Mining operations require various tools and equipment; mining companies use up to a third of their capital on necessary equipment. Different machinery accomplishes different tasks that are crucial to the operation.
Learning more about the equipment can increase productivity at the jobsite. And proper maintenance of mining equipment can help with productivity, too. But first, you’ll need to understand the types of essential equipment used in mining.
Drilling Equipment
Mining begins with drilling. There are several methods an operation can choose between when excavating a site for tunnels or creating oil wells. Drilling techniques include:
- Rotary—bores into rock formations.
- Electro—effective for unique geological conditions like old reservoirs
- Directional—accessing underground reserves or installing underneath roads at a non-vertical angle
- Percussion—involves lowering a drill bit into an open hole with a cable
- Robotic—a drilling technology used for crewless operations offshore and on land
Skid Steer Loaders
For material handling, digging, and removing debris, many mining operations use skid steer loaders. Their size enables them to easily move around within small spaces while their tracks give them footing to navigate unsteady ground.
Blasting Equipment
Blasting is responsible for excavating the useable material—such as precious stones or minerals for building—from waste material. Even though it may not seem like it, blasting is an intricate process that requires miners to use blast designs, drill rigs, and technology devices, like radio-controlled blast initiations.
Crushers
The final stage of the mining process involves using crushers to refine the usable material workers remove from the site. Crushers are crucial to the mining process because they mill the material into manageable sizes suitable for their purpose. For example, crushers grind limestone into minuscule pieces for concrete.
Mills need several crushers to turn raw materials into useful materials; jaw, cone, and impact are the most common.
It’s crucial to maintain equipment at every aspect of the mining process; downtime will decrease, and, most importantly, workers are less likely to sustain injuries. Learning about the mining process and the types of essential equipment used in mining can create more productive operations.
