SURFACE

Epiroc targets productivity with Boomer S10 S

Technology has a "snowball effect" on productivity

Boomer S10 S in underground mine

Boomer S10 S in underground mine

The company notes that the  Boomer S10 S is the "world's first" one-boom jumbo featuring Epiroc's Rig Control System,saying this improves precision in drilling and generates savings.

The use of automation in the Boomer S10 S decreases the consumption of consumable parts by 30% while lowering maintenance costs by 12%, said the firm.

"Consistent, repeatable, and quality-assured results are made possible by advanced automation, operator-assisting features, and digital drill plans," said Epiroc.

"With Boomer S10 S as our latest addition, we are proud to offer a sustainable automated operation for the small segment, with a complete range of automated rigs for face drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement underground", said Sarah Hoffman, VP Sales & Marketing at Epiroc's Underground division.

The drill rig is aligned in the drift to optimize accuracy, providing less overbreak and underbreak, and longer pull rounds.

"The Rig Control System provides drilling accuracy way beyond what human eye measure could ever accomplish. It is high-quality production from start to finish, and a great milestone reached for mine development", said Niklas Berggren, Global product manager face drilling equipment at Epiroc.

Epiroc said that applying the High Performance Development method - a way of working during the entire drill cycle - Boomer S10 S offers up to 25% more development meters compared to traditional one-boom jumbos. The total cycle time is reduced thanks to better pull-length, fragmentation, and less need for scaling.

"It's a snowball effect on productivity: accurate drilling holes means less explosives, less scaling and better tunnel profiles. In turn, a better tunnel profile means less rock reinforcement and less tear on all the machines in the drift. All this leads to significant cost reductions while increasing productivity and safety for everyone involved", Niklas Berggren explains.

Epiroc's Rig Control System, RCS, was first implemented in 1998. The system is used for controlling several vital functions in Epiroc's machines. It is also an enabler for several productivity-increasing, efficiency-boosting and cost-saving automation features.

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

Mining Magazine Intelligence: Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024

Exclusive research for Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation and Digitalisation Report 2024 shows mining companies are embracing cutting-edge tech

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