PRESS RELEASE: Manufactured at Terratec's workshop in Tasmania, the TR3000 RBM is a robust piece of equipment, designed for ease of operation and maintenance. The unit has a nominal boring size of 3.0m in diameter and 400m in depth, and has a standard pilot hole diameter of 311mm.

It has a maximum pilot drilling torque of 78,000Nm, reaming torque of up to 237,000Nm and breakout to 266,000Nm. The maximum down thrust force is 1,600kN, with up thrust being 4,500kN. The total installed power on the machine is 360kW.

The RBM has a modular design, which makes disassembly of the major components (for inspection, transport or repair) very easy to achieve, the manufacturer said.

The derrick configuration includes a near-ground pipe loader that results in a low profile in relation to drill string length. Rotation is powered by a hollow shaft hydraulic motor, affording protection to the drill string when operating at near maximum capacity, as well as unrestricted flow of flushing water through the drive train into the drill pipe.

Custom features incorporated on this machine also include an upgraded proprietary gearbox design, which allows for some flexibility in alignment when raise boring and adding drill pipe, and powered wrenching at the drive-head and work-table to make adding and removing drill strings a safer operation.

Terratec has numerous RBMs currently working around the world, chiefly in Australia, Canada, the US, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Argentina.