Custom engineered FL262 FREEDOM™ Loader presenting rods to horizontal chuck drive on the retrofitted LF™90D.
Retrofitted LF™90D in the field with hands-free rod handling.
SALT LAKE CITY — June 13, 2017 — Mining companies increasingly expect drilling contractors to keep pace with their commitment for healthier and safer work sites for all employees. Manual rod handling hazards increase the risk of severe hand and back injuries within the drilling industry, and innovation that removes the driller from hazards associated with those risks is proven to make a difference in safety. To meet major mining’s increased safety requirements, Boart Longyear™ has engineered a fully hands-free drilling solution with its most popular surface coring rig – the LF™90D – in mining markets in North America, Africa and Asia. The in-house engineering teams in all three markets have been collaborating for the last several years and a number of rigs have now been retrofitted with this hands-free solution.
The LF90D utilizes a hollow spindle drill head, making it challenging for rod handling. By retrofitting the rig with a tilting head mechanism and a customized FL262 FREEDOM Loader, Boart Longyear now offers a completely hands-free rod handling solution for the fleet of LF90D rigs.
The FREEDOM Loader also works with the LF™160 and the LF™350 surface coring rigs – additional surface coring rigs that offer completely hands-free rod handling.
“This is a significant safety enhancement for our clients and our drillers, as it removes the driller from multiple hazards associated with suspended loads and manually handling drilling rods. The new hands-free solution prevents back injuries, strains, pulls and hand injuries. This is another example of our commitment to provide healthier and safer work sites for both our clients and our employees,” said James Chalmers, Vice President of Environment, Health, Safety and Training.
About Boart Longyear
Established in 1890, Boart Longyear is the world’s leading provider of drilling services, drilling equipment and performance tooling for mining and drilling companies. It also has a substantial presence in aftermarket parts and service, energy, mine dewatering, oil sands exploration, production drilling, and down-hole instrumentation.
The Global Drilling Services division operates for a diverse mining customer base spanning a wide range of commodities, including copper, gold, nickel, zinc, uranium and other metals and minerals. The Global Products division designs, manufactures and sells drilling equipment, performance tooling, down-hole instrumentation and parts and services.
Boart Longyear is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney, Australia (ASX:BLY). More information about Boart Longyear can be found at www.boartlongyear.com. To get Boart Longyear news direct, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.