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ON THE
COVER
“W
hen one looks at
the features and
benefits including
performance, fuel
economy, ease of
operation, reliability, safety and environment, this
drill ticks all the boxes,” Birnie says.
First launched at Bauma China 2014 in
Shanghai in November last year, this new top ham-
mer concept was designed and manufactured at
the company’s Nanjing plant in China. The unit is
perfectly suited for limestone, cement and aggre-
gate quarries as well as open-pit mines. The aim
was to develop a robust, powerful, fuel-efficient rig
that could deliver exceptional performance in an
easy-to-use, straightforward design – expectations
which have been reached and exceeded.
“The PowerROC T50 is a replacement machine
for the large top hammer range that was discon-
tinued some five years ago (the Ingersoll Rand
ECM 720). The new units are the first of their kind
in South Africa and Africa with the potential to
play a major role in the large top hammer market
in Africa,” Birnie tells
MQ
. “This machine will be a
strong contender in challenging the entire opposi-
tion market with the advantage of being a simple
unit designed for the African market.
“Uncomplicated surface drilling technology
meets Atlas Copco’s superior quality design and
engineering standards in this drill rig. The result
of this perfect combination is a high performance,
rugged and reliable machine that drills bigger
holes faster; requires very little maintenance and
maintains high production levels for the lowest
cost of ownership.”
He explains that the high performance is due
to Atlas Copco’s rock COP 3060 rock drill and the
new T-wiz60 drilling tools. “Penetration rates are
extremely competitive as shown by several field
PowerROC T50
set to turn large top
Built to meet the demanding conditions of the African continent
head on, Atlas Copco South Africa has set the benchmark in the
large top hammer market sector with the introduction of the
PowerROC T50.
Dale Kelly
chats with Hedley Birnie, Atlas Copco’s
Mining and Rock Excavation Technique’s business line manager
– Surface Exploration Drilling (SED), to find out more about the
launch of this formidable machine to the African market.
Rock type
Granite (290 MPa)
Hole diameter
115 mm
Penetration rate
38,5 m/hour
Production rate
27,2 m/hour
Fuel consumption 28,8 ℓ/hour
Percussion pressure 180 bar
Rock type
Shale
Hole diameter
127 mm
Penetration rate
120,81 m/hour
Production rate
64,72 m/hour
Fuel consumption 28,3 ℓ/hour
Percussion pressure 175 bar
Rock type
Coal
Hole diameter
127 mm
Penetration rate
248,47 m/hour
Production rate
114,73 m/hour
Fuel consumption 27,4 ℓ/hour
Percussion pressure 170 bar
Table 1: Field test carried out at granite
operation in Pietermaritzburg.
Table 2: Field test in shale at a quarry in
Piet Retief.
Table 3: Field test carried out at a coal mine
in Piet Retief.
Weighing only 22,8 t (without consumables),
the rugged Atlas Copco PowerROC T50 is
perfectly suited for limestone, cement and
aggregate quarries, as well as open-pit mines.