Combining proven engineering solutions and innovative new components, the new DTH drill rig is said to offer better fuel efficiency, improved safety and higher productivity in challenging rock conditions.
“The Sandvik Leopard DI650i DTH drill rig is designed for high-capacity production drilling applications in surface mining and large-scale quarrying applications,” explains Joanne Cooke, president of Surface Drilling and Exploration at Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology.
It comes with a range of new or re-designed components to boost productivity. The standard rotary head option, the HTRH6, has a proven track record on current Sandvik DTH rigs. “For the Leopard DI650i, we also offer a new heavy-duty option, the MRH6, which is designed to perform in tough environments and for drilling larger hole sizes. It is a perfect fit for Sandvik’s new RH560-series DTH hammers,” explains Ilkka Lahdelma, director, Product Management, Surface Drilling & Exploration and Sandvik Mining and Construction.
Pipe sizes range from 89 to 140mm, depending on the size of the hammer. The maximum hole depth is 53.6m when using the carousel option with pipe sizes from 89 to 114mm. The capacity range of the 403 kW Tier 3 CAT C15 diesel engine and the reliable compressor is adequate for high-pressure drilling with 4-6.5 inch DTH hammer sizes.
With good visibility to the drilling area and a single integrated touch screen for all monitoring, diagnostics and mining automation displays, the Leopard DI650i’s ergonomic iCAB cabin provides the rig operator with a safer, productive working environment.
With both safety and uptime in mind, the maintenance crew can carry out all daily servicing tasks at ground level on both sides of the machine. “The advanced serviceability and reliability features can increase the Leopard DI650i’s availability by up to 20% compared with conventional DTH rigs at a similar technology level,” explains Lahdelma.
Intelligent control technology applied in both the compressor and the hydraulic system’s cooler fan can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15% compared with conventional DTH rigs. The Leopard DI650i’s fuel efficiency is further boosted by the flow-controlled drilling control system that eliminates fluctuations in airflow, instead allowing the pressure level to fluctuate in response to more difficult ground conditions and increased back pressure (for example, due to groundwater or collapsing holes).
“This results in maximum flushing pressure and penetration rates in challenging rock conditions, while still retaining the low fuel consumption of the traditional pressure control approach in easy ground conditions,” says Cooke.
The Leopard DI650i joins Sandvik’s other i-series drill rigs compatible with the latest scalable automation solutions. The latest onboard options include the TIM3D drill navigation with wireless data transfer; My Sandvik fleet monitoring system; and full-cycle drilling automatics, which merge functionalities such as uncoupling, feed auto aligning and feed auto positioning into a single efficient sequence. These capabilities can be further upgraded with more advanced modules such as single-rig or fleet remote control systems by Automine Surface Drilling.
