Last week, MacLean Engineering announced the latest additions to its EV Series fleet of diesel-free mining vehicles in a live launch event from underground at the company’s research and training facility in Sudbury.
New offerings include the ss5 shotcrete sprayer – the company’s first-ever battery electric sprayer that is also the first articulated EV sprayer specifically designed for the underground mining application.
The unit also features a complete re-design of the previous MacLean sprayer. This includes a new carrier and an ergonomically designed operator’s cab with enhanced visibility and noise attenuation to support in-cab spraying. In addition, new dosing control and real-time thickness measurement technologies have been integrated into the design to reduce the amount of process chemicals used and to improve the quality and reduce the quantity of the shotcrete applied.
Combined with the TM3 Transmixer, the ss5 shotcrete sprayer and the TM3 now provide underground mining companies with an additional option for zero-emissions ground support installation from MacLean. This includes a combination of the new battery electric sprayer and tumbler or the battery electric rock bolter, the 975 Omnia EV bolter, launched in 2016.
The new ss5 and TM3 offer the mining industry a solution tailored to the application and to the underground environment. With the launch of these two latest battery electric units, the company now offers complete, full-fleet electrification across the ground support, secondary reduction, and utility vehicle product lines.
“We knew with ss5 design we had a great opportunity to build on the success of the first EV unit MacLean introduced to the mining world back in 2016, the 975 Omnia bolter, to give customers a complete solution for diesel-free operations within the ground support portion of the mining cycle,” Jonathan Lavallee, global product manager for the MacLean shotcrete product line, said in a release.
“Having access to a test decline right in our own backyard in Greater Sudbury made the process of fine tuning the unit’s design both more rapid and more successful in terms of being able to offer the industry a zero DPM (diesel particulate matter), ‘no boots on the ground’ shotcreting solution that delivers substantive improvements in safety as well as installation efficiency and quality.”
“Having an applied research lab to connect the fit-for-purpose engineered design work being undertaken by our advanced vehicle technology team with our manufacturing expertise and underground mining experience, has proven to an accelerator for our ability to deliver tech-enabled mining vehicle solutions to customers around the globe,” added Patrick Marshall, VP of product management.
“When we say, ‘we build for life underground’, this is what we mean – I can’t wait to see these battery electric units working together at mines around the globe.”
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)