Efficiency and productivity have increased significantly at a Western Australian Gold and Copper mine thanks to the implementation of RCT’s Digital, Autonomous technology across its mobile mining fleet.
The site was no stranger to RCT’s state-of-the-art autonomous solution, having benefitted from our analogue technology for many years before the latest upgrade.
The decision to transform operations was made to future proof themselves with RCT’s latest digital solution.
The project involved transitioning a mixed machine fleet consisting of three existing Sandvik 514 loaders and two 1700 CAT loaders. The technology upgrade utilises RCT’s Connect - the full-scale digital communications solution that is designed to meet the demands of autonomous machines in real-time for both existing and future fleet needs.
“RCT’s innovative technology ensures all remote loaders on site can operate autonomously now and well into the future,” said RCT Account Manager, Scott Phillips.
As well as improved operating efficiencies, the upgrade in technology has enabled operators to remote from the mine’s surface.
While the technology implementation is still relatively new, a spokesperson from the mine said there have been a myriad of benefits so far.
“Managing the fleet from the surface or "hot seating" has boosted production. Capturing the lost time from shift change and continued operations over firing has tangibly improved our remote productivity,” said the mine site’s spokesperson.
“In addition to this, the digital system is proving to be a very reliable and easy to manage solution,” they added.
The changes have been well-received by our operators with improved picture quality following the digital upgrade.
RCT’s digital solution also paves the way for multiple machine control which was also a deciding factor for the upgrade.
“This particular mine site is known for its long production drives so having one operator operate multiple machines simultaneously will allow the operation to dramatically increase productivity – it’s the perfect scenario,” said Mr Phillips.
“This progressive mine site is now set up to introduce RCT’s latest features as they are released,” he added.
Canadian mining company Mandalay Resources owns and operates the Costerfield gold antimony project southeast of Bendigo in regional Victoria, Australia.
Costerfield produces ore via a single portal underground mine with site personnel using a narrow vein method to extract vertical veins of ore.
The mine produces up to 80,000 equivalent ounces per annum in gold and antimony in gravity gold and a concentrate compromising approximately 54 per cent antimony and 60g/t gold.
The nature of narrow vein mining dictates that ore drives are quite thin to reduce the amount of waste material that is captured.
Costerfield’s drilling and blasting program was designed to maximise ore recovery by throwing the ore towards the draw point, however, historically the site could only recover 75 per cent of the ore.
This was due to the remaining ore sitting in the stope void out of reach of the underground loader as manually operated loaders could not exceed the stope brow.
Mandalay then investigated implementing a loader that could be managed remotely to extract additional ore and to safeguard equipment operators from hazardous situations at the mine face.
In 2015, Mandalay Resources engaged RCT to implement its ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance Automation product on a Sandvik LH203 Loader.
The automated loader enabled Mandalay Resources to retrieve significant amounts of ore that were previously unreachable.
In recent years RCT has increased the autonomous fleet at Costerfield by commissioning ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance Automation on a second Sandvik LH203 as well as a Sandvik LH151D.
The machines are managed from Fibre Optic Control Stations (FOCS) at secure locations in the underground mine protected by Laser Guard Containment Units as well as stations on the mine’s surface.
“Removing operators from the machine is the best outcome as it eliminates their exposure from one of our highest risk jobs which is working at a stope brow.
The small loaders we use are very rigid which has the potential for repetitive strain injuries.
They also have open cabs and in this environment, dust, machine exhaust and debris can be an added safety concern,” according to Jayson Guzzo, Major Projects and Innovation Manager – Costerfield, Mandalay Resources.
In mid-2019, Mandalay made the decision to implement a digital mine communications network to accommodate future technological growth.
“Given that we are a narrow vein operation we may have to access ore a significant distance from the mine access point so we are looking at going to a digital platform so we can run a fibre backbone and autonomously operate machines over a vast distance,” Mr Guzzo said.
“In a traditional mine you might spend a whole week bogging a single stope before moving, but at Costerfield we might bog 3 or 4 headings in one shift, so the number of sites that we have to have set up at any one time are multiple, hence a digital system will significantly speed up the process of commissioning new drives.”
Mandalay has reported that ControlMaster® Guidance Automation enabled them to carry out bogging and firing operations simultaneously, saving them substantial time which was previously spent clearing personnel to a safe distance.
