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Drilling and Tunnelling News
Atlas Copco launches automated surface drill rig
By: Donna Slater 24th June 2016 Equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco in April launched its automated surface drill rig – the SmartROC – to the South African industry in the mining town of Kathu, in the Northern Cape. →
UK show sees strong demand
By: Kimberley Smuts 17th June 2016 The Hillhead international quarrying and recycling show is famous for its live demonstrations and 2016 will be no different with a range of equipment being put through its paces in a live quarry environment. Demand for the 2016 event has been strong with every square metre now allocated,... →
Essential maintenance supplied despite budget cuts by mines
By: Sebastian Whyle 17th June 2016 Rope access service and equipment provider Skyriders is, to a large extent, immune to the current commodities price slump, as inspection and maintenance is an essential part of keeping sites operational, notes marketing manager Mike Zinn. →
Sandvik reinvents top hammer drill bit
By: Mia Breytenbach 10th June 2016 To solve problems when drilling in abrasive rock conditions, global supplier of equipment and tools, service and technical solutions for the mining industry Sandvik Mining introduced a “groundbreaking” new design for drill bits. The primary applications for the top centre drill bits include face... →
German company develops four machines for blind-shaft construction, enlargement
By: Donna Slater 3rd June 2016 German mechanised tunnelling engineering company Herrenknecht AG has developed a range of four shaft boring machines for the safe and rapid construction of blind shafts or shaft enlargements to a depth of 2 000 m. →
Sasol investing $1.4bn to grow Mozambique gas platform 
By: Terence Creamer 30th May 2016 Energy group Sasol has started drilling the first of what will be 12 new gas and oil wells in Mozambique where the government recently approved a production sharing agreement (PSA), as well as a field development plan for the resources, which are in the same neighbourhood as Sasol’s producing... →
Drilling for gas in Temane
Aggressive drilling programme under way at Gascoyne’s Dalgaranga
By: Samantha Herbst 24th May 2016 Following the completion of a prefeasibility study of its 80%-owned Dalgaranga gold project earlier this year, which proved the project to be a robust development, ASX-listed gold hopeful Gascoyne Resources on Tuesday announced that an aggressive drilling programme was currently under way at... →
Australia’s GB Energy to acquire lithium project in Namibia
By: Samantha Herbst 19th May 2016 In line with its strategy of targeting minerals critical for the future of the energy environment, ASX-listed GB Energy has entered into an option agreement with an unnamed South African company which, if exercised, provides the GB Energy with the right to acquire a 70% stake in Namibia’s... →
Draft Mining Charter 'only a proposal' – Zwane
By: Ilan Solomons 22nd April 2016 Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane on Friday sought to assure mining industry stakeholders concerned about certain provisions in the new broad-based black economic-empowerment Mining Charter that the draft was “just a proposal by government” and that “nothing has been cast in stone". The... →
New drill rig alignment tool drastically slashes rig set-up time
By: Donna Slater 22nd April 2016 Australia-based mining technology firm Minnovare’s drill rig alignment tool, the Azimuth Alinger, is delivering “unprecedented” efficiency to the underground drilling process by substantially reducing rig set-up time, the company claims. →
Companies ink deal to co-market hard-rock mining services in Africa
By: David Oliveira 15th April 2016 Australian underground hard-rock mining contractor PYBAR Mining Services announced a three-year agreement with LSE-listed drilling services company Capital Drilling earlier this month for the comarketing of underground hard-rock mining services in Africa. Capital Drilling is headquartered in... →
Infill drilling at DRC copper project to start next month
By: David Oliveira 15th April 2016 Canadian exploration and development company Ivanhoe Mines executive chairperson Robert Friedland announced earlier this month that the company and its joint venture partner Chinese miner Zijin Mining were preparing to accelerate a planned infill drilling programme on the Kakula discovery area at... →
Main sinking at Platreef Shaft 1
15th April 2016 The changeover from presinking activities to main-sinking activities at Shaft 1 of the Platreef platinum-group metals (PGMs) mining project, in Limpopo, is expected to be completed by April, enabling the start of main sinking. Presinking of the shaft was completed to a depth of 54 m below surface. →
West African chamber to launch at Ghana mining event
