Automation
AutoMine® Core for Loading and Hauling
Automine® Core is a Sandvik comprehensive automation platform for fully autonomous operations tailored to mass mining operations. It brings together industry-leading digital solutions for stable underground connectivity, powerful data collection and analysis, an advanced fleet of automated equipment options inclusive of mass mining production monitoring, and Lifecycle Support Solutions to make underground mining safer, more sustainable and productive.
Features
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Fully automated fleet
Field-proven and leading automated equipment solutions that include high speed tramming, autonomous loading and interaction between loaders and trucks. Seamless integration with advanced safety and traffic management technologies ensures that even complex mass mining operations operate at high productivity and safety standards.
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Interoperable safety system & traffic management
AutoMine® Access Control System (ACS) keeps machines and operators safe from each other and fully isolates the autonomous working environment. Interoperable safety systems allow splitting of mining areas into flexible safety zones, creating shared areas for both manual and automated equipment to operate independently. The interoperability principle applies to Sandvik safety systems, with the possibility to integrate third-party systems as needed.
Traffic management systems enable safe control of different machine types such as loaders and trucks in the same area and can easily handle complex situations such as advanced deadlock control, passing bays, dynamic dispatch and dynamic speed scaling.
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Communication & data management
Robust connectivity is the lifeline of automated underground operations. AutoMine® Core with proven connectivity leaders creates stable networks (Wifi, 4G/LTE, 5G, Mesh) for autonomous fleet to enable better reliability of data and analytics for telemetry, autonomy and optimization.
AutoMine® Core also includes solutions for optimizing mass mining, which integrate seamlessly with Sandvik and partner products providing insights to optimize operational safety and productivity. Integrated solutions like Polymathian’s ORB further improve productivity, allowing for autonomous dispatching with real-time end-to-end optimization, with proven increases to mining productivity by 20%.
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Lifecycle support solutions
World-class Lifecycle support solutions maximize uptime and improve efficiency through technical and product support, personnel competence development, and reliable global expertise.
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AutoMine® Fleet
AutoMine® Fleet is a highly advanced automation system for a fleet of Sandvik underground loaders and trucks sharing the same automated production area. It offers automatic mission control and traffic management, allowing system operators to oversee the process remotely. The system is scalable for different mining applications.
Improved safety
AutoMine® Fleet upgraded access control system enhances safety and efficiency by splitting and merging safety zones, enabling flexible interaction between automated and manual equipment. Risk to mine personnel working underground is minimized with the ability to create multiple safety zones throughout sites. The operator remotely controls and simultaneously supervises multiple underground equipment from a safe and comfortable environment. AutoMine® Fleet creates a better work environment for both operator and mine personnel.
Reduced equipment damage
The advanced automated fleet traffic management system controls equipment traffic flow, ensuring operations achieve higher accuracy and consistency, resulting in longer equipment lifetimes and reduced risk of damage.
Continuous operations
Fully automated production cycles enable equipment to operate accurately at high speed with minimal human interaction, and allow new automated tasks to begin immediately. High availability and continuous operation result in constant high performance, enhancing productivity.
Multi-machine control
AutoMine® Fleet offers advanced automated fleet traffic control management, automated fleet mission and draw control for accurate execution of planning. It is ideal for mining operations where high fleet performance is required in large production areas shared by multiple pieces of equipment. These include block caving environments, ramp haulage and transfer levels.
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Manual Production Monitoring (MPM)
Manual Production Monitoring (MPM) is a system for monitoring and managing production in manual and partially automated loading operations. It offers high accuracy location tracking through dead reckoning, capturing of cycle information based on machine movement, and predefined loading and dumping locations.
High accuracy
Manual Production Monitoring's cycle detection accuracy is more than 95% in mass mining applications. The dead reckoning is immune to dust and most other environmental factors, making it ideal for use in mining operations.
Low infrastructure requirements
The system only requires a low number of passive RFID tags in the extraction drives, reducing maintenance and risk of damage or loss of manual equipment tracking built on world class AutoMine® dead reckoning technology.
Offline buffering
The cycle detection is buffered onboard of the machine and does not require constant network coverage, resulting in reduced infrastructure requirements and added robustness when connectivity is lost.
Planning and dispatch
Automated import of plans from Cave Management System (CMS), operator dispatch and interaction, updating and reporting of actual conditions and scheduling of supporting tasks.