ABB, in partnership with mine operators Boliden and LKAB, has successfully completed testing of an industry-first automated ‘robot charging’ technology for underground mines, the goal being to make mines safer by automating one of few manual processes left in mining — charging the blasting holes with explosives.
Blasting schedules in underground mines can vary, but the process takes place up to 15 times per day in larger mines as miners expand the chambers to extract mineral and metal ores. The ‘ABB Robot Charger’ automatically detects boreholes and fills them with charges without the presence of humans, removing the need for people to be near the unsupported rock face during blasting sequences.
The completed testing phase has confirmed: the effectiveness of integrating the robot charger with a carrier vehicle; communication with bulk emulsion and vision systems; and the incorporation of a second robot arm to assemble the ‘prime and detonator’ — thereby ensuring full reach to all borehole levels and areas of the rock face, and remote control for operators.
The project has been undertaken at Boliden Garpenberg, which is located 180km northwest of Stockholm and is the world’s most productive underground zinc mine. ABB is now embarking on the final stage of development with the aim of executing the full blasting sequence in the underground mine with full control of the robot handed over to the customer. ABB is also starting discussions with other mine operators that it hopes will eventually join the co-development project, thereby allowing the technology to be tested in different mine environments and in regions beyond Northern Europe with varying climate and rock composition.
Vedrana Spudic, ABB’s head of technology, business line mining, said: “This is a significant technology development for ABB and the wider industry where safety is part of overall ESG (environmental, social, and governance) commitments. The robot locates the drilled holes on the rock face using a vision system, and these recent tests show all can be reached and charged with the cycle fully automated. This removes the need for human operators in a small, unsupported area right at the face — and the solution can be retrofitted to any truck.”