Designed specifically for use in high value and complex blasts at large open cut and underground operations, Orica has been making i-kon products for close to 20 years. The i-kon III system is designed to deliver even greater reliability, efficiency and control resulting in optimised blast outcomes for customers.

Carlos Mejia vice president global marketing at Orica, said: “The i-kon III system is the most advanced electronic blasting system on the market and will deliver significant benefits to our customers’ operations. With improved reliability, even in harsh environmental and blasting conditions, i-kon III will deliver increased efficiency and versatility for greater control of blast outcomes.”

The new i-kon III detonator benefits from a bimetallic shell, providing optimal protection in corrosive conditions for significantly longer sleep time and increased dynamic shock resistance which improves performance in challenging ground conditions. The Orica Connector 6 also allows for quicker tie-up, resulting in a system that offers increased speed and versatility.

Thomas Boos, global product manager, electronic blasting systems at Orica, commented: “We have listened to our customers’ feedback and one of the new capabilities of the i-kon III system is the ease in delivering large and complex blasting with Orica’s newly developed range of blasting components. The Blaster 3000 allows for up to six blasts to be fired remotely, over larger distances. Combined with the new Logger II which logs up to 500 detonators, i-kon III increases on-bench productivity and reduces overall hardware requirements.

“With Orica’s choice of wires to suit a range of mining conditions, including the Extreme wire, customers can look forward to enhanced reliability and efficiency. Extreme delivers excellent outcomes where hard, sharp and abrasive rock is prevalent.”

In addition, the i-kon III system offers the opportunity for improved fragmentation and vibration control through sub-millisecond blast design. Sub-millisecond timing has the potential to open up new blasting techniques in specific applications that have not previously been considered.

i-kon III will be introduced globally in the second half of the 2017 calendar year, with current i-kon II system users to receive an upgrade to the i-kon III system when available. i-kon III is also being featured at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) convention this week.