Full service technology implementation company Ramjack Technology Solutions in February launched Canadian mining mobile equipment company Peck Tech Consulting’s uGPS Rapid Mapper scanning device onto the local market.

The device, unveiled in South Africa during a roadshow jointly conducted by Ramjack and Peck Tech Consulting, enables mining companies to take three-dimensional (3D) scans of underground tunnels and shafts while moving at normal operating speeds.

The uGPS Rapid Mapper can scan at speeds of between 1 km/h and 15 km/h; mobility is advantageous, as it allows for the scanning of large distances over short periods without requiring additional setup or configuration, explains Ramjack director Mike Jackson.

He notes that the companies partnered late last year to bring the technology to the African mining market and that Ramjack is the official distributor of the uGPS Rapid Mapper in sub- Saharan Africa.

During the roadshow, the companies visited mining companies Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, De Beers, Sibanye Gold and Petra Diamonds.

Jackson tells Mining Weekly that, since the roadshow, Ramjack has been conducting scanning demonstrations at mines that are interested in learning more about the technology.

He says the company conducts boardroom demonstrations and underground demonstrations, and regularly uses the University of the Witwatersrand’s underground tunnel for demonstration purposes.

Benefits
Mines can use the uGPS Rapid Mapper to collect face advance information, perform quick as-built surveys, detect water inflow, determine whether equipment will fit through existing openings underground and provide feedback on mine planning without hindering production, explains Jackson.

He says attaching the unit to a skip or cage makes it easy to take rapid and accurate 3D scans of vertical shafts as well.

Several mines are investigating the use of uGPS Rapid Mapper to provide a digital record of regular shaft inspections – “something that will be useful for documenting safety concerns and comparing results with those of past or future inspections”, Jackson adds.

He says the uGPS Rapid Mapper collects the 3D point cloud data at rates up to 50 times faster than stationary laser scanners; this greatly improves data timelines and mine management intelligence.

“This is a first for Africa. Since its launch, the technology has generated significant interest from the global mining community,” Jackson notes, adding that the technology was successfully deployed at a large gold mining operation in Nevada, US, in September last year.