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Joy Global is also spotlighting the globally approved OptiDrive system for shuttle car conveyors, which increases conveyor system and component avail- ability and reliability by reducing the shock loading to all key parts of the con- veyor drive. A new AC-conveyor motor utilizes the same mechanical package as the existing conveyor motor. Motors are mechanically the same as the non-VFD motors, and the new designs have been based off of proven Joy conveyors already in use. The OEM also said that the windings have been redesigned to optimize the VFD outputs, and there is now a single conveyor motor part number for voltages and frequencies, making life easier for mines' maintenance staff. Integrating Technology After spending years producing equipment and purchasing internal hardware compo- nents from third parties, GE decided to bring its various content together and devel- op much of it internally. The result was its Invertex drive system, which it began installing on its locomotives and surface mining equipment during the 1990s. With the acquisition of the assets of Fairchild International, GE Mining expanded its product offering to under- ground mining and grow its customer base. In 2012 at MINExpo, the company unveiled its Invertex Electric Drive Systems for underground vehicles, which combined GE's breadth of engineering, propulsion and motor leadership with Fairchild's industry underground prod- uct knowledge and expertise. According to GE Fairchild Products Senior Product/General Manager Jay Klinko, the incorporation of Fairchild's long history of quality equipment with GE's Invertex technology has resulted in a new generation of underground mining equipment to offer mine operators opti- mized performance and efficiency under- ground, and also improve driver control, diagnostics and driver communication. Much like its 2012 announcement, the move to place Invertex on its scoops was the result of changing customer needs. In this case, to support the migration of many from DC to AC drive technology. One of the biggest draws to that trend has been a lower life cycle cost, which GE Mining has also helped its customer mines realize. "GE's Invertex drive is designed to maximize this advantage," he added. Marrying the company's Invertex technology with its line of scoops has improved the overall package in more s h u t t l e c a r s & s c o o p s c o n t i n u e d July 2015 www.coalage.com 25 The components of Invertex technology have been added to numerous models of GE Mining equipment, the latest being for coal scoops. The incorporation of Fairchild's equipment with GE's Invertex technology has resulted in a new generation of underground mining equipment that offers operators optimized performance and efficiency underground and also improves driver control, diagnostics and driver communication. Scoop and Shuttle Car Safety There's no shortage of available infor- mation on keeping miners safer around shuttle cars and scoops, and things to always and never do while in the pres- ence of these machines. Mine operators should also use best practices to keep production moving along safely and efficiently. Some of these include: • Using approved transparent check curtains or fly pads for better visibility; • Scheduling survey times when a sec- tion is not in production; • Instructing the section foremen to examine working sections prior to any work to determine the safest route for miners on foot; • Providing sufficient clearance at dumping points (at least 24 in., per MSHA outlines) between the rib and the operator's compartment to allow the operator to enter or exit the equipment safely; • Ensuring visibility by not instructing that haulage equipment be over- loaded; and • Installing proximity detection and permissible strobe lights. Source: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration — Scoop/Shuttle Car Accident Prevention