WorldWide Drilling Resource

31 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2015 Unique Technology for Efficient Blasting Adapted from Information by Robit ® Do you know where the end of the holes you drill are? Well now you can, with Robit’s new measuring technology. The system is the result of an intensive, seven-year R & D (research and devel- opment) program at Robit ® and is in oper- ation at selected customer sites. Unlike existing, time-consuming man- ual systems, measuring during the drilling process does not require an extra work phase in the drilling process. Measure- ments are available immediately after drilling a hole. You can see a 3-D view of the drilled hole in the drilling pattern. When drilling holes in rock, the holes often turn away from the desired direction, and in long holes, the deviation may be quite significant. These deviations result in an inefficient operation site and can even create hazards. This new system measures the actual straightness of drill holes immediately, so the information can be utilized in optimizing and charging a rock face. This raises efficiency in drilling by: - Optimizing crushing aggregates through controlled charging and blasting, no oversized boulders. - Ensuring safe blasting without the risk of flying rocks. - Getting the best yield from the orebody and avoiding drilling into waste rock. - Increasing overall productivity of the blasting and crushing process. - Cutting costs for fuel and explo- sives in addition to reducing down- time. - Storing all drilling data in a data- base to develop your drilling process. Since the results are immediate, it is possible to react to hole deviations when positioning and directing the fol- lowing holes. The system functions in all types of rock formations - even magnetic ore. Robit ® is headquartered in Finland and has 30 years of experience serving the mining and construction industries. With firm roots in the Finnish and deep, hard Scandinavian granite mining indus- try, the company possesses in-depth knowledge of drilling in the most chal- lenging rock types. Robit ® has become a global company with a presence in more than 110 countries. History was made in Oklahoma on April 15, 1897. Do you know what happened? Find out on page 54!