Australian autonomous solutions specialist RCT is fronting up to the annual Canadian Mining Expo (CME) in Timmins, Ontario to discuss its latest mining automation technology with delegates.
Staff from one of RCT’s regional branches will attend to discuss ControlMaster® Guidance Automation range as well as the company’s proprietary protection, fleet management and parts ranges.
The ControlMaster® Guidance Automation package enables heavy mining plant to autonomously tram between production levels locations while also presenting real-time graphical machine data to operators located in secure locations.
RCT Regional Manager - North America Andrew Sells said the event will be a great opportunity to network with potential and existing clients.
“RCT has successfully implemented a number of projects for Canadian mining companies including commissioning ControlMaster® Teleremote on a CAT D11T dozer and a CAT 390D hydraulic excavator for Teck Resources in British Columbia,” he said.
“We look forward to promoting our capabilities as a quality supplier of automation technology at CME.”
RCT will be available to meet with delegates at stand R8-07 (Arena 2) at the McIntyre Community Centre in Timmins from June 5 – 6.
RCT has entered into a project with Alkane Resources to commission autonomous technology at its Tomingley Gold Operations in New South Wales.
The work involves installing and commissioning ControlMaster® Guidance Automation on two Caterpillar R2900G LHDs to operate at the company’s underground gold operation at Tomingley, just south of Dubbo.
RCT will also supply a Tele Cabin including operator chair, LCD monitors and laser guard containment control with the option to operate from the mine’s surface via the ControlMaster® Fibre Optic Control Station (FOCS).
Guidance Automation removes operators from machine cabs which improves safety while the technology enables faster tramming speeds and eliminates machine damage from operator errors thereby significantly reducing unplanned maintenance works.
The technology will be installed by mid-2019 with operator training to be held simultaneously.
Gold Fields’ Granny Smith Gold Mine will further improve operational efficiencies onsite with the latest in RCT’s Automation technological advancements.
The underground gold mine’s CAT loaders equipped with RCT’s ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance Automation solutions will go digital with RCT’s Guidance Select and Guidance Control features, which will be facilitated via the mine network and RCT’s ACC; all of which will transform their operations into a mine of the future.
Stay tuned for more on this project…
RCT’s latest automation technology has been successfully deployed at the Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in Western Australia. Sunrise Dam is wholly owned by AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd, with underground mining operations contracted to Barminco.
Barminco’s Sandvik and CAT loader fleets, which were already operating with ControlMaster® Guidance Automation, were fitted with enhancements including Multiple Machine Selection (MMS) and Multiple Machine Control (MMC). This cutting-edge technology gives an operator control of numerous mobile machines from the one station. This project was a first for all parties involved who collaborated to achieve successful delivery.
“For example, this allows one operator to tram one machine, while digging with another to make the process more efficient,” said RCT’s Automation and Control Product Manager, Brendon Cullen.
“Before the introduction of these features, one operator would only be able to concentrate on the activity of one mobile machine. The new features allow them to attend to multiple machines safely and effectively thanks to Guidance Automation which will keep the machine on the correct path, to avoid machine damage and to ensure faster tramming.”
These latest automation features are made possible by digitising the mine’s work area with RCT’s Bridge, the company’s own communication network; essential in supporting the latest autonomous features.
“RCT Bridge is the stepping stone solution to bring a mine site to full digitisation and is simply integrated into the site’s existing system,” said Cullen.
In addition to this, RCT’s Area Access Control (AAC) units have also been deployed. This relatively new system acts as an extension of the Automation Control Centre and interfaces between the work areas and machines.
“These lightweight, cost effective and portable solutions are
the ideal alternative to installing a cabin on site,” said Cullen.
Operators will not only have all these innovative features at their fingertips, but they will also be utilising them from the comfort of an Automation Control Centre on the surface of the mine which has been upgraded with operator ergonomics in mind.
“The control centre was overhauled to ensure improved functionality with a new operating system which includes the MMC and MMS features to make it more comfortable for operators.”
These additions are designed to help increase the mine’s overall efficiency and to increase productivity.
”This project is a great example of RCT’s interoperability capabilities; highlighting the company’s abilities to integrate with different brands of machines and a site’s information system,” said Cullen.
The implementation of RCT’s state-of-the-art features is part of Sunrise Dam’s technology transformation.
RCT is proud to announce that it has secured another project with a gemstone mine in Australia.
Four of the site’s existing Sandvik LH410 loaders will be equipped with RCT’s Smart Technology; two with ControlMaster® Teleremote solutions and two with ControlMaster® Guidance Automation.
RCT’s mining solutions will help increase productivity, profitability and safety at the large mine site.
Stay tuned for more on this project….
RCT is proud to announce its latest Custom project which will significantly improve operator safety and increase productivity at an underground mine in South East Asia.
The mine site wanted to further safeguard operators by removing all personnel from the truck loading chute chambers which are exposed to extreme environmental hazards such as wet muck rushes.
RCT Custom designed, manufactured and will soon install a bespoke remote control solution that allows operators to control the chutes, used to load trucks, from a safe location.
Operators will be able to control up to 10 chutes from four operator stations located in a central control room, with plans to expand the operation in the future.
The customised chute control solution works in conjunction with RCT’s ControlMaster® Guidance Automation solution installed on the site’s Caterpillar AD60 underground articulated trucks. Guidance ensures the truck autonomously makes its way to the chute chambers.
