Sandvik and Rio Tinto will jointly develop and integrate Sandvik i-series surface drill rigs with Rio Tinto’s Autonomous Drilling System. The collaboration aims to improve safety, productivity and system compatibility, starting initially with support drilling activities in open-pit mining operations.
“This joint development reflects Sandvik’s commitment to improving safety and productivity through open, interoperable automation,” said Petri Virrankoski, president of Surface Drilling at Sandvik.
“Building on AutoMine and our i-series platform, we are proud to extend our long-standing relationship with Rio Tinto and support the continued development of autonomous drilling for demanding Pilbara conditions.”
Under the agreement, Sandvik and Rio Tinto will codevelop the interoperability and autonomous capabilities required for remote, multi-rig and multi-site autonomous operation via Rio Tinto’s Perth Operations Centre. The program will include field trials to validate performance against production targets.
The project will begin with development and on-rig testing at the Sandvik Test Pit in Finland, followed by site-based testing at Rio Tinto operations in Western Australia.
Source: Sandvik