8th April 2016 The newly formed West African Chamber of Mines (Wacom), which comprises chief executives from the chambers of mines in Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Burkina Faso, will be officially launched at the twelfth West African Mining & Power Exhibition (Wampex) in June. →
Infill drilling programme at Kamoa to kick-off next month
By: David Oliveira 7th April 2016 Canadian exploration and development company Ivanhoe Mines and joint-venture partner Chinese miner Zijin Mining were preparing to accelerate a planned infill drilling programme at the Kamoa copper project’s Kakula discovery, area, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), starting next month.... →
Karoo uranium promising
By: Sascha Solomons 1st April 2016 Australia-based uranium miner Peninsula Energy is determined to wrap up the reserve drilling for the definitive feasibility study on its Karoo uranium projects, in Beaufort West, in the Western Cape of South Africa, which will pave the way for a mine to be built by 2019, says Peninsula Energy MD... →
Mine mechanisation gains traction
By: Simon Sonnekus 1st April 2016 More South African mining companies are shifting from using conventional labour forces to mechanising their deep-level operations, as they are exposed to increased seismic stress and the subsequent seismic activity, higher temperatures and time-consuming travelling to the rock face, says... →
DECLAN VOGT Mines and mining corporations have shifted their focus to improving production efficiency and maintaining steady productivity to prevent capital expenditure amid the commodities slump by means of using machinary
Shaft solutions to address commodities crunch
By: Simon Sonnekus 1st April 2016 Some of the most exciting opportunities are in deep-level mining, says Hatch Goba associate and Africa, Europe and the Middle East mining director Kevin Seyfried. The scarcity of capital, lower operating costs and the reaffirmation of safety by mining companies have prompted multinational... →
Master Drilling maintains eye on growth as strategy gains traction 
By: Natasha Odendaal 31st March 2016 JSE-listed Master Drilling continued to pursue its geographic, commodity and business diversification strategy throughout 2015, with gains expected to start being realised in the coming year. The company had set the platform with the acquisition of a Sweden-based company and its Chilean... →
Master Drilling delivers higher FY earnings, no dividend yet
By: Natasha Odendaal 31st March 2016 As JSE-listed Master Drilling continued its steep upward earnings trend, the company declared no dividend for the period ended December 31, 2015. The drilling solutions provider, which on Thursday reiterated it was still in a growth phase, posted basic earnings per share (BEPS) of $0.13 in 2015,... →
Mining deeper while maintaining value
By: Kimberley Smuts 18th March 2016 Multidisciplinary professional services firm Hatch Goba is continuously developing more cost-effective means of extracting ore, especially in South Africa, where mining is deeper and more difficult amid falling commodity prices, resulting in decreasing profit margins. Technologies that allow for... →
Series increases safety, importance of students emphasised
18th March 2016 There is increasing focus on safety within the mining industry, says sustainable productivity solution provider Atlas Copco, adding that its Diamec Smart core drilling rigs eliminate many of the hazardous operations at mines involved in underground core drilling. Atlas Copco introduced its Diamec... →
Manufacturer offers enhanced productivity and reliability
18th March 2016 Construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar notes that it is the only manufacturer offering rock drills designed to be serviced on site for reduced downtime and costs. The company explains that CAT drills are designed for easy maintenance with simple and well-organised electrical... →
Company showcases drilling products at Indaba
18th March 2016 Drilling services, equipment and performance tooling provider Boart Longyear’s product experts were on hand at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba to discuss its range of new solutions suited to the African mining market. The company, exhibiting at the event in Cape Town, which ran... →
Spin filters reduce dust exposure underground
By: Kimberley Smuts 18th March 2016 Specialised engineering solutions provider RTS Africa Engineering is receiving an increasing number of enquiries from various markets, such as sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and India, for its inertial spin filters used in small to medium-sized mining applications. This increase in interest can... →
Hackathon fast-tracks development
