Modern Mining March 2023

OPENCAST MINING, CONTRACTING AND EQUIPMENT

Sandvik’s legacy drill rig takes a step up Building on one of Africa’s most successful rotary drill lines, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has in troduced its Sandvik D25KX rotary drill rig – for the perfect combination of reliability and technology.

A ccording to Nelize Nel, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions’ acting business line manager for rotary drills, the D25KX model derives directly from the D25KS, which proved itself over decades as the drilling contractors’ machine of choice. “We have taken our legacy drill rig and improved the ergonomics while maintaining those aspects that customers value most highly,” says Nel. “Retaining the design of the base, frame and mast, we have continued enhancing its safety and have re-envi sioned the cabin.” Rigid lattice-style masts and heavy-duty pulldown chains are part of the package that place Sandvik’s xSeries blasthole drills in a class of their own, she argues. The angle drilling option is one of the many features that drive this performance in a range of applications. The mast can be set from 0° to 30° – in 5° increments. Ergonomic cabin The controls have been upgraded from levers to electro-hydraulic joysticks, and the cabin has been extended. The large operator windows allow greater visibility, and there is space for a trainer or spotter to sit behind the operator in working mode. Enhancing operator comfort, the systems include a seven-inch mobile grade touch screen and PLC control. “This all contributes to delivering the legendary performance of the D25KS with next-level com fort,” she says. “These improvements provide a comfortable operating environment to enhance

operator performance. The added intelligence of the touch screens and digital gauges gives

the operator real-time feedback on machine performance and moni tors machine health.” This continu ous improvement ensures that the Sandvik D25KX responds to the key concern of mines and drilling contrac tors: optimal uptime.

Nelize Nel, commercial manager and acting BLM - rotary drills at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions.

In addition to its well-established rugged structure for harsh conditions, the improved access to data on the machine’s condition allows operators to respond quickly and take necessary action. Like its iSeries cousins, the Sandvik xSeries family of drills has the Sandvik Knowledge box installed as stan dard, enabling connectivity through mysandvik.com. This facilitates access to machine reports on equip ment health as well as productivity reporting based on customers’ schedules and targets. Other critical information is conveyed by the elec tronic depth counter in the cabin, and the drilling monitoring system. Strong reputation “A good indication of the outstanding local legacy of the D25KS model, which has served the region’s

The first Sandvik D25KX in SA has been delivered to a customer in the Northern Cape.

mining industry since the 1990s, is that about 20% of the global population of these machines has operated in Southern Africa,” says Nel. “So strong is the reputation of this legacy machine that the first D25KX unit to arrive on our shores recently has already been sold; it will be put to work on an iron ore mine in the Northern Cape.” “The rugged design equips these units for an even longer life, including rebuild interventions that can renew their life span,” she explains. “This provides a cost-effective option that can be conducted after 25 000 hours of operation, for instance, paving the way for it to achieve many more productive hours.” Ease of maintenance Nel highlights that the new Sandvik D25KX model also follows in the tradition

18  MODERN MINING  March 2023