SURFACE AUTOMATION
The next level
The Pilbara mine
automation
experiment is well
and truly validated,
and has now moved
on to being a proven
cost saver and part
of day to day
operation; while in
other areas,
automation is also
advancing, including
greater use of semiautonomy, reports
Paul Moore
here is definitely a twin track approach to
surface automation in mining, with full
autonomy progressing well in key
locations such as in Australia’s Pilbara iron ore
mining hub, but with semi-autonomous
technologies gathering pace as well, and to
some extent for most mines they will employ
these methods long before they opt for fully
autonomous options. This in some ways reflects
what has happened in underground mining, with
relatively few full autonomy solutions
implemented, but with a move by many towards
“light” automation alternatives. Similarly there
remains a division between independent “OEM
agnostic” suppliers of autonomy solutions and
those driven by the equipment OEMs on which
the systems are to be used. Both have a place in
the competitive autonomy marketplace.
Remote Control Technologies (RCT) Control
Master Product Manager, Brendon Cullen, told
IM: “RCT will always see a place in the market
for its Control Master product range due to our
ability to make step changes (upgrades)
towards full automation. As an example a
customer may wish to install Line-of-Sight
remotes onto a dozer to do a specific task, but
RCT is then able to upgrade the system as the
customer deems necessary moving into
teleremote control, integrated machine control,
T
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2016
grading control, semi-automation and ultimately
full automation if and when required.”
RCT says its range can be readily incorporated
into existing mines; especially those with mixed
fleets. “The Control Master range can be
comfortably integrated onto any machine
required and this does represent value for
money if the scalability of a huge fleet or
multiple machines doesn’t exist. A mix of
technology can be used to provide the
efficiencies desired, to increase productivity and
ensure safe operation without the large capital
outlay required to change the existing mining
method.”
He adds on the remaining importance of
semi-autonomous solutions: “A fully automated
mine takes a lot of planning and capital
investment upfront, but by choosing to semi
automate some parts of their operation, miners
can gain the operational efficiencies that they
are after, freeing up capital to perhaps plan to
move into fully automated operation once
capital is recovered. With semi-automation,
miners can learn how and where efficiencies can
be gained and how they can best integrate the
autonomous operations of the mine.”
Likewise, there are other ways of looking at
the market instead of just manned versus
robotic. Hexagon Mining has implemented
The Komatsu AHS fleet now numbers 71 at Rio
Tinto operations alone
several proof-of-concept, full autonomous
haulage systems, and continues to develop
these technologies, however, Dave Goddard,
Director of Autonomous Mining told IM: “Our
development focus is on the incremental
building blocks that make up an autonomous
system, to allow customers to implement OEM
Independent Human Assist solutions. This
approach allows the customer to derive
operational value today without the massive
investment and risk required for full
autonomous. For example, looking at closer
following distances between trucks, this is not
really dependent on autonomous operation, but
can be implemented for much lower cost as a
human assist system.”
He adds: “In fact, a portion of the claimed
benefits of autonomous systems comes from
implementation of technologies that could be
directly applied to human operated trucks with
the same operational benefit. This requires
changing the OEM’s paradigm that the human is
always in control of the machine to a paradigm
that says the human is in control of the machine
as long as the human operates the machine
within a defined envelope – and if the human