Category: Equipment & Technology

Hexagon’s Mining division has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Phoenix Drill Control, a technology company specialised in implementing autonomous technology to the open-pit, blasthole drilling process. Applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine control to drill automation, Phoenix Drill Control’s autonomous drill technology overcomes the constraints typically associated with traditional drill automation platforms, such as removal or replacement of existing machine controls, extensive operator training and reliance on operator input, according to Hexagon’s Mining division. AI algorithms monitor all input signals and take dynamic corrective action, without operator input and… Read More Here

Sweden-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Sandvik has unveiled a prototype of the Sandvik TH665B, the world’s largest capacity battery-electric truck for underground miners. The company said the truck has a payload capacity of 65-tonnes and is currently completing factory testing in California, US. Finalisation of the trial agreement with Barminco and AngloGold Ashanti Australia will see the truck trialled at the Sunrise Dam gold mine to “prove its viability in a long ramp application.” Commercial production of the Sandvik is expected to begin in late-2023. The company said the unveiling… Read More Here

Sweden-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has won a $215.12 million (SEK 2 billion contract) from BHP to supply equipment to the Jansen Potash project in Saskatchewan, Canada. The company said the contract has followed “several years of close collaboration” with BHP to develop “the underground mining equipment and automation solution.” Sandvik confirmed to Mining Magazine that the order included its borer miner but didn’t detail exact models. The equipment is due to be delivered in the third quarter of 2023 and extend to 2026. Sandvik said an… Read More Here

Leading the field in the way it incorporates used oil into its emulsion explosives, Omnia Group company BME is extending the benefits of this growing sustainability initiative to mining customers and other approved partners. With its innovative culture and decades of successful blasting operations, BME has become the leading consumer of used oil in the explosives sector. This harmful waste product is used as a fuel agent in the company’s high-quality emulsions, ensuring that it is safely disposed of during the blasting process. “Through our large collection network, we can… Read More Here

BHP has reported lower volumes at Olympic Dam due to a planned smelter maintenance campaign, completed in January 2022. This was partially offset by higher volumes at Antamina. Escondida copper production decreased by 15% to 488 000 t due to concentrator feed grade decline, despite a record performance for material mined. Metallurgical coal production for the December quarter was stagnant compared with the previous quarter, reaching 8.8-million tonnes, but down 8% in the half-year, to 17.6-million tonnes. BHP reported that Queensland coal production decreased due to significant wet weather, with… Read More Here