Since its original launch, the drill and blast software solution SHOTPlus has grown to be used globally in the mining industry. Following successful trials by Orica's technical services teams, the new SHOTPlus Underground blast design and modelling software is designed specifically for advanced underground blast design and complex blasting scenarios.

Angelo Labriola, global digital products senior manager at Orica, described the new software: "The latest SHOTPlus Underground has been fully re-written and is now the premier blast design package for the underground mining sector.

"Designing, analysing and visualising in 3-D has never been easier, ring to ring and hole to hole interactions and overall blast dynamics are at your fingertips, allowing users to optimise and maximise output, benefit and results."

Underground production blasting typically requires geometrically complex ring patterns, and optimising the explosives loading and initiation design and producing clear instructions to blasting crews requires a specialised software solution.

Orica's SHOTPlus Underground is designed to meet the discrete needs of underground mining applications, aiming to deliver an improved interactive 3-D environment and enhanced visualisation as well as quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) tools to allow engineers to identify the most efficient blast design to ensure the required outcome. Orica stated that the new set of features and tools also allows for easy adjustment of blast designs and rapid comparison of different scenarios.

"The ability to seamlessly adjust, visualise and optimise underground blast loading designs and timing allows users to efficiently design blasts, irrespective of complexity," said Labriola. "It also enables the necessary analysis to optimise the performance of blast designs with Orica's electronic initiation systems, dramatically cutting down the time required to produce loading and timing instructions for blast crews."

SHOTPlus Underground directly integrates with Orica's electronic initiation systems so that the blast design process can flow seamlessly.