Tools of the Trade Spring 2024
Komatsu adds WX11 LHD to underground hard rock lineup
Komatsu is excited to introduce to the global market the new WX11 LHD, a powerful, 11-tonne machine that offers best-in-class breakout force and best-in-class payload helping to maximize productivity and provide a lower total cost of ownership.
The WX11 showcases Komatsu’s commitment to providing underground hard rock miners with an exceptional load, haul, and dump solution, integrating next-generation data management capabilities, operator ergonomics, intuitive controls, and compliance with EU Stage V emission requirements. As a new model within the Komatsu hard rock family of products, the WX11 is designed to be a class-leading LHD for all underground mine operators and contractors. With ease of operability, superior performance, and ground-level maintenance position, the WX11 has several competitive edges in the 10-tonne LHD class.
RufDiamond Ltd. taps Cambrian R&D to make its Fat Truck more functional
RufDiamond Ltd.’s Fat Truck can go just about anywhere. But when it comes to off-loading this off-road specialty vehicle, RufDiamond has turned to Cambrian R&D to fork over a creative solution.
“The Fat Truck is built specifically for extreme off-road environments for such tasks as mining exploration, remote hydro work, and even humanitarian and military use,” explains Daryl Adams, President of RufDiamond. “The Fat Truck is often hauling heavy loads of supplies and equipment, but you can’t get forklifts into these areas, so we’ve turned to Cambrian R&D to design and build a portable lifting system than can be mounted on the Fat Truck. We’re just amazed by what the team at Cambrian R&D can do.”
The custom lifting platform designed by Cambrian R&D will be used on the Fat Truck model that includes an additional pod. The lifting platform will have the automated capability to remove itself from the rear of the vehicle and be lowered to the ground, allowing Fat Truck users to swap out pods, from offices to command centres, without the need for external lifting equipment.
The Fat Truck project is partially funded with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) Northern Ontario Regional Technology Development Site (NRTDS) grant.
ABB introduces ABB Ability™ Smart Hoisting to take mine hoist performance and reliability to the next level
ABB is launching a new digital suite of applications for hoist monitoring and optimization, now rebranded to ABB Ability™ Smart Hoisting, which opens it up for further integration to other cloud solutions and extended offerings that significantly increase the operational performance and reliability of mine hoists.
The new digital suite is an important milestone in the company’s ambition to transform predictive maintenance for mine hoists. With new features such as ABB Drive System Monitoring and new key performance indicators (KPIs), ABB is opening the door to an entirely new level of mine hoist optimization services for customers.
ABB Ability™ Smart Hoisting is designed to significantly improve the uptime, availability, reliability, performance, and productivity of hoists. By incorporating advanced monitoring features, the system provides actionable information on critical KPIs, ensuring better decision-making and optimization of hoisting operations. The automatic collection, monitoring, and analysis of data will enable mining companies to increase production performance, identify potential functional safety hazards and optimize maintenance scheduling.