The narrow vein drilling solution Brokk developed for a South African mining company is now attracting attention in Australia.
Inspector Gadget captured the world’s imagination with his multitude of high-tech gadgets and capabilities.
Just as the inspector was able to quickly activate a device by saying “go-go gadget”, the same can be said for Brokk’s suite of attachments and offerings.
Brokk has become known as a problem-solver in the various industries it serves, with its robots able to expertly complete a range of tasks, from drilling to rock-breaking to loading to splitting to shotcreting and vacuuming, to name a few.
Attachments can be quickly and easily replaced, limiting operational downtime and enabling operators to carry out a range of tasks with minimal footprint.
Significant drilling power and flexibility are achieved by combining a Brokk machine with TEI’s hydraulic rock drill attachment. This solution has proven its worth in countries like South Africa and is now being applied to underground mining in Australia.
“A Brokk armed with a rock drill has the ability to drill with rollover and many degrees of freedom,” Brokk Australia managing director Will Visser told Australian Mining. “The machine can drill left-hand stope, right-hand stope, footwall and handwall with very little angle deviation.”
Visser said the goal was to deliver a mechanised solution in a narrow vein drilling application, making the Brokk and TEI combination the perfect option.
“Normal mechanisation ends at around seven or eight degrees of angle,” Visser said. “We could move our Brokk machine unassisted at 30 degrees incline, so we could go more than three times what normal equipment could handle in an underground mine.”
The addition of hydraulic clamps to the front end of the drill enabled rod extension and the ability to complete extended drilling up to 10m away.
When it came to deploying a Brokk machine into a WA gold mine, the robot was tasked with drilling and rock-splitting in narrow underground confines, with quick hitches enabling the rapid switching of attachments.
“Without using explosives, the Brokk robot could drill, perforate rock and split it,” Visser said. “This proved to be an effective way of doing controlled rock excavation in that shaft.”
Fitted with the TEI attachment, the Brokk machine was able to complete face drilling, support drilling and anchor drilling at extended distances.
“The TEI hydraulic rock drill has proven itself as a very versatile attachment for the Brokk machine, creating a balanced and reliable system that is more powerful than traditional handheld drilling methods,” Visser said.
“Fitted with the TEI rock drill, the Brokk robot can enter confined underground mining environments, and the machine can be moved up narrow inclines and down declines, enabling underground miners to carry out drilling in previously inaccessible areas.
“And because it’s remote controlled and can be operated from a safe distance, operators are removed from hazardous environments where there’s the risk of rock falls.”
Whether it be construction, tunnelling or mining, Visser said owners and operators “love the flexibility”.
“Operators are usually impressed with ease of use and the versatility,” he said. “The machine is easy to move around in confined areas – it’s not a big, cumbersome machine that creates headaches for operators.
“You can drive it into small, compact tunnelling applications and conduct the desired drilling tasks.”
Brokk robots are nimble and able to navigate the narrowest of underground spaces, as opposed to other drilling equipment.
“Production drills are unlikely to be able to run up 30-degree angles in stopes like the Brokk machine can,” Visser said. “So we can enter really compact areas and drill in areas previously deemed too steep.”
Visser provided another example to further illustrate his point.
“In a maintenance area where underground mining equipment is serviced, these areas are typically seven, eight metres in the air,” he said. “These are confined areas that are not suitable to traditional drilling machines.
“You might not be able to fit traditional rock support equipment in these environments, meaning underground teams would need to build scaffolds. This could take X number of weeks to construct, and this is before drilling has even begun.
“We can enable underground mining teams to be more productive in confined areas and give them the right tools to perform the jobs they need too.
“The production machines are too big, and the handheld drill is too slow, but you can drive a Brokk machine in, drill the holes, put the support in, and your job’s done.”
This feature appeared in the March 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
