MineWare using artificial intelligence
08/12/2020
Mining equipment monitoring and automation solutions provider MineWare has developed what is said to be the mining industry’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-based drill automation platform, Phoenix AI, to optimise aftermarket blasthole drill operations.The intuitive, interoperable platform features an advanced layer of AI to mitigate common drilling faults and improve performance.
By giving operators the ability to hand more control over to the machine, drill and blast teams can eliminate operator variability, one of the major causes of poor hole quality and machine stress, reducing maintenance costs and extending the life of their drills.
In autonomous mode, Phoenix determines the design-hole depth based on the engineered drill plan and uses advanced AI algorithms to automatically generate and adjust the force on the drill bit and rotary r/min to match ground conditions.
The AI-based decision engine continuously monitors and responds to geologic faults, taking instant action to correct them in a nearly predictive manner, to ensure the highest quality blasthole.
Unlike traditional aftermarket drill automation platforms, Phoenix AI works in harmony with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) system on board, which reduces installation time and cost for the mine while protecting the OEM service and repair model.
The physical installation of the automation platform includes an automation controller, pressure sensors, an integrated vibration monitor and three-axis tilt sensor and a head position sensor.
