PRESS RELEASE: After the initial launch in 2016, the rig and loader combination is already in use in North and South America, Australia and Turkey.

In late November, Boart Longyear gave an official presentation of the LF160 rig and FL262 Freedom loader at its Robertville site in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Around 60 people were in attendance at the event, including drilling contractors, mine house representatives, geologists, safety officers, consultants, distributors and members of the press.

The FL262 Freedom loader is a rod-loading system that requires no intervention from the driller's assistant to trip and align rods or connect to the top-drive head. The loader's hands-free rod handling and remote controls allow the driller's assistant to work outside the area of moving equipment. The loader can cycle 6m rods in the same amount of time as a manual cycle.

According to Boart Longyear, when combined with a surface coring drill rig like its LF160, even more productivity and safety advantages are gained from the mechanised systems. The operator can monitor the wireline spooling from a control panel, avoiding tangling of wire rope typically experienced while lowering the overshot.

Suitable for contractors who want to target sophisticated surface drilling exploration contracts, the LF160 rig is CE certified according to the latest EN16228 safety standards.

The first unit to arrive in Africa has already been sold to Remote Drilling Services and is being deployed to a mine site in Botswana.