The Elements of Innovation Discovered
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Robust wireless network paired with autonomous mining equipment at diamond mine. Taking one step closer to the autonomous mine of the future, Rajant Corp.'s formidable Kinetic Mesh wireless network has been paired with Sandvik tele-remote and autonomous vehicles destined for De Beers' Venetia underground diamond mine in South Africa. Ordinarily, wireless networks require fixed infrastructure that covers a set range. Even with 5G wireless technology, signal penetration...
Whether exploring and mapping a historical underground mine for the first time since it was shuttered during World War II or generating more detailed maps of a modern operation, drones that navigate the labyrinth of ramps, declines, stopes, and other underground environs without reliance on the global positioning system or human guidance can make subterranean mine surveying safer, faster, and more accurate. Ascot Resources Ltd. and Northern Star Resources Ltd. are amongst the...
Buys a rock quarry in Finland to test next-gen surface drilling tech in a real-world mine environment. To further support its endeavors to develop the next generation of electrified and autonomous mining equipment, Sandvik has acquired an open pit mine site in Finland to ready new drilling technologies for real-world applications. "Testing is a major part of our R&D cycle. This new test mine will help us shorten time to market and verify even more swiftly that we're...
Company unveils new automation platform that is tailor made for underground mass mining. Staying on the cutting edge of autonomous underground mining technologies, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has introduced AutoMine Core, a comprehensive platform to support customers ramping up from manual operation to fully autonomous production. The Swedish underground mining equipment and technologies company says AutoMine Core is tailor-made to bolster the safety, productivity, and...
Kinetic Mesh tech delivers reliable, fast, and scalable network solutions to modern digital mines of all sizes. From giant equipment autonomously digging ore at global-scale copper mines to industrial internet of things sensors monitoring the health of man and machine at a local gravel quarry, mines are increasingly relying on digital technologies to improve efficiency, productivity, and safety. This digitization of the modern mine makes a rugged and reliable communications...
Exyn Technologies Inc. is the first company in the world to achieve a level 4 autonomous drone, the most sophisticated aerial robotics system capable of free-flight exploration without the need for fallback-ready human operators. According to the standards set by the automotive industry – and recently updated by Exyn experts for aerial applications – an overview of autonomy levels is categorized from levels 0 – 5. The Levels of Aerial Autonomy Version 1.0 are: • Level 0 – No a...
In Norway, the Rana Gruber iron ore mining and mineral processing operation has purchased a fleet of 19 battery-electric vehicles from Sandvik. The order is being filled during this year's first quarter through 2024 and is Sandvik's second-largest battery-electric mining fleet sale to date. Valued at 370 million Swedish kronor (US$35.5 million), the Rana Gruber order includes eight drills, six trucks, and five loaders, along with on-site support and batteries for the fleet....
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions' AutoMine loading technology is the latest advancement in Sumitomo Metal Mining's long-term vision of leading the world in the non-ferrous metals industry. The Japanese company's philosophical focus on social consciousness and sustainability in business has gained a practical supporter in Sandvik, bringing Sumitomo closer to the ideal of full digitization and automation of the mine. With machine learning, remote operation software, and...
The last few years have seen big industries' social accountability come to the fore, with growing pressure to engage more holistically with the workforce, local communities, and environmental concerns. Evolving from this, a new business model of corporate performance has arrived in boardrooms, comprising a trifecta of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibilities. Keeping pace is the mining industry's collective push to be more sustainable and accountable,...
Polymathian will bolster Sandvik's automated and battery-electric mining solutions. In yet another move to bolster its digital mining technologies division, Sandvik has cut a deal to acquire Polymathian Industrial Mathematics, an Australia-based provider of advanced mine optimization software and services. Founded in 2013 by a trio of mathematicians and operations researchers, Polymathian leverages its world-leading expertise in industrial mathematics, simulation, machine...
Boston Dynamics' Spot fitted with Exyn autonomy and Trimble 3D scanning tech. Upgraded with the powerful autonomy offered by Exyn Technologies and Trimble's advanced 3D scanning system, Boston Dynamics' Spot robot dog has been transformed into a state-of-the-art autonomous surveyor that can traverse, image, and map complex environments without the need for GPS or other guidance. "The integration of autonomous surveying technology into a construction workflow has...
Toward the goal of producing zero-carbon copper at its McIlvenna Bay mine project in Saskatchewan, Canada, Foran Mining Corp. has ordered a fleet of 20 battery-electric underground mine trucks, loaders, drills, and other equipment from Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. This US$32.4 million (330 million Swedish kronor) deal marks the largest single sale of Sandvik's growing line of electric mining equipment. "This record contract is the culmination of a year-long...
