Lower ore grades and smaller discoveries call for equipment to reach deeper and more complicated ore bodies. Sandvik has responded to this need by releasing Sandvik DE151, one of the most powerful and compact underground exploration core drills on the market today.
George Tophinke, global exploration equipment manager at Sandvik Mining, is extremely pleased with the results obtained through trials. Thousands of metres of rigorous field testing took place at a customer underground mine. Its close relationships with customers have enabled Sandvik to develop and take the Sandvik DE150 model to the next level in productivity and design. The focus was on enhancing the machine’s rod holder, rotation unit and feed frame in order to achieve even greater operability and productivity than the predecessor Sandvik DE150.
Sandvik DE151 shares many of the field-proven components already used in the Sandvik DE100 series of core drills.
"The components used in this series of drills have been shown to deliver exceptional performance across a wide range of demanding exploration applications," Tophinke said.
"The use of shared components allows us to have a very high availability of spare parts and consumables in stock, enabling us to rapidly respond to our customers’ needs out in the field."
The rig’s modular design and a feed and pull force of 15t (33,000lbf) makes it a truly powerful exploration drill rig, with a unique combination of size and capability, suited for both underground and surface applications.
Key specifications:
- Pull and feed force of 15t (33,000lbf)
- Maximum torque of 2,000Nm (1475lbf ft)
- H-head rotation unit with hollow spindle ID 103mm (4in)
- 1,700mm (5ft 7in) feed stroke
- 2,000m (6,560ft) wireline hoist capacity
- Pilot-operated hydraulic system with central control of all drilling functions from the control panel