As global mines keep maturing, cash flow to the mining industry keeps shrinking, resulting in lower-income levels. In the past decade, productivity from the mining industry has decreased by as much as 28 percent. With mines maturing at an unparalleled pace, companies are left with the only choice of overgrazing their existing assets, which is not a foolproof plan after all.
The time demands a breakthrough revolution in the mining industry to boost its production. There is no easier way to succeed, but one can definitely opt for a smarter path to amp production. To obtain fruitful outcomes from regular tasks in a smarter way is exactly what innovations in digital technology bring to humankind.
Digitalization can amp up mining undertakings in a multifaceted way and some of the prominent aspects have been discussed as:
Connectivity and data
A mining undertaking can bring vast quantities of complementary numbers with itself and letting machines take care of this part of the job can help reduce workload. In mining work, data can be obtained from sensors attached to physical objects in required locations. Smart grids can receive, calculate, and convey these numbers to the respective devices for further evaluation. Collection and cross-checking of the enormous amount of data can be a tedious task, but it is also crucial to obtain accurate statistics for on-site work.
Moreover, the digitalization of data allows easy accessibility of the information and records to multiple locations at the same time, which helps to develop easier connectivity. Cognitive networking assists more efficient decision-making in machines with very less or no human interaction involved. Analysis of unstructured data to allow computers to act according to a situation without human involvement can work as a true revolution in the mining industry.
Drones changing the mining game
The introduction of drones has brought a revolution in the mining industry. These machines are helping miners to increase productivity and helping them manage the site smoothly and comfortably. They are so helpful because of their ability to produce extensive and intricate data of the site in a brief amount of time. Other than gathering information about the mining location, these drones also help different units to regulate better by presenting active surveillance of all ongoing activities.
● Where are drones used?
Drones are used in various mining processes. It helps in the management of stockpiles, which without a drone, is a lengthy time and money-consuming process. Managing inventory and financial data with improved data analysis can take months or even weeks when drones aren’t in place. Supervising mines or quarries along with better operations strategy. Checking the mine before and after digging or detonating in order to mitigate threats.
● Drones generated maps
This machine’s main job is examining the mine. The drone delves into the mine and generates detailed maps for the miners. This geospatial information is combined to gather a map through a process called photogrammetry. Some map types are:
- Orthomosaic maps
- 3D point cloud
- Digital terrain model (DTM)
- 3D textured mesh
● Benefits of drones
Since their introduction, drones have taken over a lot of old mining ways. They provide more accurate data, almost 350 times better than the results obtained by the GNSS survey. The speed at which data is drones is a major improvement than before. At a lower cost — almost 30 times faster collection. Making mining a safer activity for workers by ensuring site-safety management.
Intelligence analysis
Analytical dynamics of the mining industry have gone from machine learning simpler data to enhanced statistical methods of large sets of data. Be it the communicative aspects or integration of data to obtain precise results, digitalization has only optimized mining undertakings.
Effort-consuming tasks associated with mining such as geological modeling, maintenance of the area with respect to prediction, and other variables have been progressing in the era of drone mining.
Simplified interaction
Humans interacting with smart devices help them achieve time-consuming tasks quickly and with ease. Surveys, mapping, and other such activities with the help of smart devices are taking less completion time. Moreover, these devices are making working conditions safer and secure by live surveillance. These are achieved with the help of drones and other smart ideas.
Drones help the mining process by helping to speed the surveying process and ensuring workers’ safety. Smart glasses with the ability to provide a worker with guidelines to follow in the mine and responsive fabric to warn workers about the hazardous environment and about their health are a few of the smart ideas.
Digital labor
Humans being replaced by robotics is proving to be a boon for the mining industry. As a result, there has been a decline in the manufacturing cost of industrial robots by 50 percent and an increase in labor costs. It is not a surprise that a lot of industries are preferring robotic assistance. However, just the decrease in cost is not the only reason for the shift.
Robotic help in mining is proving to be more efficient while helping to make the process faster. Drones especially help in this area as they can not only take the physical labor of people surveying the mining site but also help by developing maps.
An integrated understanding of the resource origin
It is known that mining is not a flourishing industry as once it used to be. However, it all can be changed massively with the help of one ability. If one could tell what is inside the ground and where then mining will become much easier and reliable. A lot of miners used data like geological models, sources, and organizational boundaries to find the ore. However, the introduction of technologies, such as blast-hole drills and online sampling is giving more reliable and accurate data about ores.
These statistical data, along with geological information and blast patterns, help the miners increase their knowledge about the site. Drones help to accurately measure the site’s detailed map. With the introduction of these new and advanced methods, old common activities like core lagging, face inspections, and manual plan assay are slowly becoming obsolete and outdated.
Development of material-equipment interaction
Getting more output for the amount of input applied is what every industry is looking for. It is observed with more traditional tools and methods namely OEE may sound reliable and stand to improve the mining situation. However, the truth remains that these systems cannot cope up with the complexity of the system.
On the other hand, tools, and metrics that give real-time output are better for analysis and utilization. One such tool is a drone that assists in maximizing the efficiency and productivity of the procedure. Moreover, these modern techniques help unveil a lot of blind spots in the mine. These blind spots increase the yield of precious or useful metals from 3 to 10 percent. Some of these common metals include gold, nickel, etc. to some minerals as well. This entire thing can be done in under a month with ease. This is really helpful to boost profits.
Automatisation of tasks involved
Automation in the mine is a really helpful technological advancement. This technology offers the possibility of a decrease in production cost, the betterment of working coordination, and making the work environment safer. Mining technologies are going toward the automated phase rapidly. Haulage and drilling are already used in their fully automatic form. However, blasting and shoveling are still in their testing phase.
Even though the technology is about automation, some crucial jobs like pit and equipment configuration still require human interaction. However, the biggest advantage of automation introduced in the mining industry is scaling down manual labor at the site. This aids in minimizing the risk and accidents caused by the fieldwork. Application of drones with the help of dynamic inspection keeps the workers safe, along with automatically providing information after surveying the mining site. Hence, automation is helping the industry by providing efficiency, safety, and profits.
Enhanced decision making
Using digitalization and modern technological equipment helps in better planning and strategy. Tools help miners by providing them with real-time data about the mine or quarry. These data sets can be beneficial in providing monthly reports and giving a clear idea about the site. Moreover, if this real-time data feed is linked with a processing device, it becomes possible to receive real-time feedback from the device. These responses help in creating a refined and practical plan, which, in turn, helps in improving the decision-making.
In mines, better decision-making proficiency helps in lowering the production cost, making the procedure more productive and efficient. Moreover, it also creates a safer environment for the workers while getting the best outcome using all the tools and methods in the arsenal. Hence, digitalization not only helps with production but also with better decisions.
Takeaway: Changes in the deciding factors and dynamics of the industry are inevitable; this makes it vital for businesses to shift their areas of investments to a different aspect to probe better outcomes. Recognizing the challenges and formulating a sustainable digital approach towards diluting the matter is what can help the companies to extract evolved output from their undertakings.
