Vale S A : partners with Komatsu on the largest mechanical excavation trial of its kind at Garson Mine

20/09/2021

Vale partners with Komatsu on the largest mechanical excavation trial of its kind at Garson Mine

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True innovation requires effective collaboration between the end user and suppliers to ensure the technology meets the needs of the industry. Today, Vale joins Komatsu at Mine Expo in Las Vegas for the launch of the Komatsu DynaCut mechanical cutting technology. Over the next 18 months, the companies will start trialing DynaCut's capabilities on Komatsu's new MC51 machine, working together to increase the pace at which the innovative technology will be available to the larger market. This partnership is the first step to really prove and understand the technology, while meeting our high standards for safety. We are trialing this new machine at Garson Mine in Sudbury because it offers the potential to really change the way we mine in hard rock environments. The technology provides a controllable way of cutting rock and thereby reducing the amount of equipment required to get to the ore body. Our goal is to demonstrate the ability of this machine to cut rock at a commercial rate and quantify the cost per meter of operation. From there we can start to look compare this data with conventional drill and blast development. At the same time, we will assess the health, safety and environmental suitability of the mechanical rock excavation process and gain insight into the potential of an optimised mechanical rock excavation process. ​

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