Company insight
In robotics, small is beautiful
In the tight spaces and hazardous environments where underground mining takes place, compact, remotely operated robotic systems are boosting production and improving safety. Martin Krupicka, managing director of Swedish company Brokk, talks about the evolution of his company’s versatile robotic platform and its role in the mining industry’s future.
afety and efficiency are the top concerns of any mine operator, and both have been dramatically enhanced by new technologies. Robotic systems have caused great leaps in productivity, taking the place of people in hazardous environments, but they have often been focused on one specific task. Now, versatility is their most valuable attribute.
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A prime example is the Brokk demolition robot. Initially built to perform one essential function, it has continuously evolved to become a robust platform for scaling, breaking, digging, drilling, bottom shaft cleaning, rock splitting, shotcreting and much more.
The Brokk robot began its development over 30 years ago, but its roots go back to the 1970s, when the company began working with copper plants in North Sweden. “Copper has many impurities and there was a lot of lead in the furnaces,” explains Martin Krupicka, Brokk’s managing director. “The company’s founders were clearing the lead slag in a confined and hazardous environment. They could not use a big machine, so that is how the idea for a smaller remote-controlled robot came about.”
The challenges presented in the copper plant are similar to those faced in underground mining, so the robot was soon adapted for the mining sector, where it has become ideal for working in a small space and for removing only the desired material. “Over the years, we have built more than 10,000 units of our core machine for different industries, and we have a big R&D budget, so the demolition machine now has four to five times the power it had when we first designed it,” notes Krupicka. “In the last ten to 15 years, we have made an effort to target applications in the mining sector, to leverage our proposition of size and power.”
A rich vein of innovation Initially designed simply as a hydraulic breaker, the robot has evolved into a truly multi-purpose machine. Its range of attachments, including a drill for roof- bolting and a nozzle for spraying shotcrete, specifically address the needs of clients in the mining sector, as does its control system. “The biggest recent development is in the remote operation capability, which is very important in mining,” says Krupicka. “People used to stand next to the machine to operate
it, then there was line of sight operation, but now we can control it completely remotely using Wi-Fi connectivity or a 5G network.” Below ground, video systems and radio-controlled handling allow skilled operators to monitor and optimise the robot’s performance from a safe position. In addition, the quiet but powerful electric motor creates no hazardous fumes that need to be ventilated out. “We leverage the same platform in different industries,” explains Krupicka. “The same concepts apply in each, particularly remote operation via a video system. That comes from our long connection to the nuclear industry, where we are involved in decontamination and decommissioning, and that industry has been using video systems for 30 years, well before the mining sector.” Above ground, the robot can be used in the processing of material, or in the maintenance of kilns, crushers and other mine infrastructure. Furthermore, the system is starting to incorporate more intelligent control. Although it stops short of artificial intelligence, it is becoming more autonomous in its function.
“All of this innovation is driven by our customers,” Krupicka remarks. “They come to us with a pain point they cannot solve or a manual process that machines cannot yet perform, and we develop a new application.” The robot is now used for narrow mining development to exploit hard-to-reach mineral deposits, redeveloping and securing old tunnels, the secondary breaking of oversized rocks after initial blasting, scaling applications and shaft sinking. The long road of innovation has taken Brokk from North Sweden’s copper plants to mining operations across the globe, and its journey still has many miles to go. ●
The Brokk robot has continuously evolved to become a robust and versatile platform for mining operations. World Mining Frontiers /
www.nsenergybusiness.com
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