The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - July 24, 2024
An immersive room showcasing Sandvik's mining equipment, tools, and technologies will be at the center of the company's MINExpo 2024 exhibit.
Sandvik's Toro diesel-electric demonstrator truck provides a new option for underground mines where an immediate switch to battery-electric is not possible.
Sandvik's battery-electric concept surface drill rig blends the endurance of a power cable with the autonomy of a battery.
Net-zero. Connected. Digitized. Automated. Electrified. These are some of the adjectives Sandvik is using to describe its vision for the "future of mining," which will be on full display at the global mining technology and equipment company's 21,000-square-foot exhibit in the Central Hall of MINExpo International 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A global mining technology, equipment, and supplies extravaganza that comes around just once every four years (except for a one-year delay for the 2020 show due to the Covid disruption), MINExpo showcases the latest in mining innovation and a glimpse of what the future holds.
For Sandvik, the future of mining is net-zero, circular and regenerative – supporting the transition to a sustainable world.
"As the mining industry helps drive the global green transition and decarbonization efforts accelerate within our own sector, we continue to innovate within automation, digitalization and electrification, key areas that empower our customers to mine more sustainably," said Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions President Mats Eriksson.
With digitalization poised to become even more vital to the more sustainable and efficient mine of the future, a 645-square-foot immersive room showcasing the company's end-to-end digital offering and other key technologies will be the centerpiece of Sandvik's MINExpo exhibit.
Attendees who immerse themselves in this sensory experience can step into an underground mine control room, explore Sandvik's MineGame advanced simulation tool, and discover Sandvik technologies.
Surrounding the immersive room, Sandvik will showcase its expanding portfolio of next-generation mining equipment and technologies.
While the company has been pushing the envelope when it comes to developing battery-electric trucks for underground mining, the company understands that the transition to electrified mining equipment is just that-a transition, and an immediate switch from diesel to battery-electric is not possible at all mines.
Sandvik's Toro diesel-electric demonstrator truck provides a new option for underground mines where an immediate switch to battery-electric is not possible.
As a transitional underground mining technology, Sandvik is developing diesel-electric underground loaders and trucks expected to boost productivity, reduce total cost of ownership, improve availability, and extend component lifetimes.
"We see the future of underground mining as a combination of multiple coexisting technologies, with different solutions for varying customer needs," Jari Söderlund, product management director of the load and haul division at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. "Diesel-electric is another technology that can help our customers achieve their productivity and sustainability goals."
MINExpo attendees will be able to get an up-close look at a Toro diesel-electric truck demonstrator being developed by Sandvik. This more than 60-metric-ton demonstrator, which was first unveiled to customers at a technology workshop in Finland in 2022, has undergone extensive performance testing, and the Sandvik product development team is using customer feedback to ensure its future commercial offering meets industry needs.
The Sandvik exhibit will also showcase a variety of electric surface and underground drills, including the first look at its latest battery-electric concept surface drill rig outside of Finland. This concept offers the ability to do the bulk of the drilling while plugged into a power source with a 180-meter (nearly two American football fields) cable, as well as the ability to run off a battery to drill holes beyond the reach of the tether.
Sandvik's battery-electric concept surface drill rig blends the endurance of a power cable with the autonomy of a battery.
"The battery means greater freedom and flexibility and more efficient use of time, as the rig can drill immediately while the cable is being set up," said Lauri Laihanen, vice president of research and development at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions' surface drilling division.
In addition to a first-hand look at a wide range of other mining equipment, tools, and technologies, visitors will also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in simulators across the Sandvik exhibit at MINExpo 2024.
MINExpo INTERNATIONAL 2024 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Sept. 24-26.
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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