The Mining industry and its major corporations are facing countless modern challenges including worker safety requirements, increased global demand for mining materials, sustainability and more.
As this industry evolves to increase efficiency and meet these goals, the use of automation in exploration and extraction processes limits manual labor risks while increasing productivity.
Continue reading to discover how automation in Mining tasks is revolutionizing the ways critical materials are extracted, transported and sorted, and how Central Wire’s vast product capabilities support the modernization of this industry.
Physical Hazards and Risk Mitigation
In the Mining industry, the physical hazards and risks are well documented. Alongside demanding labor conditions, heavy weights, and crushing vibrations, there are the major risks of cave ins, rock falls, and more. Focusing on worker safety and mitigating major risks are critical to ensuring Mining projects are done safely and efficiently.
Automating heavy lifting and extraction tasks is just one of the ways to relief some of the intense labor and repetitive movement injuries that can often take place in labor-intensive industries like this one. Using automated technology to perform these heavier and demanding tasks also ensures workers are better protected from potential disasters that may occur, and that they aren’t fearing their work.
In an industry where the demand for production is not slowing down, protecting Mine workers with automated technology that can perform physically dangerous tasks also keeps worker satisfaction up, knowing that they are supported by an efficient, safe work environment.
Biological Hazards and Sustainability
Along with concerns about repeated movement and strenuous labor, the Mining industry presents some potential biological hazards, with large amounts of time spent in mines. Overexposure to poisonous fumes, dusts, solvents and more is not uncommon in mineral and heavy metal separation. Mining companies are using automated technology to limit these risks as well, as workers are not required to constantly be within the constraints of these hazards, allowing automated machinery to handle these tasks.
Automated Mining systems also allow for more priority on sustainability, and monitoring of energy consumption. The Mining industry, with its large scale production and environmental impact has been at the forefront of sustainability discussions. Controlling the environmental impact of mine energy consumption, transportation, processing and refining and more are crucial to meeting sustainability demands, and can be improved through automated and electric machine alternatives.
Automated Hauling and Exploration
Increased efficiency and safety are priorities that have led to the use of automated hauling and exploration technology in Mining.
Rather than human-driven hauling trucks, automated haulers are becoming more common in open-pit applications. These automated trucks can be transported together in fleets and controlled by fleet management systems. They’re equipped with sensors to ensure obstacle avoidance, and that they remain on the proper path to their destination. Compared to human operators, these trucks can operate 24/7, leading to a huge increase in production and efficiency.
With automated exploration equipment, project planning and efficiency can be increased. Robotic systems such as rovers and drones can be used for project mapping and prospecting. With the amount of labor and heavy machinery operation needed for material extraction, properly planning a mine project using this technology is crucial to turn quality profits.
Materials Designed for Demanding Mining Conditions
The various environmental and safety concerns associated with this industry demand uniquely durable performance from Mining products. Check out our applicable product capabilities below, including alloys suited for various temperatures and corrosives, and specialty cable products designed for visibility, strength, and efficiency.
Custom Engineered Profile Wire
Crushing weights, high vibrations and corrosive environments are some of the various hazards present in the Mining industry, which demand added strength and durability from raw materials. Our premium line of Stainless Steel and Nickel-based alloys offer high strength and corrosion resistance, ensuring performance in demanding Mining conditions.
This product line provides excellent versatility for Mining applications, including vibration screens, filtration and media recovery. With custom and standard profiles available, and four unique edge options, our custom Profile Wire offers you high quality solutions in various industries.
Specialty Coated Cable Products
Our innovation and industry knowledge helped us engineer specialized Cable product lines, with the strength and resistance qualities required to meet demanding industry conditions, offering high performance and durability. These specialty lines include:
ReflexLite® Reflective Cable, designed to enhance low light or night visibility. Applications include roadside guardrails, barricades, and mine safety lighting.
Canveyor® Conveyor Cable, ensuring durability and reliability in the conveyor industry. Applications include food processing, automotive, mine, and quarry conveyors.
Armor Wrapped Cable, featuring a flat metal strip swaged on stranded cable, for high strength use in abrasive environments. Applications include mine and construction hoists.
Investing in our Industry Leading Quality
Years of manufacturing experience and diverse machining capabilities allow us to serve over 20 different industries with quality, long-lasting products. Our premium raw materials and innovative products are engineered to handle the corrosive, high pressure applications the Mining industry presents.
For more information on how our corrosion resistant, high strength alloys handle Mining applications, and deliver high-performance solutions, visit our industry page below!