#MAPTEK VULCAN DRIFT ANALYSER SOFTWARE#
“We are constantly developing the software to improve both these areas.” “Safety and productivity are critically important to minesites and this software package helps them achieve both.” “This particular enhancement directly addresses safety and regulatory issues affecting many regions,” Scholes said.
The display shows holes which are too close, allowing re-design of drifts if necessary. Scholes said underground engineers appreciate the drillhole warnings that calculate how far a drillhole is from a blast area. Holes can also be selected within a blast by echelon, the direction of rows can be reversed to allow easier manipulation of holes within a blast, and blasts can be renamed. The software also includes alternatives for maintaining the collar location, or in the case of angled holes the 3D vector, of the blasthole. Vulcan 8 allows users to edit holes as a group or individually. “Blast patterns can be trialled quickly and painlessly until the most efficient design is discovered.” “Vulcan 8 helps engineers determine that optimum level on-screen before costs are incurred. Users can put a few or a lot of explosives in the ground and not achieve a marked difference because there is an optimum number of explosives for each blast. “Engineers can optimise their blast designs before blasting has even begun. “Vulcan 8 gives engineers the necessary tools to vary designs both quickly and efficiently,” Scholes said.
This ‘automated’ editing is said to save engineers time and reduce the errors that may be introduced when a large number of holes require editing in a short timeframe. When new survey information becomes available, the effects ripple through to the planning process.Īccording to Scholes, Vulcan 8 can recalculate the holes in a blast to reflect the new surface immediately. In a dynamic mine environment, surfaces are always changing. Ing users with strong production value,” Scholes said. By maximising equipment efficiency, explosive consumable costs are reduced and good fragmentation is achieved, reward “The software module presents users with the ability to optimise the drill and blast equipment. The same or completely different hole design parameters. Vulcan 8’s new double stitching option allows engineers to insert extra holes midway between previously created blast holes using
“By request, the latest streamlined version allows the information on the datatip to be customised,” Scholes said.Įxcessive toe burdens can be handled by adding holes around the perimeter of a blast. “Having all drillhole data at your fingertips has proven to be a popular feature. Vulcan version 8, which will be widely released in the second quarter of 2009, includes options that allows users to preview a drill and blast pattern before it is set, ensuring potential layout problems are ironed out early, saving time on the ground. “With the current global financial downturn looming over everybody’s heads, it is imperative that there is equipment on the market that can give users more bang for their buck.”Īccording to Scholes, Maptek’s latest version of Vulcan is embedded with advanced drill and blast capabilities that allow mine planning engineers to save money on everyday tasks. “The costs involved in drill and blast are often large and if there is the possibility of reducing overhead costs while maximising production, it is important to achieve that outcome,” he said.