A decision made more than a year ago to expand its presence in the growing mine machine control technology market via a dedicated automation research and development, and product support arm is paying early dividends for Perth-based Remote Control Technologies.

The company, which has grown strongly in the past five years on the back of a successful response to the industry’s call for more advanced remote control solutions, has added a dozen personnel in automation R&D and product support, including mechatronics, software and design engineers, and an automation engineer.

It is now working closely with some of the world’s major mining houses on mine automation projects, including being the enabling designer and supplier for the development of a world class automated surface drill.

“Going back 18 months to two years there was a fair bit of industry talk, and indications from mining leaders, about a bigger role for automation technology in improving mine safety and production efficiency,” said RCT’s managing director Bob Muirhead.

“That is something that we, given our recognised competency in remote control and Teleremote control of most types of mining machines, established over many years, couldn’t ignore particularly when a lot of the noise was coming from our own backyard.

“The decision was made in August last year to add to and expand RCT’s capability in the mobile equipment automation field, including machine automation control and guidance systems.

“We decided we didn’t want to be a sub-supplier into the developing market for mine automation systems, we wanted to be a turnkey supplier and system integrator. We are not manufacturing all of the automation system components. Advanced, purpose-built control systems remain the core of our product offering. What we can provide is an integrated delivery capability that draws on our considerable experience in the field of mine machine control and automation, and our history of supporting the technology in the field through maintenance, training and other services, plus the specialised automated system competency we’ve built up over the past 12 months.

“We are the first company to come from this background of becoming a leader in mine remote and Teleremote control technology, in Australia and other world mining markets, to now providing a full mine automation system integration and delivery capability.”

Muirhead said in the same way mine operators had recognised the need to switch people from hazardous underground and surface mine environments, to safe and more productive work locations, and operate machinery using Teleremote control systems, there was increasing realisation of the benefits of automating equipment engaged in repetitive tasks or in conditions that created OH&S issues.

“You’re already seeing, for example, where production drills, dozers, continuous miners and other equipment that typically produces whole-of-body vibration for operators, and/or the work cycles are extremely repetitive, transferring an operator to a better environment not only produces better OH&S outcomes but productivity gains,” Muirhead said.

He said machine automation in industries such as manufacturing. This had produced significant benefits in different areas. One was reduced variability, and therefore greater consistency, in production outcomes. Lower maintenance costs will result from consistently running machines at manufacturer-specified performance levels, again without variation.

“You are going to get variability in drilling, dozing or loading performance, even with the best operators,” Muirhead said.

“In production drilling, for example, hole depths might vary by up to 1m, which can have a huge impact on product quality and/or production consistency. Miners want to complete a drill pattern with minimal or no variation. To get your hole depths consistently accurate to within 100mm instead of 300-400mm, the process would have to be automated.

“Some operators might be heavier on the drill bit, others lighter on the bit. Eliminating this sort of unevenness in machine use, and utilising it for longer periods of time at optimum performance settings, is obviously going to produce superior maintenance results and, in time, more predictability in this area.
“Listening to what the industry is saying, these are the types of outcomes that seem to be at the top of peoples’ wish lists at the moment.”

Mines were increasingly establishing modern communication networks to facilitate better control, monitoring and guidance of equipment, and RCT had a proven track record of integrating an array of control systems with the emerging networks.

“There is a clear move now to use technology to reduce mining costs,” Muirhead said. “Some tasks will be automated; some will continue to be done using remote control machinery.

“At the end of the day the really critical thing is that the systems are reliable and fit for purpose, and that not only means good technology and integration, but also technical and field support, training and maintenance.

“We’re in a position to fully support the industry. RCT can provide turnkey systems, integrate remote control solutions with existing local and remote networks, or provide the critical hardware or software components that enable projects of varying size and complexity to function.”

RCT is in the final stages of completing a semi automated system for articulated LHD machines, this has been fitted to a machine in Perth for initial trials with great success, product release approximately mid 2009. This system incorporates vision utilising cameras and guidance, IP rated scanning lasers, an articulation sensor and control group CPU.