Australian autonomous solution company RCT is delighted with the positive experience from the recent MiningWorld Russia expo held in Moscow from April 23-25.
MiningWorld Rusia 2019 was in its 23rd year and attracted 5000 mining industry representatives, representing 25% more delegates than last year.
RCT staff fielded strong interest from expo delegates at the company’s stall (C265) which displayed the new ControlMaster® Automation Centre featuring a purpose-built simulator.
RCT’s Moscow-based CIS Business Development Manager Stephen Macarow and Custom Department Manager Steven Appleton attended the conference and networked with mining executives throughout the three-day event.
They spoke with over 100 delegates over the course of the event including representatives from large regional mining companies and equipment suppliers based mostly in Russia but also in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Mr Macarow said delegates were generally impressed with the functionality of the Automation Centre.
“The Automation Centre acted like a magnet, people walked straight to the chair and displayed great interest in how it worked,” he said.
“The people we spoke to were aware of automation technology and everyone knew of our Teleremote project with Polyus.
“Overall, I had a very good impression of the event, it was a great opportunity to speak with a wide range of industry figures who had all come together under the one roof at a single time.
“MiningWorld Russia has proven once again to be one of the greatest industry events in the region, RCT will certainly be back in the future.”
RCT also received the Automation Champions award which was judged by the expo's organisers.
RCT has successfully completed its biggest project to date for Caterpillar dealer Vostochnaya Technia which has seen eight automation solutions deployed at Polyus’ Olimpiada surface mine in Krasnoyarsk region, Eastern Siberia, Russia.
The company’s bespoke department, RCT Custom successfully designed, manufactured and installed ControlMaster® Teleremote solutions tailored specifically for this project for a fleet of five Caterpillar 777F trucks, a Komatsu 1 PC-3000-6 hydraulic shovel and D-275A-5 dozer and an Atlas Copco DML drilling rig.
This project was a crucial turning point for the gold mine’s transition into an autonomous machine operation and will allow the site to operate more safely and efficiently.
The solutions allow operators at the gold mine, to simultaneously clean up landslip while continuing production in the same area; significantly increasing productivity by reducing downtime associated with manual operation of the mobile machines.
This is made possible thanks to the customisation of the Teleremote solution to incorporate the Multiple Machine Selection (MMS) feature which allows one operator to swap between machines when production tasks change.
This is particularly significant to aiding productivity as the mine operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prior to the installation of RCT’s automation solutions, the mobile machines were operating in hazardous areas prone to rock fall and exposed to extreme weather conditions all year round.
RCT’s customised Teleremote solutions removed the operator from the cab of the machines and relocated them to an ergonomically designed Control Station, complete with modern comforts such as heating, which is essential at a mine experiencing such extreme temperatures.
Two Control Centres were deployed on site, one controls the trucks, dozer and shovel and the second controls the drill.
Providing operators with a comfortable working environment has proven to increase productivity as they remain more alert during shifts.
As well as protecting operators from the elements, each component of RCT’s ControlMaster® solutions were specifically designed to withstand the extreme temperatures experienced in Russia.
As a result, all components are in compliance with ambient classification set forth in GOST 15150-69; ensuring components can operate efficiently in temperatures ranging from -45 degrees Celsius and 45+.
Visibility was another factor that had to be taken into consideration due to the mine’s location. To ensure seamless operation during the evening shifts and the winter months, additional external lighting was fitted to the trucks and loaders; ensuring adequate visibility during the mining process during these times.
This extensive project also required the reinvention of the design of RCT’s existing surface drill console which was installed to control the Atlas Copco drilling rig on site.
The drill console was downsized and thanks to the latest ControlMaster® technology the Custom department was able to reproduce it into a more manageable size with the same functionalities it previously possessed.
The console now consists of four joysticks which can be used over four different modes to perform 50 functions necessary to operate a surface drill via remote control.
It was also integral the drill icons would translate well to Russian but also have a universal meaning.
“Everything we have implemented on this console has been to serve a specific function. It was important we catered to every function the operator would have, as if they were in the cab of the machine,” said RCT’s CIS Business Development Manager, Stephen Macarow.
“RCT can provide more than a standard offer; it’s our agileness and ability to rise to any technological challenge that gives us that competitive edge,” Mr Macarow said.
To further ensure operators have the same, if not better view of the operating area, pan-tilt-zoom cameras – capable of remote directional and zoom control were added to the drill.
The end result was a modernised console that met all the criteria for this drill that will lay the foundations, to be adapted to various drills for years to come.
A Polyus spokesperson stated that the introduction of capabilities for equipment remote control improved safety of mining processes in challenging mining and geological conditions of the Olimpiada Mine. The project provided an opportunity to evaluate technologies and capabilities of remote control systems. And to begin work on assessing the possibility of using automated control systems to operate mining machines.
