Engineering & Mining Journal

MAR 2014

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

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Boart Longyear's Focus As noted in last year's review ( E&MJ; , March 2013, pp. 32-36), Boart Long- year's focus for narrow-vein applications is on long-hole rigs for stoping. Weighing just 3.75 mt, its StopeMate pneumatic production drill is small enough to fit through a 1.3-m x 1.9-m (50 x 75-in.) opening, and can fit into a man cage with no disassembly. It can also be split into six manageable pieces for access into smaller workplaces. The S36 drill can handle drilling depths of 12 to 25 m, with 51- to 76-mm hole diameters. Meanwhile, the 7.3-mt StopeMaster hydraulic production drill is designed for bulk mining applications. It has depth capabilities of 20-35 m drilling 64- to 106-mm-diameter holes, and has the option of a self-propelled diesel drive. Both rigs have the capability to disen- gage the final drive wheel ends in order to facilitate towing where required. Boart Longyear's global product man- ager, John Nielson, said the company developed its narrow-vein rigs as solu- tions for niche drilling applications. "The StopeMate and StopeMaster are very well-suited for these captive stope applications," he said, adding that the company sees the narrow-vein market remaining close to its current size, with slow growth potential. "Our StopeMate and StopeMaster rigs are ideal for the tight and narrow spaces typically seen in underground mining operations," Nielson said. "Each is specifically designed for underground applications allowing for superior access, mobility, flexibility and produc- tivity in tight access locations. Both offer durable and compact solutions for developing underground shafts. "Both are equipped with 360° rota- tion for greater flexibility. With a rotat- ing and pivoting traverse, the StopeMate allows for versatile configurations and is better suited for smaller-hole drilling. This configuration ensures precision drilling in both parallel and straight applications, and accurate operator con- trol in drop-raise, cable-bolting, fan- drilling, and parallel-drilling applica- tions," Nielson said. According to Nielson, safety is a key concern for Boart Longyear. Both rigs are equipped with heavy-duty hoses to protect the driller from hose rupture, and guarding for protection from mov- ing parts. Removing the operators from the immediate drilling area, the rigs can be controlled with a remote posi- tioning system up to 25 m away, he said, while noting that the StopeMaster is equipped with an emergency-stop circuit to cut the power to the drill in the event of an incident. While it is true that narrow-vein deposits are never again going to form a major supply source for the world's mineral commodities, they will contin- ue to represent a significant and geo- logically interesting target. The chal- lenges are different from, say, open stoping or block caving, and the designs of equipment used clearly rec- ognize this. That the equipment sector includes both the leading manufactur- ers and smaller, niche suppliers is clear proof of its continuing strength. MARCH 2014 • E&MJ; 35 www.e-mj.com N A R R O W V E I N M I N I N G EMJ_pg28-37_EMJ_pg28-37 2/28/14 3:10 PM Page 35

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