Sandvik’s AutoMine-Lite is a new automated system for single loaders that offers advantages in cycle time, productivity and safety over other remote loading systems such as the radio remote control and tele-remote systems in use in mines today. For mining operators, these and other advantages of AutoMine-Lite can dramatically affect the bottom line. As the name suggests, AutoMine-Lite is the little brother of Sandvik’s existing AutoMine system, but it is just as robust.

Unlike AutoMine, which is a fleet automation system that stays put in a massive block cave mining operation, AutoMine-Lite can be moved from one production area to another in one working shift. This mobility makes it suitable for smaller mines that don’t require a fleet of loaders. (A small mine is considered one that produces around 1,000 tonnes a day, compared with larger mines that can produce 100,000 tonnes a day.)

AutoMine-Lite is an easy step towards automation in a mine. It is also easy to adapt it into a full-scale AutoMine system. The only difference is that an operator would be controlling several loaders instead of just one.

Sandvik was the first mining supplier in the world to introduce mine automation systems for underground hard rock mine production more than 10 years ago. AutoMine-Lite is designed for smaller mining operations such as sub-level open stoping and can be flexible when it comes to different mining applications.

“AutoMine-Lite was developed for applications where mobility is required, such as in smaller and medium-sized mines where large-scale automation is not possible,” says Taina Heimonen, manager of mine automation at Sandvik Mining and Construction in Tampere, Finland. “We designed the communication network for fast installation and start-up and to enable quick relocation from one production area to another without sacrificing its ruggedness. We wanted to make a simple system based on the latest communications technology available.”

The AutoMine-Lite system consists of an ergonomically designed operator station with two screens (a footprint of only two square metres means it can easily fit into a van or control room onsite or offsite), an integrated onboard automation package for the loader, a dedicated safety system for the tunnel consisting of light barriers, and a reliable sound, video and data communication system between the operator and the loader.

Theoretically, the operator can be miles away from the mining site, although for maintenance reasons it is much better to be close by. From a safety standpoint, AutoMine-Lite enables the operator to be as far from danger as necessary.

Compared with other remote loading systems, a loader with AutoMine-Lite does not have to wait for blast fumes to be ventilated and the dust to settle after a blast to go get a load of rock.

Dust settling can take upwards of two hours per blast, so two blasts a day can translate into four hours of lost productivity.

“With AutoMine-Lite, loading can start immediately after the blast,” Heimonen says.

In productivity studies comparing AutoMine-Lite with tele-remote and radio-controlled systems, Sandvik found that AutoMine-Lite hourly production figures were almost 50 percent higher.

“On top of the additional productivity you get by using AutoMine-Lite, you save on wear and tear and increase the lifetime of the loader,” Heimonen says.

Just as in the “big brother” AutoMine system, the AutoMine-Lite fully automates the tramming (travelling) and dumping moments in a loader’s operations. Loading the bucket, however, remains a tele-remote operation on the part of the operator because a human is better than a machine in angling in on a pile of rock and maximizing the load of the bucket.

“If it was sand or gravel, then we could automate the loading, but with big rocks you need the tactile experience to get it right,” Heimonen says.

Like something from a James Bond movie, the infrared light barrier security system will automatically and immediately stop the loader dead in its tracks should anyone enter the isolated area where the loader is working.

AutoMine-Lite is available with Sandvik’s new generation loaders: LH307, LH410, LH514, LH514E, LH517 and LH621. The core technology of AutoMine-Lite lies in its patented and unique navigation system where the loader “learns” the route after a single drive-through between the loading and dumping points in the mine. For AutoMine-Lite this distance can be several hundred metres.

The communication system is based on a wireless network between the loader and base stations in the tunnel where there is a true and seamless millisecond handover time between base stations as the loader races along. Unlike remote radio control systems, where the operator needs a line of sight to the loader, the AutoMine-Lite operator never has to climb onto a loader or work in close proximity to it. This makes operations much safer and more productive.

Tele-remote operation is the other alternative, also from Sandvik, where the operator drives the loader from a control room with the help of cameras on the loader. With AutoMine-Lite, tramming is automated and higher speeds are possible compared to tele-remote and radio remote control operations.

“With AutoMine-Lite the operator never gets tired,” Heimonen says. “Tele-remote operations can be quite intensive and require high levels of concentration over long periods of time for the operator. In addition, operations with tele-remote systems are usually limited to first or second gear to reduce the risk of collisions with tunnel walls. With AutoMine-Lite, damage costs can be virtually eliminated and speeds of up to 25 kilometres per hour can be achieved through the tunnels.” Normal speeds are between five and eight kilometres per hour. Another important advantage of AutoMine-Lite is that it extends the lifetime of the loader as gearbox, brakes and transmission run smoothly at all times, reducing wear and tear and maintenance costs.