Digitising minerals quarrying
Use on the computer is easy. “Anyone who can handle a PC mouse can use Redbird. The focus of Redbird is not on the surveyor, but rather on the quarry operator – the actual situation at his quarry is made visible for him,“ continues Bernhard Tabert, himself a university-qualified surveyor. Above all, operators of multiple quarries can remote observe each individual location easily and comfortably from their office. In detail, various winning-point statistics and their indicators, which are of importance for productive extraction, can be viewed. Piles of extracted material in the storage yard, classified by type of material and particle size, are included in an analysis report. The volumes of such piles can be automatically calculated using the PC mouse, simply by “dragging” a polygon around the pile displayed.
One of the greatest efficiency factors in quarries is the quality of haulage routes, since these are critical in attaining the targeted production rate. Corresponding vehicle routes which are in good condition and well maintained are necessary here – ultimately, the haulage vehicles are required to attain maximum possible speed on these roads. The visually displayed haulage routes, complete with gradients and road widths, enable users to see, for example, whether planned annual production rates for a quarry can actually be achieved on the basis of the haul trucks‘ round trips. “A one million tonnes of material annual target for a quarry would, for example, mean 15 400 round trips by a Cat 775G of 65 t payload capacity. The question that then arises is how many hours will be needed for these 15 400 round trips? And how can the transport routes be improved, to reduce these cycle times?,“ Tabert explains.
Cat machine data, which is transmitted via Cat Product Link telematics boxes, is also integrated into Redbird. Around 14 000 Cat earthmoving machines are currently equipped with a telematics box. Product Link, installed as standard in virtually all Cat machinery, is now also available for other manufacturers‘ earthmoving machines and vehicles. It can be used to review operating hours, GPS positions, described idling times and fuel consumption. Works and production managers thus at all times have an overview of when a machine has stood idling for how long. “This generates an incredible savings potential which only very few have up to now been able to express in concrete figures. Who is aware, for example, that a Cat dumper truck causes costs of around 60 € for an hour of idling, when fuel, servicing and depreciation are taken into account? Take a look at a fleet of several Cat dumper trucks operating in a quarry, and filter out all the idling events of more than 10 minutes, and you will soon have 500 hours of idling annually – and that means 30 000 € of lost income for the company,“ Bernhard Tabert calculates. But you firstly have to be aware of this.
And even more important, is making crews aware of how much expense they cause by simply letting the engine of an earthmoving machine continue running, to keep the heating or air-conditioning going, or just because they want a quick cup of coffee. The substantiated data now available makes it possible to illustrate what idling periods not caused by production circumstances can be avoided. And this is Bernhard Tabert‘s message for visitors to the steinexpo: “In the next few years, drone data will contribute greatly to educating operators, and will provide them with an important tool for the achievement of significant cost savings.“
