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VDMA 2007 by SL 750-equipped Oakey Creek in Australia, working a mere 3 m face. In the U.S., meanwhile, Eickhoff shearers help Consol Energy's Bailey mine constantly to be one of the country's top underground producers. Looking ahead, the company says that its engineers are already working on the next generation of mining machinery. Its online computer support combined with onboard maintenance systems and intelligent automation options help to make underground coal mining safer and more efficient. With the help of the latest computer-aided design and simulation processes, and using the latest foundry and manufacturing technology in its own facilities, Eickhoff is continuing to push the envelope of shearer technology. An LHD with other Capabilities Schopf Maschinenbau GmbH produces loading and haulage equipment for the underground mining and tunnelling markets, as well as ground-support equipment for aviation. The Ostfildern-based company's mining range encompasses LHDs with payload capabilities from 6 to 18 mt, together with dump trucks and utility vehicles that are supplied in collaboration with an international partner. At the beginning of January, the company became part of Goldhofer AG, which is one of the world's leading suppliers of heavy-duty modular trailer systems and low-loader semi-trailers. Schopf says that it designs its loaders according to the KISS (Keep It Strictly Simple) principle, with a simple design, easy maintenance, ease of access to various components and simple electrical and hydraulic systems. Separate cooling circuits for the brakes, engine cooler and hydraulic functions keep hydraulic fluid temperature low, thus guaranteeing low life-cycle costs, the company adds. As an example of one of its machines in operation, the German potash-producer, K&S; Kali has been using a new SFL 65 utility loader for a variety of underground tasks at its Werra mine in Thuringia since March 2012. The work involved includes removing residual salt from haulages where the mine's large production loaders cannot operate, as well as using the machine to construct underground roadways and collect and remove finely ground salt left behind by dinting machines used to level uneven floor surfaces. With a 6.5 mt payload, the SFL 65 loader is used both at Werra's Unterbreizbach section and elsewhere within K&S;'s operations. K&S; Kali has been using at least two dozen 6 mt-class LHDs for decades, Schopf says, noting that in its standard configuation, the SFL 65 fully complies with mining regulations. For the new machine, however, K&S; had it customized to include a fully automatic transmission, smoothride control, an automatic fire-extinguishing system and a quickattachment bucket and fork for fast equipment changeover. The smooth-ride control provides a comfortable ride over uneven surfaces, while the damping protects load-bearing parts of the load- The Schopf SFL 65 underground loader at K&S; Kali's Unterbreizbach mine. VDMA 14 er. Operators also benefit from the float position, which can be used to level uneven surfaces when building roadways. Schopf says that by fitting different attachments the SFL 65 can be used as a loader, dozer, forklift or even as a concrete mixer, using an optional quick-attachment system. The machine is powered by a water-cooled Deutz TCD 6.1 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine that meets European Stage IIIB emission standards. It also has lower fuel consumption than earlier engines while producing a stronger torque rise and better response, both helpful for working in difficult underground conditions. Finding New Niches for its Drills "A supplier of drills designed for specific project requirements" is how Oliver Rautenstrauch, managing director of the small engineering firm, Mössinger & Wolter Maschinenbau GmbH, described the company's business to Best of Germany. The company can trace its roots back some 40 years, he added, with 10 years trading in its current form. Mössinger & Wolter offers a four-model range of crawler-mounted drill rigs, designed for drilling shotholes and roofbolting. As an example, its SABW02 electro-hydraulic rig weighs in at 15 mt, is 11 m long and 1.45 m wide and can be used with both rotary-percussive and rotary drills. Its single boom gives a face coverage of up to 5 m wide by 3 m high. The company's range also includes one wheel-mounted rig, as well as a ring drill system for mounting on tunnel-boring machines (TBMs). For rock stabilization, it produces two-component injection pumps for use with polyurethane and silicate resins, while it also has valve equipment for use on longwall faces with water, hydraulic fluids and emulsions. Aside from drills, its crawler-mounted SR35MW shield retriever offers longwall operators a new approach to face-equipment recovery, being capable of pulling out up to 10, 35 mt supports in a shift. According to Rautenstrauch, Mössinger & Wolter is the only German manufacturer of this size of drilling equipment. In the past, he said, it has supplied machines to the local coal and salt industries, and is now looking for new niche applications in the international market. Pioneering Continuous Haulage for Hard Rock Mass Mining With Caterpillar's German operations one of the world's foremost integrated suppliers of underground coal-mining equipment, it was logical for the company to investigate the potential for transferring its technology concepts to the hard rock mining environment as well. Heading the list of developments in terms of bulk materials handling, its Rock Flow system has the potential to redefine the way in which large underground mines are designed, the company states. Caterpillar believes that with the Rock Flow approach, mine operators are looking at the best of both worlds, since the system means that block-caving mines can increase their production rates as well as cut the amount of underground infrastructure needed. It also allows them to replace the concept of using LHDs to move rock from the drawpoints to an orepass—which is a cyclical operation—with more energy-efficient continuous haulage. The Rock Feeder component of Caterpillar's Rock Flow system. VDMA MINING SUPPLEMENT • 2013