Mining automation practices are becoming entrenched in the sector and progressively becoming more popular in the industry, according to a published report.
Rio Tinto is advancing toward marking its 100 millionth ton of work with automated trucks, Mining Australia reports. Miners throughout the world are discussing the gravitation to automation, which Tyler Berens of the U.S. devoted about 12 months to listening to and discussing. The various perspectives regarding mine drill rig automation once were as diverse as worldwide cultures.
But Berens, presently a blast hole technology manager and a veteran of the U.S. military, said he has seen a routine trend and vision emerge, also noting various excerpts about the future of the industry. The method once was a taboo topic for the majority of miners when his employer, Atlas Copco, embarked on computerized control system for drilling rigs in the years prior 2000.
However, miners now are fully in support of and embracing automation as mining best practices. The rapid rate of gravitation to automation during the past year has been quite clear, Berens told the news source.
“The customers know what they want from automation, which is good,” Berens told the news source. “They’ve obviously accepted the technology and they are ready to push forward and go autonomous where it makes sense to do so.”
Abundant incentives, benefits
The incentives and benefits of automation are numerous, he said. The innovative practice also can benefit many different people in the sector.
“I think [automation technology is] appealing to any stakeholder in the mining environment – whether that’s an operator, a safety officer, a mine manager, or even a mining investor,” Berens told the news source. “There are opportunities to eliminate risks normally associated with certain mining activities; there’s the prospect of better efficiencies and lower operating costs; and, on a broader scale, there’s the opportunity to build a greater quality of life for the workforce.”
With that in mind, the practice and migration of automation to mining firms will only continue, he said.
“So I don’t see the industry’s embrace of automation slowing down in the foreseeable future,” he told the media outlet. “In fact, I think peoples’ concept of automation is certainly maturing greatly. Just in the past year that I’ve been with the company I’ve seen it mature rapidly.”
Pursuing automation practices
Now happens to be an increasingly interesting time to be involved with the mining industry, he said.
Atlas Copco, Berens’ employer, first presented the Rig Control System in 1998. Since then, the company has worked on boosting automation of drilling rocks.
He said the popularity of the innovative practice is undeniable.
“Automation I think is a big buzzword out there in the industry – from trucks to dozers to blast hole drills – everybody has got that word in their vocabulary now,” he told the news source.
Automation benefits to another big miner
In addition to Rio Tinto implementing automation practices, another big mining services firm also is capitalizing on its benefits.
BHP Billiton uses autonomous driverless trucks, 9 New Finance reports. That is a practice that Rio Tinto also has been implementing.
The benefits of trucks that do not have drivers include reducing expenses and costs while expanding efficiency for operators of mines.
To grow and develops it automation practices, BHP Billiton has been merging efforts with Caterpillar. The past five years have seen them work on growing the practice and technology of autonomous drivers.
A BHP Billiton iron ore site, Jemblebar in Western Australia, has seen trial periods for trucks. The firm is looking to use as many as 15 of those trucks by the end of this year.
The strongest benefit of automation is the drive toward increased mining efficiency and productivity.
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