Micromine launches dedicated mine planning tool for underground operations

Mining technology company Micromine announced Thursday it has launched a new planning solution: Micromine Advance. The tool, the company said, is the first and only dedicated mine planning solution for underground metals.

Micromine Advance was developed through extensive research, real-world testing, and collaboration with underground mining professionals, and is purpose-built to model underground environments with precision, the company said.

“Micromine Advance is more than just a new product; it’s a revolutionary leap in underground mine planning,” CEO Andrew Birch said in Thursday’s news release. “Purpose-built for underground metals projects, Micromine Advance leverages cuyying-edge technology, innovative design principles and user-friendly workflows to tackle the unique challenges of underground mine planning.”

Advance blends with Micromine’s mine planning solutions — Alastri for open-pit metals and Spry for open pit soft rock — with insights from seasoned underground mine engineers to create a tailored solution specifically for underground mine planning, Birch noted.

3D visualization helps users to better understand their schedule and communicate complex data. It allows for rapid creation, comparison and reporting of detailed scenarios, and the inventory is managed entirely within Micromine Advance without the need to export or manipulate data.

The design philosophy ensures every plan is grounded in real-world feasibility, and this resource-driven, bottom-up approach is able to deliver reliable, theoretically sound and operationally achievable schedules, Micromine highlighted.

Micromine Advance also offers a centralized working environment that eliminates fragmented project structures and disconnected data sources. This can help mining engineers create, compare and optimize scenarios, visualize options in real-time, and make strategic decisions with clarity and confidence, the company added.

The tool enhances Micromine’s integrated suite of solutions and is designed to support every stage of the mining life cycle — from early exploration to resource estimation, mine design, planning, production management and data analytics, Birch said.