VT’s Technology Manager, Alexandr Voroshilov said: “for Vostochnaya Technica (VT) this project is not only the biggest technology project, it is a good example of strong partnership with RCT and good relations with our customer Polyus. The project involved 40+ employees from VT, RCT, Neman and Sercons working on different project stages, 4 tonnes of high technology RCT equipment was delivered from Australia to the remote mine site in Russia. It also encompassed specially designing and building 2 operator stations, obtaining 6 certification (permission) documents and it took 6 month for installation, full testing and commissioning. VT and RCT have been partners for more than 8 years, we worked as one team to complete this project and to provide a comprehensive solution to our customer.”
While RCT is prominently known for its work in the underground mining environment, its capabilities have always encompassed surface mines and this project is an excellent example.
RCT's Custom department's unique capabilities are often called upon to provide bespoke solutions to CAT dealer, VT and its clients in Russia.
This project highlights RCT’s interoperability capabilities; installing automation solutions on Caterpillar, Komatsu and Atlas Copco mobile machines and have them work together to achieve a common goal of increasing productivity safely.
There’s a new member of the ControlMaster® family and it is automating surface drills.
Classic red in colour, this creation came about thanks to the Polyus project, but it looks to be a permanent member of the family when it was redesigned to be rolled out across all models of surface drills.
Although RCT has remoted surface drills in the past, the decision was made to reinvent the existing drill console.
“The original consoles were very big and took up a lot of space so we jumped at the chance at redesigning it for the Polyus project,” said RCT Custom’s Design Technician Jayden Rickert.
“RCT are constantly innovating and improving its solutions to ensure we are ahead of the curve and this project was no exception.”
Concept
The concept stage is one that involved extensive research and had Jayden reviewing numerous sources for more information.
“The Atlas Copco DML Series drill that the console would be installed on wasn’t available to me here so I had to improvise which was by far the hardest aspect of the project,” he said.
Jayden had to ensure the console would mimic all the functions of the model drill to ensure the progress was a success.
“RCT’s main goal with projects like this is to enable operators to control the machines with the same functionality as if they were sitting in the cab of the machine,” he said.
“There were a lot of factors to be taken into consideration with this project.”
“As technology has advanced, so has the ability to condense our ControlMaster® technology into a smaller console and still have the same functionalities we had previously.”
Once Jayden had drawn up the required specification in a detailed document and he was certain that they were in order, and then the Custom team knew exactly what was needed to carry out this project successfully.
“This included knowing the hardware required to fit out the new drill console, number of joysticks, display, inputs, parts etc.”
Jayden described the surface drill project as somewhat unique for RCT.
Outcome
The redesigned console consists of multiple joysticks and HMI (Human Machine Interface) which can be used over four different modes to perform 70+ functions.
It was an important requirement that the icons met ISO Standards and that they would translate well to into Russian but also have a universal meaning for future projects.
“Everything that we implemented on this console was to serve a specific function; it was important that we covered
for every eventuality, also to ensure that we had catered to every function and requirement that the operator would need.”
To further ensure operators have the same vision, if not a better view of the operating area, Jayden and the team added a full camera system which includes 5 fixed cameras and pan-tilt-zoom camera which are capable of remote directional and zoom control.
Although Jayden was the brainchild behind the project, he recognised the project was a team effort and it wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of the Custom, Drafting and Marketing departments.
“In particular, RCT’s Technical Document Coordinator Clint Wilmot and his team – his Auto CAD drawings are so precise, which is exactly what I needed in order to make these concepts a reality,” he said.
“RCT’s Graphic Designer Gemma Twidle helped to create the drill ISO icons and designing a user interface for the console to ensure a seamless user experience, which turned out exceptionally well. It was easy to communicate what we wanted and Gemma had some great ideas.”
Of course, RCT’s Custom team were also heavily involved.
“I had an amazing team working with me to achieve this task which included Embedded Software Engineer, Tam Nguyen, Senior Embedded Software Engineer Nick Stanley, Design Technician Michael Godfrey and Apprentice Auto Electrician, Blake Laidler."
The end result was a modernised console that met all the criteria for this particular drill project but also lay down the foundations, to be adapted to various drills for years to come.
Installation
As well as leading the design and manufacture of the console, Jayden literally went the extra mile and flew to Polyus’ site in Russia to ensure the successful deployment of the console once it was installed on the drill. Jayden played an integral role in this project from start to finish and his exemplary diligence and capabilities were noticed. This project was a great example of a team member that went above and beyond to deliver our client the best solution possible.
The end result of this project was that the operator was able to match/improve on manual production times. From a safe, clean control station environment free from rock falls, explosives, constant machine vibration, diesel fumes, and dust and extreme weather conditions.
RCT is proud to announce its latest project with Russia’s Caterpillar dealer, Vostochnaya Technica and Polyus.
This extensive project will see RCT’s Custom department design, manufacture and install eight ControlMaster® solutions for five Caterpillar trucks, a shovel, dozer and a drill.
Polyus will be utilising these machines equipped with RCT’s Smart Technology at its Olimpiada surface mine, near Krasnoyarsk in Russia. This project is the crucial turning point for the mine’s transition into an autonomous machine operation.
RCT’s Custom department’s unique capabilities are often called upon to provide bespoke solutions to Vostochnaya Technica and clients in Russia.
Stay tuned for more on this project…
