New drill platform emphasises production, safety and savings

The two new drill rig models are the Pantera DI6400 (DTH) and Pantera DP2000 (TH). Featuring a distinctive new look design, the new range has been developed to take advantage of mining industry trends towards fully autonomous operation, with options allowing owners to take advantage of automation technology as their needs and mining operations change.

According to Jan-Olaf Petzold, Sandvik Mining?s vice president for product line surface DTH/TH drills, the new Pantera line promises greater productivity and better drilling economy in an integrated package able to meet the changing needs of the mining industry for many years to come.

?These new drills have been developed from the ground up to meet the needs of today?s mining industry, as well as future requirements as the industry moves towards automated and, ultimately, fully autonomous operations,? he said.

Designed for wall control, pit development and production drilling in open pit mines, all Pantera variants share the same platform, control system and automation infrastructure, further reducing the costs of training, maintenance and ownership in surface 

drilling applications.

Petzold said the new Pantera platform combined an innovative approach to surface drilling through the proven and intelligent Sandvik Integrated Control Architecture (SICA) control system technology.

?Our new Pantera platform offers efficiency and precision in drilling, increased safety and comfort in its operating interface while reducing emission levels and environmental impact,? he said.

The Pantera DI6400 is designed for 115-203mm diameter blastholes up to 45m deep while the Pantera DP2000 can drill 152-178mm diameter holes 36m deep. The DTH Pantera DI6400 is now on the market, with the top hammer DP2000 to be released in 2014.

?Our Pantera range is a major step forward in our surface mining drills business,? Petzold said. ?It combines mining industry-specific design, machine intelligence, increased performance and productivity, higher safety and truly ?green? features unmatched by other drill manufacturers.

?And our Pantera top hammer configuration ? featuring the new Sandvik RD2045C 45kW hydraulic rock drill ? will offer superior drilling capacity in the 152-178mm diameter range for the first time in the market.

{{image2-a:r-w:250}}?Its combination of a longer feed module and greatly reduced tool handling times means many more metres can be drilled in a shift,? Petzold added.

According to Petzold, the Pantera DTH configuration will offer the industry?s highest operating pressures for faster, more efficient drilling. He said the new range is the ?greenest? and safest blasthole drill offering on the market, through such features as advanced powerpack and clutch technology that reduce engine load, save fuel and reduce carbon emissions, as well as ensuring longer service intervals and service life.

?Our Pantera range also contributes to improved operating safety through a number of new features,? Petzold said. ?These include an optimised combination of width and weight distribution for better stability, a FOPS/ROPS cabin with comfortable seats for operator and trainer and a remote control option when drilling in potentially hazardous areas where unmanned operation is required.?

The new Pantera range also offers increased service life and lower maintenance costs through such features as an optimised powerpack offering on the TH drill, heavy-duty mainframe and boom/feed modules and modular layout and improved access to all components.

Each option is available in three configurations ? Silver, Gold and Platinum ? allowing them to be readily adapted to the needs of customers in different mining markets around the world.

With the release of the Pantera DI6400 onto the global mining market in the first quarter of 2014, Sandvik Mining will offer lower environmental impact and higher production for the DTH mining drilling segment for the first time.

Designed for drilling 115-203mm blast holes up to 45m, the Pantera DI6400 delivers up to 35 bar operating pressure in DTH drilling. This rig variant also marks an industry first, with the introduction of 7.5m (25 foot) drill pipes, in diameters from 89-140mm, for boom-based operation.

?Compared with other DTH solutions, the Pantera DI6400 with 25-foot drill pipes delivers higher productivity and lower operating costs through higher penetration rates, reduced time spent in tool changes, better stability, faster maintenance and an optimised powerpack,? Petzold said.

In addition, Sandvik?s advanced compressor clutch technology provides significantly increased fuel efficiency and contributes to greatly improved fuel economy.

To be released in mid-2014, the Pantera DP2000 TH drill sees the introduction of the new Sandvik RD2045C hydraulic top hammer rock drill combined with 6.1m (20 foot) 127mm diameter drill tubes. This rig is designed for drilling 152-178mm diameter blast holes up to 37m deep. 

?In top hammer applications, hydraulics offer significant advantages in transmission of forces and energy, ensuring higher penetration rates, superior drilling capacity and fuel efficiency compared with pneumatic systems,? Petzold said.

?The new Sandvik RD2045C hydraulic rock drill is specifically designed for 165mm diameter drilling with our brand new ST94-127 tube rod system, featuring long piston and HLX valve technology for optimal energy transmission.

?The rock drill?s stabiliser manages the percussive recoil energy, thereby ensuring optimal energy transfer to rock for maximum penetration rates, tool economy and blast hole quality,? he said. 

The new Pantera drills will be available in three configurations ? Silver, Gold and Platinum ? allowing them to be readily adapted to the needs of customers in different mining markets and applications:

• Silver. This industry-standard configuration meets the highest global safety and productivity requirements, and is designed to deliver outstanding drilling performance, hole precision and quality.
• Gold. Designed for applications requiring Sandvik precision TIM3D navigation via GPS and data transfer, it incorporates automated drilling functions and a machine health monitoring system.
• Platinum. For mines looking to take advantage of Sandvik AutoMine Surface Drilling?s automated mining system, this configuration incorporates all Silver and Gold features, as well as allowing autonomous and tele-remote operations.

?With our new Pantera line, we have harnessed Sandvik?s proven expertise in mining automation and data management through our automated drilling functions, to improve the speed and precision of drilling,? Petzold said.

?As the mining industry moves towards increasing levels of automation and process optimisation, combined with demand for larger, higher capacity equipment, our new Pantera range has been specifically designed to address trends which are essential to the future of mining.?

To ensure customers have full peace of mind with their decision to purchase Pantera drills, Sandvik Mining will also launch a number of complementary customer service products to ensure the most comprehensive support offerings on the market, Petzold said.