Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/1174544
O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 www.resourceworld.com 61 MININGWORLD Boart Longyear's production work-horse – the StopeMaster by Kathrine Moore Serving the mining industry for over 100 years, Boart Longyear, [BLY-ASX] provides drilling services, drilling equip- ment and performance tooling for mining and drilling companies the world over. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with six global manufacturing locations and more than 9,000 employees, the com- pany name is well known and respected in the mining industry. Boart Longyear initially offered 19 drill models with drilling capabilities between 750 and 5,000 feet. The company's history section on their website states, "Those drills were powered mainly by steam engines, which later would be replaced by inter- nal combustion engines developed in the 1920's." Over the years the company was involved in some notable projects including: • Six diamond core rigs for Phelps Dodge Corporation to explore copper in Arizona • Contract in Sudbury, Canada that out- lined the original ore body that became the giant Falconbridge Nickel Mines • 15-month drilling project in Yunnan Province, China • Test drilled the route of a proposed subway under the East River connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn in New York, USA • Testing to determine the nature of rock formations that would bear the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California Boart Longyear's rich history includes many technological milestones. "In the 1980s, Boart Longyear engineers secured a reliable source of high-performance synthetic diamonds, which triggered the development of a revolutionary bit design – the impregnated diamond bit." The company makes drills for explora- tion and production. Exploration drills, capable of drilling deep, resource-discov- ering holes are what come to mind when thinking about diamond drills. It is, how- ever, the production drill, designed for bulk mining applications, that is the work horse of the industry, turning deposits into commodities. Boart Longyear's StopeMaster™ die- sel powered and self-propelled hydraulic production drill, is capable of drilling 64 mm to 106 mm holes and accommodates drilling depths from 20 to 35 metres. The StopeMaster's compact, modular design allows for efficient dismantling and reas- sembly and has a 4-wheel independent drive that can be disengaged for towing. The drill's compact design also makes it ideal for narrow-vein applications. It has a small footprint and tramming capability; it is compact enough for cage transport. Boart Longyear states that the StopeMaster is a versatile drill "capable of more drilling patterns than any other plat- form on the market," including drop raise, cable bolting, fan drilling, ring drilling and parallel drilling. The pivoting traverse feature allows straight, accurate drilling and the hydraulic rotation of the rock drill carriage adds further flexibility of drilling patterns. The StopeMaster is a high-performance drill that utilizes a proven hydraulic rock drill for high productivity, deep accuracy and incorporates the Hercules Rod Mate Centralizer for positive centering and simple operation. The company states, "We consistently deliver innovative solutions to the most tech- nical drilling challenges, in some of the most complex operating environments around the world. We accomplish it through our invest- ment in safety, people and equipment." Besides drills, Board Longyear also provides mineral exploration drilling con- tracting, water services, and production drilling. n STOPEMASTER'S FEATURES INCLUDE: • Excellent deep hole accuracy, through superior guidance of the durable feed system and Hercules centralizer. • Consistent, high performance regard- less of varying operator skill levels or conditions. • Longer intervals between scheduled preventative maintenance servicing, proven through millions of feet of drilling experience. • Cassette type centralizer for quick changes • Withstands torsional (twisting due to torque) loading • Withstands axial loading from percussion, feed force and total drill string weight • Positively centers the drill output shaft during coupling and collaring functions • Low maintenance because there are no pins or bushings (only 12 parts). Boart Longyear's StopeMaster production drill. Photo Courtesy of Boart Longyear.