Charmec Revo® Technology
Explosives charging is one of the most hazardous work processes in modern underground mining. Easily available ore deposits are depleting - forcing mining companies to go deeper underground where dangers are increasing in shape of rock falls and rock burst accidents. The only tangible way to improve operator safety is to remove the operator from the high exposure danger zone, the unsupported area of the tunnel.
CHARMEC REVO® DEFINES THE FUTURE OF EXPLOSIVES CHARGING UNDERGROUND
Charmec Revo improves operator safety significantly by removing the operator from the high exposure area. The remote-controlled robotic arm places the initiating system into the borehole and, in conjunction with the emulsion kit, dispenses emulsion, allowing the operator to remain in a supported tunnel area.
BUILD FOR PURPOSE
Our design philosophy was to improve operational safety without loss of productivity. To achieve this, we have prioritized the accuracy and speed of the remote charging system in the design, which led to abandoning traditional hydraulic booms and focusing on robotic solutions.
The system is developed for tunnels from 4 x 4 meters up to 6 x 6 meters, which covers most of the underground mining tunnels. The charging manipulator consists of an in–house developed servo-robotic arm with extremely agile movements – built for the need of underground mining.
REMOTE LOADING TECHNOLOGY
Servo-robotic manipulator arm is designed to “pick-and-deliver“ priming unit (detonator-booster package) from ground level's reduced exposure area or the priming magazine and deliver it to the face wall. The pick-and-deliver path between borehole and home position is automatized.
Charmec Revo enables the usage of standard shock tube detonators or magazine for semi-wireless or wireless initiation system provided by any explosives supplier.
The charging arm’s ingenious control is based on inverse kinematics, where only the tip of boom is controlled, which enables fully autonomous movements, like the path between borehole and home position. A lot of attention has been put to lower the learning curve and to make operation of the arm as easy as possible.
Drilled borehole maps from the drill rigs can be uploaded to a system to locate the boreholes in the face wall. Machine vision system, fully developed by Normet, supports operators in finding drilled boreholes, which shortens cycle time. If the information is not available, the machine vision acts as main operator support to locate the boreholes. Once the borehole is found, the charging hose delivery system will take care of the priming unit and explosive delivery. The system also recognizes plastic lifter pipes and helps in their utilization.
The collision avoidance system slows down and stops the arm before contact with tunnel wall or other obstacles, and close contact prevention is done by using reliable ultra-sound sensors. Additional safety sensors stop the boom movement if the operator enters the working area.
The Revo system can adapt to use any commercially available wired, semi-wireless or wireless initiating systems. The priming unit can be handled manually or by using magazines provided by explosives suppliers. The initiating system magazine is placed at a platform next to charging arm, enabling priming unit’s unique pick and deliver -method. As with initiating systems, Charmec Revo can be used with all commercial bulk emulsion systems.
MAXIMIZED PAYLOAD CAPACITY AND TWO CARRIER OPTIONS
The Charmec Revo platform is the latest generation front cabin carrier available with either the latest diesel engine emission rating or SmartDrive battery-electric architecture with zero local emissions. The load capacity of Charmec Revo is 6000 kg, meaning up to 4000 kg matrix capacity mounted safely on the rear platform away from the hot surfaces. A large bulk capacity reduces the need for back and forth driving between charging sites and explosive warehouse, which increases productivity significantly and helps to keep the charging machine in good condition.
Design with half of a century of expertise in explosives charging
