Category: Equipment & Technology

Swedish mining engineering company Sandvik has added fully autonomous capabilities to its Leopard DI650i down-the-hole (DTH) drill rig by adding a new automation platform, iDrill. Sandvik said the addition of iDrill enables the rig to interact with the company’s AutoMine Surface Drilling automation system, meaning it can be operated fully from a control room. “The latest development is a major step on Sandvik’s DTH drill rig automation journey,” said Jari Läntinen, Product Manager, Surface Drilling. “This means shifting from individual automated tasks and sequences towards a genuine ecosystem of automation… Read More Here

Sandvik expects the market for battery-electric underground mining equipment to hit a higher gear in two to three years, as mining companies attempt to lower emissions and cut costs. With an electrification boom looming, Sandvik, whose competitors include Epiroc and Caterpillar, could sell more electric than diesel-driven underground mining kit in ten years, its mining business head said. Although Sandvik has some 30 battery-electric loaders and trucks in underground mine production, which it says is more than any competitor, these make up less than 0.5% of its total fleet of loaders and… Read More Here

Swedish mining equipment maker Epiroc plans to acquire Canadian surface mining wireless connectivity solutions provider 3D-P. Epiroc noted that the acquisition of 3D-P, which specialises in Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) and fleet connectivity solutions, would be important as its customers increasingly seek stronger wireless connectivity for automation and digitalisation. “The mining environment is changing all the time, and that is clear in almost all our automation projects,” Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO, told Mining Magazine. 3D-P’s Intelligent Endpoint system was designed and manufactured in Calgary. The company previously designed GPS systems… Read More Here

Back in February 2018, Caterpillar and Codan Ltd-owned Minetec, announced an agreement for the development and delivery of technologies targeting underground hard rock mining challenges with the integrated solutions to be offered as part of Cat® MineStar™. The third party collaboration brought Cat greater underground positioning capabilities and an underground tracking network with a high speed data channel on top of it. Fast forward to today and the relationship has culminated in Codan agreeing to sell 100% of Minetec to Caterpillar for $14 million. Following completion, Codan will provide manufacturing services to Caterpillar for… Read More Here

VivoPower and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tembo e-LV BV, have entered into a non-binding Heads of Terms with ruggedised vehicle converter, Arctic Trucks, for Arctic Trucks to convert and distribute Tembo electric light vehicles in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Under the proposed agreement, Arctic Trucks would commit to purchase 800 Tembo e-LV conversion kits through December 2026. Based upon the company’s estimates, these orders could be worth an estimated $58 million in total value over the life of the proposed agreement. The proposed agreement must be finalised prior to June… Read More Here

The Turkish conglomerate Mapa Group has awarded Metso Outotec a contract for the delivery of key grinding technology to their gold mine expansions in Liberia and Burkina Faso. The value of the order is approximately EUR 19 million, and it has been booked in Minerals Q2/2021 orders received. “Mapa is a major conglomerate working in various industrial and construction sectors. For us, good support, reliable project execution, and sustainable equipment and process performance are essential. Alongside the existing good relationship between the companies, they’re the reasons why we selected Metso Outotec… Read More Here

Epiroc says it recently launched an offering that aims to support safety in underground mining environments with the RCS based Collision Avoidance System (CAS) interface. Proximity Detection System (PDS) suppliers, compliant to the ISO 21815-2 Draft (March 2018), are able to interface with Epiroc RCS Materials Handling TMM (Trackless Mobile Machinery) to enable functionality for slowing and stopping, in what the PDS perceives to be a hazardous or unwanted event, Epiroc explains. The interface allows for third-party systems to communicate with Epiroc’s Rig Control System, RCS, in a completely new… Read More Here

In its just released 2020 report, Liebherr reviewed performance of its major divisions as well as reporting on some product developments and industry trends. The company says that despite the industry’s usual resilience, the global mining industry experienced a downturn in 2020. “This resulted in losses in revenue and profits in the resources industry. It, however, also made the industry focus on future-looking trends, such as increased digitalisation autonomy, and automation.” In the Mining product segment, Liebherr achieved revenues of €964 million, which means a decrease in sales by €105 million, or 9.8%, compared to the… Read More Here