Mining Magazine > Panorama > New Atlas Copco COP rock drills

Panorama

Atlas Copco has launched three new heavy duty versions of its COP 1800 series hydraulic rock drills. The newcomers – COP 1638HD, COP 1838HD and COP 2238HD – are intended for face drilling in underground mining and tunnelling projects involving tough conditions.

One of the main new features is a side bolt design consisting of four front bolts and two at the rear. This minimises the risk of impact piston miss-alignment and secondary damages to internal parts. It also improves serviceability thanks to easier side bolt torque procedures.

In addition, the front head has been considerably strengthened, making the rock drills more robust for demanding conditions. This means that more material absorbs the energy that is generated by the shock waves reflected from the rock, thereby protecting the drill.

“The scope when developing these new heavy duty versions was to extend the service intervals and minimise total downtime, even when drilling in very tough conditions,” says Peter Bray, product manager for face drilling equipment at Atlas Copco. “We have been field testing at a number of locations with extremely demanding conditions, and the machines have been performing beyond expectations.”