Mr Guzzo says ControlMaster® Guidance Automation has enabled the company to reduce shift changeover time by two thirds — which is a significant cost saving.
He also says the site has experienced less unplanned machine downtime.
“At Costerfield the drives are roughly 2m wide so Guidance Automation keeps the machines off the walls and stops them bouncing around the tunnels so the damage to the machines is a lot less and results in significantly reduced unplanned maintenance time,” Mr Guzzo says.
“Relocating operators from the cab of our loaders to safer environments on the mine’s surface is essential, and being able to continue bogging during firing as well as significantly reducing shift changeover time is critical to improving site productivity. Plant automation is definitely the way of the future in the mining industry and RCT are the leaders in that area, which is why they are our preferred supplier with this equipment,” Jayson Guzzo, Major Projects and Innovation Manager – Costerfield, Mandalay Resources.
Leading autonomous solutions provider RCT is finalising a major automation project for Westgold Resources at five of its mine sites in Western Australia’s Murchison.
The package of works involved RCT installing and commissioning its ControlMaster® Guidance Automation technology to 10 of Westgold’s underground loader fleet across their mining operations including CAT R2900Gs and Sandvik LH517 loaders.
RCT will also deliver its latest surface-based ControlMaster® Automation Centres equipped with Multiple Machine Selection and Multiple Machine Control options aimed at driving further mining production efficiencies at each site.
Guidance Automation encompasses a fully automated tramming cycle between production level locations which includes proportional braking and automated steering and speed control.
The technology also includes features such as G-Dash which empowers operators by presenting a graphical dashboard of the machine telemetry and diagnostic features to ensure optimal loader performance.
Implementing the ControlMaster® Guidance Automation solution across Westgold’s Big Bell, Paddy’s Flat, Comet, South Emu and Starlight operations standardises the company’s production technology and will deliver significant efficiencies and synergies.
RCT Business Development Manager Mining – APAC Ryan Noden said each delivery is being tailored to site-specific requirements.
“Over the past few months RCT has been working in a staged approach to upgrade Westgold’s existing systems and consolidate the operating system across all operations to ControlMaster®,” he said.
“The introduction of RCT’s technology will offer Westgold a proven and successful pathway to mine digitalisation, with the ability to adopt the latest technology offerings as and when required and applying shared learnings across its operations.”
“RCT is excited to be working closely with Westgold as a technology provider to achieve operational excellence.”
David Noort, Executive General Manager – ACM at Westgold Resources said he is delighted to be working with RCT.
“We made the decision to implement the ControlMaster® Guidance Automation solution due to RCT’s proven productivity and technological reliability and proactive support services,” he said.
“Being able to implement Multiple Machine Selection/Multiple Machine Control is an added advantage as it will support staged growth and specialised applications where geotechnical constraints require a period of standoff before re-entry after blasting.”
RCT has been upskilling Westgold site personnel by implementing operator and maintenance training courses and will carry out after sales support and field servicing on an ongoing basis.
Autonomous solutions provider RCT and underground mining specialist GBF have marked 10 years of working together to implement autonomous technology into underground mining operations.
Since 2009, when GBF & RCT conducted underground trials of the ControlMaster® Guidance Automation system at Gold Fields Caves Rock mining operations, RCT has delivered 19 Autonomous systems including Sandvik LH203s, CAT 2900Gs, R1700s, R1700Gs and R1300Gs at multiple GBF-run mine sites throughout Western Australia’s Goldfields.
The work collectively amounts to roughly 15,000 hours of machines operating on Guidance Automation within GBF-run operations.
ControlMaster® Guidance Automation has seen numerous software iterations over its product life starting with dynamic operator engagement, surface control to Independent autonomous tramming and more recently multi machine control via RCT’s latest Automation offering.
GBF Maintenance Superintendent Alan Moyle, who played a key role in the initial trials and has seen the Guidance Automation system evolve over the last 10 years said RCT’s technology has significantly improved safe machine operations by removing personnel from the mine face as well as better operator fatigue control.
“Greater control features have reduced the amount of machine damage due to operator errors with consistent machine cycles enabling us to improve productivity and it provides us data when tendering for new contracts,” he said
“RCT have also provided multiple opportunities for GBF apprentices to gain experience with their latest modern technology which they have subsequently applied to their work.”
