CIM Magazine recently interviewed Daniel Andrew, Senior Product Manager for Orica Digital Solutions, and Ankit Saxena, Asia Marketing Manager, discussing two of Orica's most recent innovations.

In every mining operation, blasting and its associated fragmentation are key steps and outcomes that will affect how well a mine operates, how productive it is and how profitable it can be. Blasting is essential because the way a mine’s ore and waste are fragmented directly impacts all subsequent downstream activities, including excavation, transportation, crushing and ore processing. Achieving optimal fragmentation is, therefore, paramount.

DIGITAL ADVANTAGE OVER PAPER

BlastIQ™ Underground

“Removing paper ensures we have continuity, that we’re eliminating rework and that the right people have access to the right data at the right time to make the decisions they need to make".

Since the introduction of BlastIQ™ Underground at the Grasberg mine, the system has helped reduce the mine’s annual drilling and blasting costs by 38 per cent through improved design compliance. Engineers were able to digitally visualize hole-by-hole under- and over-drill conditions and take proactive measures, while near real-time monitoring capabilities helped the mine minimize deviations from bench targets with alerts.

ENHANCING BLASTING PRECISION

During the blasting phase of mining, various issues can arise, ranging from misfires in blast holes to timing delays that result in noise vibrations, air blasts and fly rock. Vibrations from these blasts can propel loose rocks into the air, posing a risk to machinery and personnel.

“Given the potential hazards that could cause serious harm during blasting, safety and precision were top of mind for Orica when developing detonators", explained Ankit Saxena, marketing manager, Asia.

Orica upgraded two of its electronic blasting systems, the uni tronic™ 600 and the eDev™ II, in October 2023. Orica’s eDev™ II is designed for underground mine development and civil tunnelling operations. It features remote firing capability that enables up to 800 detonators to be fired remotely, and improved firing precision to +/-0.005 per cent, which Orica stated provides greater precision and better blast outcomes.

Orica has also recently migrated the updated eDev™ II and uni tronic™ 600 onto a common blaster platform. This integration brings several new features, such as improved remote firing capabilities, better accuracy and an updated menu with guided blasting workflows.

This article uses quotes from ‘Efficient Blasting,’ a feature in CIM Magazine. The original feature can be read here: ‘Efficient Blasting'.