August 2015
|
World Coal
|
95
T
he current series of
Atlas Copco Pit Viper drill rigs
is based on the latest computer
and information technology.
hese drill rigs are of modularised
design in both hardware and software,
so upgrades of the latest technology are
available for older models. Several
options are available to facilitate quality
drilling. Atlas Copco has applied the
same new automation technology for
other underground drilling equipment,
such as Simba production drill rigs,
Boltec rockbolting rigs and ROC surface
crawler rigs. For the customer, this
means commonality of components and
training, leading to a better
understanding of both the capability and
the maintenance of Atlas Copco
products. For the company, it allows
continuous product development, which
can be applied straight across the range.
Atlas Copco has introduced a number
of new drill rigs for blasthole drilling,
using a common technology platform.
This approach allows development of
new functionalities for the drill rigs,
which experience has shown in both
underground drilling and haulage, as
well as surface drilling. The current
generation of machines is designed for
high productivity, quality drilling and a
comfortable working environment for the
operator. Drilling a hole constitutes a
small amount of the direct cost and time
of mining, but has a major impact on the
other production processes because it
affects fragmentation, backbreak,
underbreak, wall control, loading,
haulage and processing. Although great
attention is paid to penetration rate and
wear of drill steel and bits, Atlas Copco is
also interested in what drilling can do to
improve rock excavation overall. The
inputs for this ongoing process come
from customers and research projects
where new technology is applied to
drilling operations.
