Automation $2.31bn
Value of the global mining automation sector in 2019.
$4.03bn
Predicted value of the global mining automation market by 2025.
Market Research Future
Safety and autonomous operations As the AutoMine Concept Vehicle highlights, Sandvik sees automation technology at the heart of the future of mining. “Autonomous robots operating in harmony together with manual equipment and also people, and doing that safely,” Hallett explains. “And that’s the key thing with [the AutoMine Concept Vehicle].” The inability of current technologies to provide such an operation is among the main issues present at LZ5, as Girard mentioned, with autonomous operations being isolated from the rest of the mine, by necessity, in order to maintain a safe environment for workers. “When we look at automation, it’s bound by the fact that you have to separate manual equipment and people from the autonomous activity by barriers,” Hallett notes. “So that has to then involve a certain level of change in management at the mine site, to be able to shift from a mode where you’re operating and manually, to [being] fully autonomous in those areas.” That has historically posed a problem to Sandvik too, though the company has seen positive gains with the technology in static environments such as block caving, point-to-point, or transfer level trucking. However, when dealing with open stoping, for example – which is where Sandvik has carried out the majority of its deliveries – that’s where you need a high level of adaptability, which is what the AutoMine Concept Vehicle was designed to address.
“Stoping is a very dynamic mining sequence,” Hallett explains. “You have manual activities ongoing in the same area together with the loading material from the stopes. So, it requires a higher level of flexibility and adaptability of the automation solution.” When designing the AutoMine Concept Vehicle, the key challenge that Sandvik faced was creating a for-purpose, automated solution that would be robust enough to withstand the kind of environmental conditions that exist in underground mining – while ensuring that it has a functionally safe machine that can operate alongside manual equipment and people. “Safety is first and foremost – our priority number
one. We need to ensure the safety of the workers – that’s critical,” Hallett emphasises. In order to provide that, autonomous vehicles need to be able to withstand the demands of underground mining, and what’s more, they maintain consistent performance in the face of any challenge. “It’s a very repetitive type of cycle that you see, day in and day out – the machines go through hell. You need to have then sensing technologies on board that are purpose built and able to withstand those conditions.”
From a user perspective too, automation can pose challenges. “Automation is not easy. And normally people may think that through automation, an operation will be easier, but it’s not like that,” says Girard. Before bringing automation into a mine, operators need to be committed to the path, because while the technology can be a huge boost to a site,
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it needs to be implemented and operated with care and constant communication.
At the same time, while younger miners might be drawn to the technology, Girard has noticed that older ones, with established decades-long careers, have proved more hesitant, due in part to having less familiarity with computers and the kind of technology involved. However, after few weeks of operation and training, he’s found that experienced workers quickly develop an interest in the technology and are soon able to operate the system just as their younger colleagues do. Similarly, automation can add in complications when replacing or repairing equipment and vehicle parts. A new tire, for example, could throw off the LiDAR by a few key centimetres, so mine operators need to be careful to recalibrate equipment in such cases.
Path to the future However, LZ5 has also seen a number of benefits through implementing automation across its operations, the foremost being, in Girard’s eyes, the ability to operate during the four hours each day between shift changes. It now uses automation to carry out the blasting and gas clearance processes. For the first ten months of 2021, the site was able to generate an extra $10m in revenue, representing 8–10% more tonnage. And even beyond the financial benefits, automation holds considerable attraction within the industry for other reasons as well. Girard notes that since implementing automation in LZ5’s operations, they’ve seen considerable interest in younger miners who want to be involved, who see new opportunities in the technology. “We’ve put a lot of energy into the development of the technology, but we are having good results. Our corporate office is always asking about automation […] because they see the energy we put in the project. And now the benefits we see are from that energy put into development.”
Hallett is similarly enthused, and takes particular interest in developments in automation in other industries, which feed back into the work he and his team are doing. These advancements, and the growth of the technology across the board, only solidify his opinions on the value that automation poses for the mining industry.
“The future is going to be […] automated equipment, operating in harmony together with light vehicles and people in a safe manner,” Hallett says, but notes that this is only one aspect of Sandvik’s vision of the future of mining. While automation will play a key part, there are other areas that will help push the sector forward. “If we look at mining in the future, it is going to be electrified, it’s going to be automated, it’s going to be data driven, with analytics, and then it’s also going to be sustainable,” he says. “Those are the four core areas that we see playing a key role in the mine of the future.” ●
World Mining Frontiers /
www.nsenergybusiness.com
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