Perth-based equipment manufacturer Transmin has developed a new series of rockbreakers that use automation to improve safety and productivity.
In the mining industry, when it comes to purchasing new equipment, it’s common to hear ‘production is king’. Businesses that can produce more material without interruption will generally make more money than those fighting constant breakdowns and bottlenecks.
This maxim is the core design philosophy behind Transmin’s latest series of Rockbreakers, which are built to handle some of the toughest conditions for large scale mining and mineral processing.
Evan Douglas, Transmin’s Rockbreaker Product Manager, says the new series are an improvement on existing designs, using feedback from real world applications in combination with new technology.
“It all started back around the turn of the century, when CSIRO gave it a shot trying to automate some machinery. At the time, the computing power just simply wasn’t at the level to handle it,” he says.
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“Thanks to Moore’s Law (an observation that saw the number of transistors on microchips doubling about every two years), by 2008 the ability to use algorithms became commercially viable.
“The company saw automation as the best adaption of this technology, and began to work on implementing it into its Rockbreakers.”
The BoomerHD series implements a number of Industry 4.0 technologies in the rockbreakers to help improve productivity, including automated operation. In essence, the RockLogic system supervises the movement of the machine itself using sensors to create a 3D map of the space it works in. After mapping the scene, it will then move within it to begin hammering, while safety sensors double check the machine is in the correct position.
Collision avoidance software and sensors are also included to prevent unnecessary downtime and eliminate damage done to the rockbreaker or surrounding plant equipment. The system can detect if there is a potential hazard, such as other machinery entering the mapped zone, and will stop automatically to avoid a collision.
Douglas says removing the operator from a dangerous worksite has a number of clear safety benefits.
“When an operator is in the vicinity of a moving rockbreaker, apart from the rockbreaker, there’s the potential of fly rock causing harm, along with other hazards that are present in a busy mine environment,” he says.
“Not only that, but you’re removing the time it takes for an operator to get started. If it’s in an underground mine, operators will need to actually get to the rockbreakers, which can take a while simply due to the scale of these facilities.”
Operators can also control the rockbreakers remotely, either from on site or at an office hundreds of kilometres away from the mine itself. This takes the operator out of a noisy, dusty and potentially hazardous environment and places them in a more comfortable room where multiple machines can be controlled by the same operator.
Douglas says an added benefit of this is the improved work/family balance, as city based operators can head home after finishing a shift instead of flying in and out. Transmin has even demonstrated the technology internationally, by using the remote control technology at an event in Canada to operate a rockbreaker at its Malaga office in Perth.
As part of its Industry 4.0-ready offering, Transmin also offers a condition and performance monitoring system, which captures data from the machine and uses it for predictive maintenance.
“This is an absolute game changer in ensuring the rockbreaker is optimised for production,” Douglas says.
“Not only does it reduce maintenance costs, but it can also detect when a machine is likely to need repair, helping to reduce unscheduled shutdowns and frees up inventory space for spare parts.”
He adds that the technological aspect of the machines is only one part of the overall design implementation. Transmin used finite element analysis to optimise the construction of the machinery, using data it had gathered from years of real-world use.
The rockbreakers are manufactured in Australia from high-grade steel to reduce overall weight and increase durability. As a result, the machines are suitable for all climatic conditions, from open pit operations to underground or in high elevations.
This durability was, in fact critical for an iron ore mine in the mid-west of Western Australia. The company needed a boom system that could handle a high vibration and dust laden environment with temperatures ranging from -5°C to 48°C, and with a long reach for rock strengths in excess of 360 megapascals.
Transmin supplied a BoomerHD 160 Series hydraulic boom system fitted with a four-tonne hydraulic hammer. The horizontal reach required was 17 metres, with a vertical depth of 10 metres, with an operating angle of 280 degrees.
Transmin used custom designed boom and jib locking valves specifically to suit
its in-house designed cylinders. These bolted directly onto a machined port to allow the best possible safety. Hydraulic test points with quick connect couplings were fitted throughout the system at all critical areas, to make testing and trouble-shooting easy to perform without fluid spillage.
Douglas says that to date, the boom system is working better than expected, aiding plant productivity and reducing downtime.
Transmin is now looking to further increase its reach overseas. Originally based in Perth, Transmin has spread into the east coast market and has goals of continuing its expansion.
“Our ultimate goal is full automation – which will allow our machinery to intelligently identify rocks and break them with increasing efficiency. There’s still plenty of work and machine learning to be done to get to that stage, but the benefits are clear.”