By: Kimberley Smuts 4th March 2016 Technology implementation costs time and money – two critical resources that the mining sector currently requires to reinvent itself, says Anglo American Technology and Innovation head Jeannette McGill. “The Unearthed hackathon is the perfect platform to fast-track innovation and short-circuit... →
Gold explorer to start third round of drilling
12th February 2016 Vancouver-based gold explorer Pilot Gold expects to resume drilling in March at its Goldstrike property in Southwestern Utah, in the US, to focus on extending and defining mineralisation along the main gold trend. The company released the results of the second phase of its inaugural drill... →
New ultralow-profile mining machine operated successfully for 500 hours at SA mines
By: Ilan Solomons 12th February 2016 Local ultralow-profile mining machinery and equipment supplier CMTI Consulting’s MT100 ultralow-profile mining machine has successfully operated for more than 500 hours at several gold and platinum mines throughout South Africa, CMTI Consulting MD Dr Danie Burger tells Mining Weekly. The MT100,... →
Council for Geoscience advances shale gas research in the Karoo
By: Ilan Solomons 4th February 2016 The Council for Geoscience (CGS) has embarked on a three-year research programme involving a range of geoscientific investigations associated with the drilling of a vertical deep-core borehole to better conceptualise some of the geological issues related to potential shale gas resources in South... →
‘Frack mining’ mooted as a future mining innovation
By: Ilan Solomons 29th January 2016 Miners currently face many challenges, from low commodity prices to the exhaustion of accessible high-quality orebodies and high development costs. However, by drawing on the oil and gas industry’s process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, miners may have new ways to tackle those problems... →
Merger enables engineering firm to weather tough market conditions
By: Nadine James 22nd January 2016 Metallurgical engineering company MDM Engineering has kept its head above water and has been able to secure new contracts despite the depressed market conditions in the mining industry, MDM executive director and founder George Bennett tells Mining Weekly. He attributes the company’s... →
Faster, easier access to orebodies
By: Mia Breytenbach 22nd January 2016 JSE-listed drilling solutions provider Master Drilling will not only exhibit but also launch a new technological advancement – a mechanised blind shaft boring system – at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, following a successful experience at the 2015 Cape Town-based event. Master... →
Supplier to feature LS250 MiniSonic in 2016
By: Kimberley Smuts 22nd January 2016 Despite the industry downturn, drilling services, drilling equipment and performance tooling provider Boart Longyear continues to invest in new product development and innovation in mining and expects to launch more than four new products this year. The company aims to share these latest product... →
DTI invites local companies to participate in DRC expo pavilion
By: Megan van Wyngaardt 19th January 2016 The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has invited South African manufacturers and exporters of mining equipment and related products and services to apply to participate at DRC Mining Week 2016, scheduled to take place on June 8 and 9 in Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The... →
New geology software version due for release next year
27th November 2015 Mining solutions developer Maptek will release the latest version of its mine-planning software suit Vulcan 10 in the first quarter of 2016. Vulcan incorporates a dedicated geology package that features tools that enable geologists to access and view drillhole data, define geological zones and... →
Master Drilling expands European footprint
By: Megan van Wyngaardt 25th November 2015 Drilling services provider Master Drilling International (MDI) has inked a €5-million deal that will see it acquire a 40% stake in Scandinavian raisebore drilling company Bergteamet Raiseboring Europe. This formed part of MDI’s long-term growth strategy and was an effective entry into the... →
Benefits of electronic detonation being realised
20th November 2015 Electronic detonators are fast becoming an integral part of effective mining processes across the world, says electronic initiation system designer DetNet marketing director Johann Smit. “[The benefits of] electronic blast [initiation] are being recognised worldwide,” he says, adding that using... →
Mining solutions provider introduces hard rock mining truck
13th November 2015 US-based mining equipment manufacturer Joy Global recently debuted the Joy 16TD hard rock mining truck, its newest offering for the global mining market. Based on the popular DT-1804 truck model, the 16TD features lower hood lines for improved visibility, a digital operator display, shorter... →
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