The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - October 18, 2023
Sandvik offers versions of AutoMine that allow remote operators to control a single machine or simultaneously supervise multiple automated Sandvik loaders and trucks.
AutoMine Core provides users with multiple levels of interoperability for Sandvik and third-party mining equipment.
Staying on the cutting edge of autonomous underground mining technologies, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has introduced AutoMine Core, a comprehensive platform to support customers ramping up from manual operation to fully autonomous production.
The Swedish underground mining equipment and technologies company says AutoMine Core is tailor-made to bolster the safety, productivity, and sustainability of mass mining operations such as block caving and other bulk tonnage underground operations.
In recent years, Sandvik has significantly expanded the tele-remote, semiautonomous, and fully autonomous underground mining equipment it has to offer, along with its remote operating systems – from the entry-level AutoMine Tele-Remote solution that allows an operator to control a single machine from a safe and comfortable office setting on the surface to the AutoMine Multi-Lite system that enables each remote operator to simultaneously supervise multiple automated Sandvik loaders and trucks.
"AutoMine is used in more than 100 mines globally, including more than 20 mass mining applications," said Ty Osborne, acting director of customer projects automation at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.
Providing users with multiple levels of interoperability for mining equipment built by Sandvik and others, the company says AutoMine Core offers industry-leading solutions for underground connectivity, data collection and analysis and an advanced fleet of automated equipment options – making underground mining safer, more sustainable, and more productive.
"AutoMine Core combines advanced planning and scheduling capability with top-tier underground autonomy, integrating seamlessly into a mine's digital ecosystem," Osborne added. "This integration enables our customers to achieve end-to-end optimization, resulting in increased productivity and added value."
With its own built-in features, along with the ability to integrate seamlessly with other Sandvik and partner products, AutoMine Core offers a complete solution for optimizing mass mining operations.
AutoMine Core features include:
• AutoMine Access Control System to keep machines and people safe. Interoperable safety systems allow mining areas to be split into flexible safety zones, creating shared areas for both manual and automated equipment to operate independently. Traffic management systems enable safe control of different machine types, such as loaders and trucks in the same area, and can easily handle complex situations such as advanced deadlock control, passing bays, dynamic dispatch, and dynamic speed scaling.
• Communication and data management. Robust connectivity is the lifeline of automated underground operations. AutoMine Core, along with proven connectivity leaders such as Rajant Corp., creates stable networks (Wi-Fi, 4G/LTE, 5G, and Mesh) for autonomous fleets to enable better reliability of data and analytics for telemetry, autonomy, and optimization.
• Manual Production Monitoring for monitoring and managing production in manual and partially automated loading operations. MPM offers high-accuracy location tracking through dead reckoning, capturing of cycle information based on machine movement, and predefined loading and dumping locations. This system's cycle detection accuracy is more than 95% in mass mining applications and is immune to dust and most other environmental factors, making it ideal for use in mining operations.
AutoMine Core also integrates seamlessly with automation solutions developed by Sandvik partners. One such partner-built solution is Polymathian Industrial Mathematics' ORB, underground mining and dispatch optimization software that can further improve productivity by 20%.
Coupled with its advanced fleet of automated equipment options, Sandvik feels AutoMine Core offers a comprehensive solution for the next generation of automated, large-scale underground mines.
"We believe this platform will transform mass mining operations, helping maximize safety, productivity and sustainability," Osborne said. "We want our customers to automate with confidence."
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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