Rio Tinto is leveraging the safety and productivity advantages of Sandvik's autonomous mining equipment as it heads underground at the enormous Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in the South Gobi Desert region of Mongolia. Oyu Tolgoi, which began operations as an open pit mine in 2013, produced 359.4 million pounds of copper, 468,000 ounces of gold, and 977,000 oz of silver last year. Turquoise Hill Resources, a company that is majority-owned by Rio Tinto that operates Oyu Tolgoi,...
In a move to help decarbonize the largest underground mine in India, Hindustan Zinc has signed a deal to acquire a fleet of Sandvik electric mining equipment for its Sindesar Khurd zinc-lead-silver operation. Under a memorandum of understanding, Sandvik will deliver an LH518B battery-electric loader, three battery-electric TH550B underground trucks, and a DD422iE electric drill rig with Sandvik's unique and patented "charging-while-drilling" technology. Built on Artisan...
Multinational engineering company Sandvik AB Dec. 2 signed an agreement to acquire Australia-based Deswik Mining Consultants (Australia) Pty Ltd., a leading software company that will add to Sandvik's portfolio of specialized expertise for the mining industry. Founded in 2008, Deswik saw significant growth in its early years, despite mining downturn and the global financial crisis, expanding into the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Russia, Peru, Chile,...
Nokia and AngloGold Ashanti Colombia Sept. 23 announced they are testing the potential for safe, sustainable, and efficient deployment of a 5G standalone industrial-grade network in a challenging underground mine environment in Jerico, Columbia. Four mining use cases were tested as part of this trial carried out in collaboration with Epiroc, Sandvik, Tigo, and OSC Top Solutions – mission-critical communications; connectivity and remote teleoperation of vehicles; mining machine...
Following last year's announcement of Nokia's 5G standalone private wireless networks, Nokia and early collaborator Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology have announced a partnership with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to start a research project focusing on 5G-powered underground mining technology. Aptly called Next Generation Mining (NGMining), the partners say the new project will bring together industrial 5G private networks, edge computing, and artificial...
In the depths of its test mine and lab in Tampere, Finland, Sandvik has secretly been carrying out underground tests on a cabinless, electrified, and automated concept loader that showcases the Swedish company's vision for the future of mining equipment. Clandestinely developed in a facility dubbed Area 52, this concept loader is equipped with Sandvik's Automine, an automation solution that allows the cutting-edge mining machine to navigate through the rough and changing...
The future of automated underground mining – where drones self-navigate through a labyrinth of underground mine workings and send back high-accuracy 3D data that can be used to guide autonomous mining equipment – is closer than you think. Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions (formerly Sandvik Mining and Rock Technologies) and Exyn Technologies Inc. offered Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention attendees a glimpse of the mining autonomy horizon in a vide...
Further shoring up its position as a world leader in mining equipment and services, Sandvik has agreed to acquire DSI Underground, the global leader in ground support and reinforcement products for the underground mining and tunneling industries, for 943 million euros (US$1.15 billion). While the price tag is large, at roughly 518 million euros (US$632 million), so is DSI Underground's estimated revenues for 2020. While not a household name outside the mining and tunneling...
With the announcement of Nokia's 5G standalone private wireless networks, Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology have opted to employ Nokia's 5G SA private network at its Tampere test mine in Finland. Utilizing Nokia's Digital Automation Cloud – an industrial-grade digital automation service platform that provides a reliable, secure, and high performance private wireless network platform – this standalone 5G will be used to enhance communications and connectivity at this testing g...
Two world leaders in mining robotics – Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology and Exyn Technologies Inc. – have formed a partnership that is expected to set the standard for fully autonomous underground mining. A world leader in mining automation, Sandvik has been implementing digital mining solutions for more than two decades. The global mining supplier offers both underground mining equipment and advanced systems for autonomous and remote operations of equipment. Sandvik's Aut...
Swedish companies Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions AB and Boliden AB have forged a partnership to explore the potential of 3D manufacturing parts for the hardworking mining equipment at operations around the globe. The additive manufacturing trial will involve a set of specifically redesigned components printed digitally at a Sandvik-managed facility in Italy, with the performance being monitored on machines in Boliden's underground mine worksites – first in Sweden, then i...
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, a Swedish company at the vanguard of mining automation and digital mining solutions, and Exyn Technologies Inc., an award-winning pioneer of aerial drones capable of navigating complex environments without the need for a global positioning system or direct human guidance, are merging their already avant-garde autonomous technologies into a concept vehicle that is expected to advance robotics into uncharted territory. "This latest concept is...