Located in the Canadian province of Ontario, Sudbury is one of Vale's largest and longest-operating mining locations, rich in nickel ore. In operation for more than 100 years, with five mines, a mill, a smelter, a refinery and nearly 4,000 employees it is also one of the largest integrated mining complexes in the world.
Base metals such nickel, copper and cobalt are found in the hard rock that makes up the Canadian Shield. However, this hard rock also presents a double-edged challenge: Its very strength requires the use of considerable blasting and drilling power, while at same time, delicacy because of the potential of seismic ground. A few years ago, Vale started looking at an alternative way to break hard rock that would improve safety, increase productivity and potentially reduce costs and emissions.
In February 2020, Vale chose to work with Komatsu, one of the world’s biggest industrial equipment manufacturers to advance the future of underground hard rock excavation through optimizing use of Komatsu’s DynaCut mechanical cutting technology.
The Komatsu’s mechanical rock excavator (MRE) called the MC51 with DynaCut technology continuously cuts through hard rock instead of using the traditional blast and drill method.
In February 2021, the cutting-edge machine was shipped in pieces from Australia to Garson Mine in Sudbury and in August 2021, Vale and Komatsu started trialing DynaCut’s capabilities on Komatsu’s new MC51 machine at the mine, working together to increase the pace at which the innovative technology will be available to the larger market. The 18-month trial at Garson, which will cover 400 metres, will see more than 10 years of Komatsu research and development put to the test.
The MC51 with DynaCut technology uses a fully electric system that has zero emissions, and can break rock continuously and precisely, “within 50 millimeters accuracy to plan.”
“Our intent is to test the ability of the technology to not only cut the very hard rock of the Canadian Shield but to challenge it to cut at a commercial rate better than traditional drill and blast development methodologies,” said Andy Charsley, principal mining engineer at Vale's operations in Sudbury, adding, “The ability to integrate the machine with existing infrastructure within our current process at the mine – bolters, trucks, LHDs, etc. – is key to implementing this technology.”
Another key feature of the MC51 is that the machine can be operated remotely. This means staff can be removed from the cutting face, and from potential harm, ensuring they return home safe every day. Remote operation, like electric equipment, is the future of mining.
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