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gateroad development continued Controlling dust at the face is a prime concern and Sandvik's knowledge with cutting tools and mining equipment allowed them to lower the cutting speed as compared to the industry-wide standard of 60 rpm. Higher torque and higher cutting forces also reduce noise levels. The service life has been doubled, compared to the 450. At a weight of 120 tons, it has ample cutting stability. A clearance level of 79 in. allows the machine to be trammed around existing mine environments. It's easy on the floor. Even though it's a heavy machine, the stabilizers and wide crawler pads reduce the ground pressure to 25 psi. It can turn very tight corners. It has a 256-in. cutting radius because of the unique system where the cutting head and loading table move independently. The bolting rigs tilt 37˚ giving greater flexibility. The new arrangement allows the first row of bolts to be placed within 110 in. of the face. Installing roof and rib bolts make the entire working area safer. Because of the heavy weight of the MB 610 and the reduced cutting speed, it can achieve higher advance rates of 15% to 20% over prior machines. The higher cutting force creates larger lumps and less dust. Creating less dust is not only a positive environmental affect, it also reduces the waste of energy over standard machines. Lower cutting speeds also offer other benefits like cutting hard rock layers as well as reducing bit wear (consumption) due to less friction. The MB 610 has data-logging capabilities, which helps mine management identify production bottlenecks. That information can be used to optimize processes underground. A machine status report can also be generated out of this system. Slower cutting speeds also improve the life span of components especially in difficult ore cutting conditions, such as longwall development in the eastern U.S. coalfields. An MB 610 was installed at CONSOL Energy's Bailey mine in October 2011. Over the course of the next year, the machine cut 56,200 ft with average advance rate of 124 ft/shift. The best shift was 348 ft. September 2013 The gateroad conditions at the Bailey mine are 16- x 8-ft entries with 8- to 12-ft roof bolts and W straps. Two rib bolts are also installed on each cycle. The machine was at the top of the totem pole in its first year. CONSOL now has two MB 610s operating at the Bailey mine and a third and fourth machine has been ordered and will be delivered soon. Slow cutting means faster development and increased safety and reliability throughout the entire operation. Kirby Owen is product support manager, mechanical cutting, for Sandvik Mining and Thomas Vallant is the sales support manager, mechanical cutting, for Sandvik Mining. This article was adapted from a presentation they gave at Longwall USA 2013, which took place during June in Pittsburgh, Pa. www.coalage.com 33