TECHNOLOGY
George Williams, Upat mining and export manager. Tony Rorke, technical director BME.
segment of its business has grown to 70%
this year, and is expected to reach 95%
next year. “Red Link Plus gives the exact amount of
power from the battery as is required for
any operation — so it can last five times the
performance and lifespan,” says Williams.
AEL’s Tose concludes: “The future
industry will require different skills; the
employee of the future will need to embrace
technology, be fluent in a coding language,
and be analytical and able to solve
problems through innovative equipment
and software applications.
The future
The direction drilling applications is taking
is also towards brushless motors on power
tools, “which is almost maintenance-free”.
The use of lithium-ion battery technology
guarantees 2 000 charge cycles compared to
just 450 for a typical mobile phone battery.
Simon Tose, AEL Mining Services (AEL)
consulting mining engineer, bridges the gap
between explosives and mining engineering.
“Explosives, like mining, is one of a very few
industries that has not yet been disrupted
or significantly challenged by new ideas and
technologies, but I believe a major disruptor
most likely already exists; we just need to
apply our minds. Explosives in their current
ammonium nitrate form will be around
for another 10 to 15 years but will certainly
change and be replaced during my lifetime.” ■
QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 _ 23