INCREASING EFFICIENCY Modular Mining Systems’ ProVision machine guidance solutions use high-precision global positioning systems (HP-GPS)
Global mine management solutions developer and manufacturer Modular Mining Systems announced in the first half of the year that the ProVision 3.5 Drill system is now available on its latest platform of the ProVision Machine Guidance product line.
The company’s ProVision machine guidance solutions, which are available for shovels, loaders, backhoes, dozers and drills, use high-precision global positioning systems (HP-GPS) to provide equipment operators with continuous navigation and guidance, which increases the productivity of blast hole drills. HP-GPS also facilitates the realisation of planned targets and tasks.
“The ProVision Drill system includes drillhole stratification and angle-hole drilling capabilities, which increases drill and blast efficiency and accuracy,” says Modular Mining Systems marketing manager Patricia Browne. She adds that onboard drill-hole position navigation significantly improves blast-hole drill rig efficiency, making drills easier to use and ensuring that they comply with final blast design goals.
Stratification enables detailed classification, for example, rock recognition, of the contents of the blast location. It also enables blast-loading design enhancement. “The module improves blasting performance and reduces explosives use by up to 15%,” Browne says.
She adds that Modular also offers operators the ability to automatically receive up-to-date designs through optional application programming interfaces with third-party mine planning systems.
Further, the angle-hole drilling application provides a clear picture of a hybrid drill pattern and drill hole azimuth, enabling the operator to easily navigate to inclined holes.
“Operators are able to better identify and execute drilling of the planned location to within sub-centimetre accuracy,” she adds.
Innovation Expansion
As part of its commitment to invest in innovative customer-focused productivity, maintenance and safety solutions, Modular Mining Systems opened its new Integrated Research, Development and Support Centre at the company’s headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, in March.
“To keep pace with continued growth in global mining automation, Modular expanded into the newly renovated, 31 000 ft2 - or 2 800 m2 - facility,” Browne says.
She adds that the company acquired and redesigned the facility with the goal of creating a workspace that would foster collaboration and idea-sharing among all staff involved in the development, implementation and support of its solutions.
Market Savings
As the mining industry continuously needs to increase production, reduce costs, and improve operator safety, Browne emphasises that Modular Mining Systems prioritises helping its customers to achieve these goals and aims to ensure that mines receive the biggest return on their technology, personnel and heavy-equipment investments.
“Shaving seconds off shovel-hang time or truck-dump time can lead to a significant number of extra production cycles in a year. In addition, impressive gains are seen through reduced idle time and more efficient route assignments for trucks,” Browne points out.
She highlights that the value delivered by Modular’s Dispatch Fleet Management system solutions continues to compel mining companies to implement the technology in up- and down-cycles in the mining market, even when there is an overall reduction in capital expenditure.
Browne cites several examples of increased cost savings and instances where mining companies’ production goals have been achieved by implementing Modular products, such as the MineCare Maintenance Management and Dispatch Fleet Management systems.
The MineCare Maintenance Management system gives mines the tools and information needed to increase capacity assurance and reduce mobile equipment life-cycle costs. Typically mines need access to real-time data, predictive data and failure analysis data on the range of brands that comprise their heavy equipment fleet.
“Through proactive, real-time monitoring of equipment health and maintenance processes, for instance, the MineCare system has been proven to save mines between $50 000 and $100 000 in downtime avoidance per equipment unit, per year,” Browne says.
Meanwhile, the Dispatch Fleet Management system is designed to enhance the production process and increase the amount of tonnage moved during a haulage cycle.
The latest Dispatch system enhancement, the Idle Monitor module, enables the system to detect equipment that is powered while stationary and generate alerts when the units have been idle for a user-configured duration, Browne says.
“In addition to helping mines use less fuel, the Idle Monitor module also helps reduce engine wear and tear and enhances equipment use,” she adds.
She concludes that a customer who recently implemented the new Dispatch module across its diesel-fuelled, heavy-equipment fleet, realised nearly $1-million in yearly fuel cost savings in the first 12 months of use.