MechChem Africa September 2017

⎪ Back page ⎪

At the Murray & Roberts Cementation Training Academy, a virtual reality (VR) blast wall is being used to help learner miners to practice blast hole placement and timing. Virtual technology for blast training

BMG.............................................................................. OFC Adams & Adams............................................................ 32 Air & Vacuum Technologies..................................... 17 Air Liquide....................................................................... 34 Cape Union Mart.........................................................IFC Comtest Group............................................................. 27 Cummins Southern Africa........................................ 24 Endress+Hauser........................................................... 28 Flexicon........................................................................OBC Gemü Valves.................................................................. 11 Immanuelworks..........................................................IBC Integrated Pump Rental...............................................9 Krohne.............................................................................. 31 KSB Pumps and Valves.............................................. 18 sassda..................................................................................3 Skyriders......................................................................... 35 SMC Pneumatics.......................................................... 43 Thermaspray.................................................................. 39 Verder Pumps................................................................ 15 Weir Minerals Africa.................................................. 12 Zest WEG Group.......................................................... 23 Index to advertisers Photovaltaic Technologies Training 23-27 October 2017, NMMU in Johannesburg Thieda Ferreira: +27 (0) 84 011 5500 thieda@entf.co.za www.energytrainingfoundation.co.za Industry diary September 2017 Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Training Course 27-29 September 2017 The Solar Training Centre, Potchefstroom Henriette Kruger +27 (0) 72 559 6471 www.suncybernetics.com October 2017 Industrial innovation funding T Chipfupa 3 October 2017, 18:30 to 19:00 Maxwell Office Park, Waterfall City, Midrand Interested parties from all over the coun- try have already visited the academy to view the facility, says Pretorius, and they have expressed enthusiasm about the benefits it holds for the skills development of their staff. “More than likely, we will be growing this type of technology in collaboration with Simulated Training Solutions for the business andwe look forward to sharing this expertise in the service of safety andproductivity in the industry,” he says. “We have always shared best practices very openly, especially to ad- vance safer mining.” q Keri Garland: 011 021 8196 secretariat@sacac.org.za activity, which comprises about a quarter of the 200 mineworkers that pass through the academyeachmonth; thismeans that asmany as 600 workers could benefit each year.

T raining for underground blasting has just taken a technological leap forward, with the installation and commissioning of Africa’s first VR blastwall with rear-viewprojection, powered bySimulatedTrainingSolutions,attheMurray & Roberts Cementation Training Academy near Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. “We are excited about the value that this facility will bring to our integrated learning programme,” says Tony Pretorius, education, training and development (ETD) executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation. “A tool like this is long overdue in the underground min- ing space, as traditional teaching and training methods for underground blasting practices are not as immersive and hence, not as effec- tive as we would have liked them to be.” Normal whiteboard training methods are limited to unrealistic representations, so many learners do not fully grasp the full con- cept of correct marking and timing of a blast

round, he says. TheVRblast wall, by contrast, offers a three-dimensional impression using 3D glasses in a containerised application, which replicates the underground environ- mental conditions and provides amore super realistic ‘look and feel’, right down to the workplace temperatures and sound effects. Technology is increasingly important in the simulation of underground practical demonstrations, says Pretorius, and the blast wall simulation will augment the Training Academy’s blended learning approach, which combines the use of integrated e-learning programmes and the use of inert explosives inamock-upenvironment to facilitate learner applied competence. “The VR blast wall is designed to teach workers practically how to take line and grade; mark off the blast pattern/burden; and time the round to ensure the correct firing sequence in pursuance of a safe quality blast,” he says. Whilethetrainingonthedrillingandphysi- cal charging stages of the blasting process takes place in another mock-up environment on campus, learners can then return to theVR blast wall to harness their skills in essential blasting practices. “We have invested in this technology because it can improve the performance of the learners in our three key priority areas to achieve a daily, safe, quality blast,” he says. “There is no silver bullet in the learning process, but advances like these continually improve the combined impact of all our inte- grated educational initiatives.” The size of the simulator is also significant, as it matches the scale of a standard 3×4 m development end. Situated in a containerised environment,theVRblastwallallowslearners to ‘paint’ their centre and grade lines using the click-and-drag functionality usually as- sociated with computers. Only this time, the ‘mouse’ is shaped like a spray can, offering a close simulation of the real thing. Using the power of computers and an in- teractive screen, the facilityprovides learners with the opportunity to test their abilities in a safe and ‘erasable’ environment that can also record and store their performance for assessment purposes. “Importantly, the exercises that learner miners undergo at the VR wall provides them with the vital skill of how to read a survey note, which cannot be accomplished effectivelywith traditional methods,” he says. He expects the VR blast wall to be used by all learnerminers engaged inblasting-related

Propak Cape 2017 This premier packaging and related in- dustries trade exhibition will be taking place in Cape Town at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 24-26October 2017. Six industry show- cases will be exhibiting conveniently within one venue, These include: Propak Cape for packaging; Foodpro for food processing, Pro-Plas for plastics; Print Expo; Pro-Label Cape and the brand- new ‘Wine &Olive Oil Production Expo’, which will be launched as the sixth. For more information, contact Keraysha Pillay, at kerayshap@specialised.com An instructor stands in front of a rear-view screen at Murray & Roberts Cementation Training Academy’s newly installed virtual reality blast wall, digitally ‘marking off’ the centre line, grade line and drill holes.

44 ¦ MechChem Africa • September 2017