GEOMECHANICS / GROUND CONTROL

Hexagon measuring tech adds precision to underground mining

Hexagon's MS60 multistation was demoed at the University of Arizona's San Xavier underground mine

Staff reporter
 The MS60 is already widely used in the construction industry as a formal surveying tool

The MS60 is already widely used in the construction industry as a formal surveying tool

PRESS RELEASE: Hexagon's MS60 multistation integrates laser scanning, GNSS and imaging into a total station platform.

This new instrument was recently used to scan the upper level of the University of Arizona's San Xavier underground mine.

The demonstration revealed the value of integrating a laser scanner into a proven survey instrument. According to Hexagon, the MS60 survey traversed through the mine with each scan always correctly georeferenced. This eliminates the office point cloud registration process typically dreaded by operators.

David Rutledge, director, structural monitoring at Hexagon's Leica Geosystems division, said the MS60 is widely used in the construction industry as a formal surveying tool, but remains underutilised in the mining industry. He believes the trend towards underground mining will increase demand for the MS60.

Companies are increasingly looking to extend their life of mine by pushing deeper beneath the surface for deposits. Underground mining methods are trying to meet these demands. Those methods are encountering complexities that may be easy to overcome above ground but require domain expertise and often non-scalable customised solutions below.

According to Rutledge, the MS60 is roughly 70% total station, 30% laser scanner. 

"This turns out to be the perfect ratio for underground surveying and monitoring, and it's hard to lose with this device," he said. "Our initial on-site demonstrations show this."

In an industry where a single haul truck tyre can cost US$100,000, the MS60 - which costs about half that amount - can quickly pay for itself through productivity gains.

"The MS60 is one of the most powerful measurement devices in the world," Rutledge claimed.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production