RCT Product Manager Automation & Control Brendon Cullen said GBF’s early adoption of RCT’s technology meant its operations have benefitted consistently as the product has evolved.
“GBF has been influential in driving features and improvements to the system over time and develop new features such as G-Dash which empower operator’s decision making by presenting a dashboard of the machinery in relation to its surrounding in real time,” he said
“GBF’s operators have also consistently provided feedback over time, resulting in improvements such as faster tramming times, better cornering speeds, more efficient braking and the evolution of the fully automated tramming cycle.
“As the mines are becoming deeper the drive to operate the machinery from the surface is becoming a key requirement to maximise production times. RCT continues to work in partnership with GBF to allow them to reach their goals as cost efficiently as possible using the technology available onsite at the time.”
RCT has finalised a major automation project at MATSA’s Aguas Teñidas and Magdalena mines in the Huelva province of Spain.
The project involved installing ControlMaster® Guidance Automation on four CAT R2900G underground loaders and one Automation Centre Surface Control Station at MATSA’s Aguas Teñidas copper-lead-zinc mine.
The Automation Centre is fitted out with RCT’s Multiple Machine Control feature enabling a single operator to remotely control multiple machines at the same time via Aguas Teñidas’ digital communications network.
RCT also commissioned two Sandvik LH621 underground loaders with ControlMaster® Guidance Automation at the nearby Magdalena copper mine.
The Sandvik loaders can operate on a digital network via RCT’s Area Access Cabinets which act as an extension of the Automation Centre and interfaces between the work areas and the machines.
This instalment builds on a previous project to mount ControlMaster® Teleremote and Guidance Automation solutions on three of the site’s CAT R2900G underground loaders which operated on an analogue network via two surface control stations.
Guidance Automation solution means machines can tram between two predetermined points on a mine site with the simple push of a button by operators who also receive real-time information including machine speed, RPM, direction, pitch and roll.
The Automation Centre consists of an ergonomically designed operators chair facing up from screens which feed real-time information from sensors and machine-mounted cameras to the operator.
Teleremote enables the operator to remotely manage the machine from a control station in real time.
A MATSA spokesperson said: “this system not only allows us to operate in hazardous conditions safely from the surface but also increases productivity by permitting us to operate during shift change and smoke clearing. We also have the capability to simultaneously operate more than one piece of equipment with the same tele-remote operator.”
RCT Account Manager Shane Smith said the Guidance Automation products would provide solid benefits for MATSA.
“ControlMaster® Guidance Automation has a proven track record of improving operator safety in a traditionally hazardous working environment by removing them from the mine face,” he said.
“The faster tramming speeds will also help to boost site productivity on site and limit unplanned machine downtime due to repairs from machinery accidents while the new Automation Centre will reduce operator fatigue due to improved comfort and ease-of-access on the mine’s surface.”
RCT has successfully installed its autonomous technology on the recently released Sandvik LH621i underground loader for one of its clients in Western Australia’s Goldfields.
Earlier this month RCT’s Kalgoorlie branch received the loader and commissioned the ControlMaster® Guidance automation technology package only weeks after the machine was first released to the Western Australian market.
The “i” series represents Sandvik’s latest iteration of its underground loader range.
ControlMaster® Guidance Automation means machines can automatically tram between production level locations at higher speeds while also providing real time, graphical machine information to operators situated in remote automation centres.
RCT Kalgoorlie Branch Manager Rick Radcliffe said they could install and commission the Sandvik LH621i loader and deliver it to site within a relatively short lead time.
“Now that we have documented the new LH621i all future ‘i’ series loaders can be commissioned in exactly the same amount of time as traditional Sandvik 621 loaders,” he said.
“This work follows on from a previous project where we commissioned two Sandvik LH517i loaders in the Kalgoorlie workshop for clients in the region.”
Autonomous solutions provider RCT has entered into a project to provide autonomous technology to the Lubambe Copper underground mine in Zambia.
The deal involves RCT commissioning its ControlMaster® Guidance Automation on three Epiroc ST18 and two Sandvik LH517 underground loaders at the mine.
The machines will be managed via five Automation Centres.
Guidance let’s operators remotely control the machine from a comfortable air-conditioned cabin. The system automatically steers the machine to avoid collisions, enabling higher speeds, eliminating damage and improving productivity.
The technology will be installed in June 2019 with operator training to occur simultaneously.
