bingham to showcase the versatility and capability of the LP401 in delivering a low-profile, fully-remote controlled machine platform to enhance safety and productivity in the municipal, construction and agriculture sectors in Arizona.”