Mining Magazine > Panorama > Carlson releases Mining 2012

Carlson Software has released Carlson Mining 2012, the newest version of its mine planning package. It includes upgrades that give users improved 3D abilities within bench pit design, and added options for colour settings for enhanced visual feedback in the underground timing sequencing. It also includes new haul truck cycle analysis routines, new spoil placement timing and the ability to produce customised reports.
Carlson Mining is available in targeted modules – Geology, Surface, Underground and Basic Mining – and provides tools for planning, engineering and automating a mine. It is the number one software solution for coal mine operations in the US, and is also used globally. Carlson Mining 2012 provides support for AutoCAD 2012 and comes with IntelliCAD 7.1 built-in, in addition to working on AutoCAD versions 2000 and up.
Grant Wenker of Carlson’s Mining Division said: “Carlson’s 3D pit design is improved by enhancements in the Design Bench Pit command. Multiple slope groups are now easy to define for all pit blocks globally with symbols for different slope and bench templates on different sides.
“Adding the ramps is now part of this command for automatic ramp building and cutting through the benches, whether working from the top down or the bottom up.”
New commands added for haul truck cycle analysis can now calculate cycle time, fleet size and production rates. The release also has a new set of commands for spoil and dump timing for sizing and sequencing spoil placement, both in-pit and out.
Carlson Natural Regrade, which can be used to reclaim disturbed land, was released at the same time. New features include the Vegetation Scene tool, which places three-dimensional symbols for selected vegetation based on slope and azimuth parameters for 3D visualisation of the reclaimed site. 3D trees and shrubs can be placed into the model to show what the reclamation will look like at various growth stages.