Capital Equipment News March 2020

other partners involved. “There are few projects that

at Aitik, Rottman says trolley assist requires additional truck hardware and site infrastructure, and its implementation brings a host of new challenges to a mining operation. To successfully navigate these challenges, a strong change management plan among mine engineering, planning, maintenance and operations is required. Application tuning is required to ensure successful trolley performance, as every mine site is different and has unique challenges. Good communication and strong collaboration between OEM, dealer and customer help eliminate roadblocks. “The team leveraged Caterpillar’s position as the only 100% vertically- integrated manufacturer of ultra- class diesel-electric mining trucks and world-leading dealer network to help introduce the trolley assist system. Caterpillar’s vertical integration and testing allowed us to design, validate and iterate in the lab and at our proving grounds to detect and resolve problems before they got to the customer site,” concludes Rottman. b

The Cat trolley assist system programme at Aitik has been a real success, with availability so high despite the arctic conditions.

can show both environmental and productivity improvements of this magnitude. This is why Boliden has decided to expand the trolley infrastructure at Aitik and equip its entire 795F AC truck fleet with trolley assist systems,” says Ranggård. “We thank Boliden for its work in demonstrating the capabilities of the Cat trolley assist attachment. The benefits of trolley can be significant in the right conditions, and we would be pleased to discuss site-specific scenarios with customers,” says Eric Ruth, electrical senior product team leader at Caterpillar. “We feel that trolley assist can play a role in achieving mining companies’ greenhouse gas reduction goals. Simultaneously, trolley assist boosts productivity by increasing speed-on-grade. In fact, testing at Aitik mine has shown that a 795F AC equipped with trolley assist is the most powerful mining truck in the world!” Commenting on some of the key lessons from the pilot project

Fuel and engine costs are reduced by more than 90% when the truck is on trolley

and engine costs are reduced by more than 90% while the truck is on trolley. The Cat trolley system is fully machine integrated, bringing the benefits of optimised

performance and system serviceability to the 795F AC. Caterpillar’s higher voltage truck and trolley system is designed to bring advantages through lower infrastructure capital costs and lower power distribution maintenance costs. Other advantages come from the rugged Cat pantograph, designed to deliver superior uptime and reduced repair costs. A quick-drop feature helps protect the overhead trolley lines. Success story The Cat trolley assist system programme at Aitik has been a real success. Jonas Ranggård, programme manager at Boliden, explains that availability has been high despite the arctic conditions, and the company has had good support from Caterpillar and all

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