##  Sandvik to Debut First of Next Generation Underground Rigs 

Following closely upon the recent introduction of its new Pantera surface percussive drill platform (See Equipment Gallery, p.139, November 2013) Sandvik Mining also announced the forthcoming release of the DD422i Axera development drill rig, the first of the company’s Next Generation underground hard rock drill rigs (model rendering depicted above). It also introduced a new narrow-vein development drill, the DD211.

Ulla Korsman-Kopra, vice president–underground development drills at Sandvik Mining, said the new Axera rig will offer industry-leading levels of safety, productivity and automation. “Our forthcoming DD422i Axera development jumbo provides a clear direction to the future of mining, incorporating a wide variety of new features for more efficient drilling,” Korsman-Kopra said. 

The DD422i Axera will enter the market in 2014 as the first Next Generation face drilling rig from Sandvik Mining with an intelligent control system. 

The DD422i features a redesigned and larger cabin with enhanced operator protection and comfort. Key safety features include Sandvik’s Access Detection system, designed to reduce risks to workers who enter the rig’s operating area; readiness for tele-remote operated functions that move workers from hazardous areas to locations where they can safely operate the rig; and a ROPS/FOPS cabin. Ergonomic features include joystick controls, fully adjustable control panel and operator seating, significantly improved visibility through larger windows and improved illumination with LED lighting, reduced noise, heat and dust levels, and an easy-to-use touchscreen graphical user interface.

Korsman-Kopra said the DD422i Axera would offer the widest range of automated features on the market, including new drilling and boom control systems, full-face drilling automation and drill rig navigation, along with industry-leading drill planning, analysis and optimization systems.

With the DD422i Axera, and with future underground models in the Next Generation family, Sandvik Mining said it will be able to offer:

All machines online and connected, optimizing fleet management and securing total productivity;

Readiness for tele-operated drilling functions; and

Just-in-time service backups, both onsite and remotely.

In addition, all rigs within the Next Generation range will include standardized controls and systems for both development and production rigs, making operator training significantly easier—particularly when operators have to work on a number of different rigs—as well as reducing the number of parts required in multi-model fleets.

The company’s new DD211 hard rock mining development drill for narrow-vein applications also features safety upgrades and more automation for increased production. A single-boom electro-hydraulic rig, the DD211 is designed for development drilling, specifically in tight tunnels and curves with radii as tight as 2.5 m. Applications include cross-cut drilling, as well as cable and bolt-hole drilling. The rig’s RD314 drill is claimed to deliver higher penetration rates and longer drilling consumables life through its higher percussion rate: 110 Hz, compared with 50–60 Hz for predecessor drifters for this sized rig.

The DD211 is fitted with a Sandvik SB20 boom as standard equipment, providing maximum coverage up to 26 m3. Optionally, it can be equipped with Sandvik’s new SB20NV boom, incorporating a CFX 6/12 telescopic feed and designed for applications where high levels of maneuverability are required when drilling up-holes and cross-cuts in narrow space environments. Drilling is controlled through Sandvik’s THC561 electro-hydraulic control, incorporating constant speed drilling controls, stop-and-return automatics, and air-mist flushing with rock drill return.