Resource World Magazine

54 www.resourceworld.com a u g u s t / s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6 MININGWORLD Industrial Fabrication: purpose built mining equipment by Kathrine Moore In the mining industry, new, innovative technology is often first adopted by repurposing vehicles and equipment. Industrial Fabrication, a privately owned Canadian corporation, headquar- tered in Sudbury, Ontario, specializes in building utility vehicles for miners that are tough enough for underground environments. One of Industrial Fabrication's mine proven products is the MINECAT ® 100. Peter Villgren, Vice President of Industrial Fabrication, told Resource World, "The MINECAT ® 100 is a pur- pose built vehicle made to be used underground. Some equipment dealers will take a built vehicle and modify them so they can go underground". The MINECAT ® 100 is not a repurposed vehicle. They were built for the mining industry to meet the unique chal- lenges mining vehicles tackle daily. The company explains that the major components of the MINECAT ® 100 "have at least double the life of competitive machines which tend to use components designed more towards agricultural purposes." The machine is built to offer the mine operator a "proven low cost, durable vehicle that meets the demands of modern mining". Industrial Fabrication uses solid model drafting software to design and customize equipment. The company's team has years of experience designing various types of mobile equipment and hydraulic machinery for the mining industry and has a sound knowledge of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical design as well as low voltage electrical design. The company "streamlines the design process by using the latest design software available." One of the features of the MINECAT ® 100 is that it can be con- figured to serve practically any purpose a client may have. The vehicles' frame is modular which allows it to be easily adapted and fitted with a variety of attachments complete with certified ROPS/FOPS canopies that are available on all units. The company manufactures the ladder type steel frames that can support heavy duty components. Villgren said, "We have been building them for 14 years and over time it has evolved; we have developed dozens of different configurations." The variable displacement hydraulic pump pro- vides power to a variety of different attachments. Villgren told Resource World that the MINECAT 100's strength, as a mining vehicle, is in its axle, transmission and engine. SOME Of THE AvAILABLE CONfIGURATION: • Service Vehicle • Personnel Carriers • Backhoe • Aerial Boom • Forklift • Loader • Scissor Lifts • Cab Vehicle – covered vehicle • Anfo Loader – loads a blasting agent known as ANFO into drill holes • Lube Vehicle – with capacity to carry anti-freeze, transmission fluid, engine oil, hydraulic oil and fuel with reels and nozzles • Cable Reeler • Emulsion Loader – an emulsion explosives vehicle, with loading equipment and front end lift forks • ROPS/FOPS – Roll-Over Protection Structure & Falling Object Protective Structure • Shotcreter – sprays mortar or concrete through a hose and nozzle onto a surface. minecat's Face prep minecat used for working at the face. It is capable of working 7 x 7 metre face. photo courtesy of Industrial Fabrication. the first purpose built, hard rock mining, electric vehicle, the mINeCAt Ut150-emV®. photo courtesy of Industrial Fabrication.

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