SURFACE

Epiroc targets productivity with Boomer S10 S

Technology has a "snowball effect" on productivity

Boomer S10 S in underground mine

Boomer S10 S in underground mine

The company notes that the  Boomer S10 S is the "world's first" one-boom jumbo featuring Epiroc's Rig Control System,saying this improves precision in drilling and generates savings.

The use of automation in the Boomer S10 S decreases the consumption of consumable parts by 30% while lowering maintenance costs by 12%, said the firm.

"Consistent, repeatable, and quality-assured results are made possible by advanced automation, operator-assisting features, and digital drill plans," said Epiroc.

"With Boomer S10 S as our latest addition, we are proud to offer a sustainable automated operation for the small segment, with a complete range of automated rigs for face drilling, production drilling and rock reinforcement underground", said Sarah Hoffman, VP Sales & Marketing at Epiroc's Underground division.

The drill rig is aligned in the drift to optimize accuracy, providing less overbreak and underbreak, and longer pull rounds.

"The Rig Control System provides drilling accuracy way beyond what human eye measure could ever accomplish. It is high-quality production from start to finish, and a great milestone reached for mine development", said Niklas Berggren, Global product manager face drilling equipment at Epiroc.

Epiroc said that applying the High Performance Development method - a way of working during the entire drill cycle - Boomer S10 S offers up to 25% more development meters compared to traditional one-boom jumbos. The total cycle time is reduced thanks to better pull-length, fragmentation, and less need for scaling.

"It's a snowball effect on productivity: accurate drilling holes means less explosives, less scaling and better tunnel profiles. In turn, a better tunnel profile means less rock reinforcement and less tear on all the machines in the drift. All this leads to significant cost reductions while increasing productivity and safety for everyone involved", Niklas Berggren explains.

Epiroc's Rig Control System, RCS, was first implemented in 1998. The system is used for controlling several vital functions in Epiroc's machines. It is also an enabler for several productivity-increasing, efficiency-boosting and cost-saving automation features.

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