Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions has introduced the latest capability of its iSURE (intelligent Sandvik underground rock excavation) drill and blast software, designed for mining drill and blast process control.
The capability, iSURE Geo for development drilling, aims to assist miners in optimising the excavation process through geological data.
iSURE Geo delivers real-time onboard analysis of the rock mass by using information gathered from the drilling data. By using the accurate geological information – created through extrapolation, visualisation and data exporting – the software can anticipate potential challenges and improve on-site safety.
Designed to be used with Sandvik i-series development and tunnelling drills, iSURE Geo provides users with a deepened understanding of the surrounding geological environment for enhanced underground development mining and tunnelling operations.
The software can help find weakness zones that require rock reinforcement, allowing users to improve their explosives usage. iSURE Geo can also plot the optimal location for stope openings, reducing over- and underbreak and providing comprehensive reporting.
iSURE Geo has seen great success at Agnico Eagle’s Kittilä mine in northern Finland.
The software was used during field testing to validate the existing rock mass condition data and take the geological information’s precision to the next level by creating detailed three-dimensional imagery of the rock conditions and geological properties of the area.
“Sandvik iSURE Geo provided us with valuable additional information on the mine geology; the precision was astonishing,” Agnico Eagle structural geologist Alexandra Heller said.
“iSURE Geo information is important for mine infrastructure development as well, serving both production and safety aspects.”
Agnico Eagle structural mapping geologist Eemeli Bergström echoed similar sentiments.
“I would say that the most important benefit of iSURE Geo is that we are getting very good quality confirming data for our use,” Bergström said. “It is both a productivity and a safety factor.”
The unveiling of iSURE Geo comes as Sandvik prepares for its appearance at bauma 2025, an international trade show for heavy machinery to be held at the Messe München exhibition centre in Munich, Germany on April 7–13.
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