The new chute control solution eliminates the need to have operators
in the hazardous area completely and therefore directly meets the client’s needs.
Stay tuned for more on this project….
RCT’s automation journey is profound. The company’s ControlMaster® Automation solutions, in particular its Guidance has been driving productivity and profitability in the mining industry for more than 5 million operating hours.
“This is a significant milestone for RCT as it is much greater than other automation solutions available on the market today,” said RCT’s Automation and Control Product Manager, Brendon Cullen.
“RCT has the experience and know-how in the automation field, which surpasses other solutions available on the market.”
The Guidance technology is interfaced with the steering, brakes, throttle and gears to effectively control the travel of a mobile machine. Consisting of on-board GCU, front and rear lasers, cameras, and sensors it ensures the machine is tramming along the optimum path and at a speed that will deliver consistent cycle times across every shift. Guidance removes the operator from the cabin and allows them to control the machine with a joystick; only requiring them to move it in the direction the machine needs to go – the machine does the rest. As a result, this technology can help prevent machine damage and perform at a higher level to manually driven machines, for longer periods of time.
“Guidance has and will continue to prove itself in the automation field. We are proud of what this solution can do and have plans to keep innovating it to keep up industry demands,” said Mr Cullen.
RCT has hundreds of Guidance systems operating a minimum of 16 hours per day around the globe.
“In addition to this, there has been no lost time injury or machine damage reported during this time,” Mr Cullen added.
RCT’s ControlMaster® Guidance solution can be installed on any machine, regardless of make or model; making it ideal for operations utilising a mixed fleet.
A base metal mineral mine in Spain has increased production at a newly developed mine thanks to innovative Smart Technology company RCT.
The site manager, who was already familiar with RCT’s products and capabilities, saw the opportunity to increase productivity at the mine by upgrading its loaders from a Line-of-Sight (LOS) remote system to a proven RCT solution.
Mine management and RCT collaborated to find the ideal solution for the site to directly answer its needs. It was decided RCT’s ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance systems (ATX2000) were best suited for the job. These solutions were installed on four CAT R2900G Underground loaders.
RCT’s ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance systems were specifically designed to improve operational efficiency and productivity by reducing impact damage to the machine while increasing general tramming speed to ensure KPI’s are met every time.
The previous technology the mine was utilising was basic and required a high level of concentration to navigate the complicated and often busy drives of the mines on top of this, LOS resulted in an interrupted mining sequence as the operator has to enter and exit the machine frequently which takes time.
The ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance systems would eliminate the interrupted mining sequence, assist with fatigue experienced by operators and make navigating the drives simple as the Teleremote and Guidance is equipped with lasers to avoid all walls and obstacles, which in turn reduces damage to expensive machinery.
The state-of-the-art system removes the operator from the machine, allowing them to control the loader from the comfort of an operator control station which is complete with chair, controls and screens. The loader itself is fitted with cameras and sensors which are relayed to the operating station.
At this particular site, two Automation Centres were deployed. One was adapted into an underground room in the mine wall, and the second was fitted on the back of Ford Ranger vehicle, making it mobile.
RCT training was also successfully delivered to numerous mine operators via an interpreter; ensuring workers had a sound understanding of the system in order to reap maximum results.
Within a few weeks of operation, the site experienced a substantial improvement in the number of buckets the loaders were completing in a day.
“The system is working and we feel confident about it,” said the site manager.
“We have allocated two dedicated guys –trained by [RCT] to ensure that is adequately implemented across all shifts.”
In addition to this, he said operator safety and operating conditions have improved.
“The system has been positively received by all the operators and working conditions have improved considerably with the use of this technology,” he said.
“This solution has also addressed unnecessary downtime we were experiencing.”
“The Teleremote solution allows the operators to work uninterrupted; they no longer have to raise and lower the blade continuously when entering and exiting the stope.”
RCT has successfully deployed numerous ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance systems in mining operations throughout the world, with great results. To date, RCT has engaged in projects in more than 64 countries however, this was the first significant project to be completed in Spain.
The introduction of RCT’s ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance systems has seen productivity and safety increase at a mine site in Egypt.
“The company’s main aim was to extract as much metal from the large porphyry body while eliminating damage to the site’s mining equipment in the process,” said RCT’s African Business Development Manager, Mike Thomas.
Two of the site’s Caterpillar R2900 loaders were equipped with RCT’s Smart Technology. The Teleremote solution has removed the operator from the cab of the loader, allowing them to control the machine from a safe location. At this particular site, the Automation Centre is on a skid, positioned in the back of a light vehicle, allowing for a mobile operation. Guidance has automated the loaders ensuring they avoid all walls and obstacles while tramming. Paired together, the two systems are designed to not only ensure operator safety, but significantly increase productivity by allowing machines to reach greater speeds and eliminating unscheduled downtime associated with machine collisions and shift changes.
In addition to installing the systems, RCT delivered training to operators and maintenance staff which took place both on site and at RCT’s Perth office.
“The specialised skills training has empowered staff with the knowledge, and know-how to maintain and troubleshoot the solutions installed,” added Mr Thomas.
“Training ensures the site can be self-sufficient when it comes to our solutions which in the long term reduces downtime as maintenance can be undertaken on site, there’s no need for it to be carried out overseas,” he said.
The ability for operators to control the loader on Teleremote and Guidance solutions has increased productivity and eliminated machine damage at the site – directly meeting the client’s requirements.