Coal Age

NOV 2012

Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.

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Highlights from MINExpo 2012 Technology reigns supreme as vendors unveil new and improved equipment and services at the world's largest mining exposition BY STEVE FISCOR, RUSS CARTER AND GINA TVERDAK-SLATTERY As many as 50,000 mining professionals gathered in Las Vegas for MINExpo 2012. Most attendees expect to see massive, robust mining equipment when they attend MINExpo INTERNATIONAL. What caught a lot of people by surprise with this event was the sheer size of the exposition. The U.S. National Mining Association (NMA) hosts MINExpo every four years. Over the course of the last two or three events, delegates have developed a routine. They arrive with a list of key contacts to meet and then try to make an effort to walk the exhibit. Applying that approach to MINExpo 2012 left many exhibitors and attendees wondering if MINExpo should be extended from three days to four—and that's a good problem to have. Adding to the excitement, the NMA organized an informative technical pro- gram, which kicked off with several mining executives talking about the future of min- ing. The overall message was upbeat— more so for mining activities outside the U.S. They did hint at an eventual renewal in some parts of the U.S. even for coal mining. Sessions during the mornings of day two and three discussed other aspects of min- ing with heavy emphasis on safety and technology. Trying to cover 1,800-plus companies, all of the announcements, and the program with a finite set of pages would be impossi- ble. Mining Media had the largest contin- gent of editors on the floor and attending press events. What follows is a snapshot of 28 www.coalage.com highlights from those three days in Las Vegas in September. Over the course of the next year, Coal Age will elaborate on many more subjects in-depth. Atlas Copco Introduces New Drilling Equipment Keeping its newest member of the Pit Viper family top secret until the show, Atlas Copco introduced the Pit Viper 311 wide-range rotary blasthole drill. It is similar to the Pit Viper 351 with its single-pass drilling but the Pit Viper 311 has the capacity to drill holes deeper, to a maximum depth of 125 ft (38.1 m). Drilling up to 65-ft (19.8-m) clean holes with a live tower can reduce non-drilling time and, combined with taller benches, can greatly increase production capability. The Pit Viper 311 is the first release of the all new Pit Viper 310 series. Atlas Copco Engineering Project Manager Iain Peebles said the PV-311 offers a narrow range of hole sizes from 9 to 12.25 in., which fills in the gap between the hole ranges of the Pit Viper 351 and the Pit Viper 270. "We've incorporated a lot of existing technology that's proven successful on our other Pit Viper models," Peebles said, adding that there have been some upgrades. "One of the things we're most excited about on the PV-310 series project is our new cab. Now you have a fully adjustable chair with joystick and cab con- trols. We've elevated the cab above the deck to give the operator a better view. We've tried to improve operator visibility around the machine, with larger windows and mir- rors placed so the operator can see what's going on at ground level and the front of the machine." The tower has an interchangeable unit, structurally similar to the Pit Viper 351, but is deeper to accommodate larger sheaves for either single-pass or multi-pass applica- tions. Weldments have also been improved, including a ladder that provides access to decking in the tower above the rod changer when the tower is horizontal. Bits can be changed above the Pit Viper 311 rig's deck even while single-pass drilling 65-ft-deep (19.8-m) holes so operators will have their eyes on making and breaking the connec- tion each and every time. The two-speed hydraulic rotary head delivers 12,880 ft-lb (17.62 kNm) of rotation torque at 140 rpm and 7,000 ft-lb at 240 rpm. Hydraulic cylinders drive the cable feed system, and the patented automatic cable tensioning system reduces cable and rotary head guide wear by continually keeping the rotary head aligned and taut, cutting down on unscheduled mainte- nance time. Cat: The 800-lb Gorilla Caterpillar's current slogan—introduced at MINExpo 2012—is "The Broadest Product Line in the Mining Industry," and a stroll November 2012

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