Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has a host of new technology and innovations on display at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 in Las Vegas. Last year it introduced the Digital Driller™ underground drill operator training simulator to the market to provide a compact and flexible solution for safely training operators and maintenance teams. This is now available for its Sandvik DD422i, DD422iE,DL421 and DT922i drill rigs. The latest development is a fully mobile system which weighs less than 50 kg, enabling training to be undertaken anywhere. Thanks to its compact size and wheeled carrying case, the simulator can easily be carried by an individual to wherever it is needed. With a very short set-up time, operator training can begin even before the rig has been delivered and commissioned. This provides increased levels of operational efficiency, with no learning curve required prior to using the rig on site.
The Digital Driller™ provides a low weight safe training tool that is highly portable, enabling it to be used where it is most needed – on site. It has been designed specifically to improve both operator and drilling performance, delivering real benefits for underground drilling applications. The simulator delivers ‘real life’ training in a simulated working environment, with drill rig operators and maintenance teams learning about rig capabilities before progressing to the actual equipment. The simulator acts like a real rig, is operated with authentic controls and combines the same control system software that is installed on the drills themselves.
The simulator comes with purpose-developed software that includes a range of specific exercises for recording and measuring operator behavior. The trainer can initiate machine faults, incidents or hazards to train and assess operators, thereby ensuring they are able to respond correctly to any scenario with maximum efficiency. Additionally, training sessions can be conducted for multiple participants in a safe environment, preventing risk of injury or material damage. Furthermore, it facilitates regular operator retraining and the implementation of an operator assessment process without impacting on site productivity.
The simulator has been designed to enable tailor-made training sessions to suit trainee experience levels, using a range of exercises and simulated conditions within a variety of applications and situations. A report evaluates and measures trainee performance, ensuring that the training is of direct benefit to operators.
“The simulator safely develops and refreshes operator skills within a protected environment and significantly reduces the drill start-up period. It has been designed to ensure that rig operators are fully familiar with the features and the capabilities of the Sandvik rig from day one.” The shorter transition to using the real equipment results in quicker familiarisation, improving efficiency and productivity. Additionally, there is no risk of equipment damage, zero consumption of rock tools and fuel, zero emissions and no exposure of the trainees to risk in familiarising them with a new drill rig.
“Ensuring that operators can use the drill rig to its full potential safely and productively as quickly as possible is what the simulator is about, with the training simulator performing all boom and feed movements as well as the entire drilling cycle. It is fully compatible with Sandvik iSURE® software – Sandvik’s tunnel management tool for accurate drilling, charging and blasting plans. Thanks to the training course management tool, the trainer can customise training and use multiple pre-planned training scenarios. This ensures 100% peace of mind, with training routines and exercises repeated until the appropriate level of knowledge is reached.
The use of the Digital Driller™ is estimated to produce a 5% increase in annual productivity in rig availability. In addition, training costs are reduced by up to 35%, with training sessions being easily and safely conducted on site for multiple operators.
Sandvik has also released a new mobile-device-based connectivity solution for its surface drill rigs. The free app, SanRemo Mobile, makes it easier than ever to connect to a drill rig and transfer drill plans, reports and other fleet management and drilling data timely and cost-effectively using a smartphone or tablet.
SanRemo Mobile improves the connectivity of surface drill rigs by allowing mobile devices to be used for data transfer. This eliminates the dependence on USB drives or network coverage at worksites. The system converts a standard mobile device, ie phone or tablet, into a data carrier that can easily move drill plans from email, cloud, instant messaging or other supported source to the drill rig. Conversely, as-drilled data and production reports from the drill rig can be sent onward for further use. Utilising wireless or cellular networks, the system has no additional connectivity fees and also works off-line by storing data until a network connection is available.
SanRemo Mobile is compatible with common mobile applications, such as email, WhatsApp, Dropbox and OneDrive, for transferring data. A drill plan can be emailed to the drill rig operator – from office, home or on the road – and the operator can simply use the SanRemo Mobile app to transfer the plan to the rig through an automatic connection based on bluetooth technology. This flexible, fast and transparent exchange of data allows the operator to confirm that the required information is available for the drilling process.
Quality reports and MWD (measurement-while-drilling) data from the Sandvik TIM3D drill navigation system can be uploaded via the SanRemo Mobile app for sharing or storing. The data can be examined using, for example, Sandvik Driller’s Office or other compatible design software. Additionally, production reports from the drill rig are automatically uploaded into the My Sandvik fleet management portal. The My Sandvik portal offers a powerful digital solution for collecting equipment and process data from Sandvik surface drill rigs for cost-effective fleet management routines and actionable improvement insights.
“As an OEM solution that is fully integrated into the drill rig’s control system, SanRemo Mobile is simple and straightforward to put into use. The system has already been pre-installed in hundreds of delivered Sandvik surface drill rigs and can be enabled with a software update. Simple retrofits are available for compatible machines that do not have the factory-installed feature. Connectivity is available by downloading the SanRemo Mobile app on a smart phone or tablet. Both Android and iOS versions of the app are available in Google Play and App Store in selected countries.” The system has first been launched for the Leopard™ DI650i and Ranger™ DXi series drill rigs, as well as for Ranger™ DX and DXR rigs equipped with the Sandvik TIM3D system.
Finally, moving on to large hydraulic breakers, the latest member of the Rammer Excellence Line, the 9033E, received its official global launch at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. Designed for carriers in the 65 – 120 t range, the 7,400 kg 9033E has all the features found on existing members of the Excellence Line, but in a size and format that delivers the extra punch demanded on major quarrying projects. Its design means that the 9033E is, however, able to work quietly, with a guaranteed sound level of 131 dB LWA (sound power level of measured 127 dB LWA).
