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March 2017
MODERN MINING
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feature
MINING CONTRACTING
I
n addition, the mining contracting and
engineering company has several other
raiseboring machines at work in Africa.
“Even though the market has been quite
depressed, we have grown to the tune of
40 % year-on-year,” Redpath Mining Africa
Managing Director Ockert Douglas comments.
Douglas says that Redpath’s strategy has
been to secure projects locally, so that the
South African business could be in a comfort-
able position, at which point it could begin to
look for opportunities outside the country.
This resulted in Redpath Mining Africa’s
long-term involvement with MCM, for which
it is undertaking three projects. Commencing
in 2014, the Synclinorium Vent Shaft project is
scheduled for completion this year. The shaft
is 6,1 m in diameter and is being completed in
two legs, of which the longest is 738 m. “We
have completed the first leg, and are currently
busy with the second,” says Redpath Mining’s
General Manager of Raiseboring, Johan Davel.
At Mindola Deeps, Redpath Mining Africa
is raise drilling a 2 000 m vertical shaft in four
legs of 500 m each. The company has currently
completed two legs, and is busy with the third.
“This is the first time in the world that a 2 000 m
shaft is being raise bored,” Davel observes.
Lastly, Redpath Mining Africa is involved
in a joint venture project with Rig Resources
Zambia, undertaking development, long-hole
drilling and stoping work for MCM at the
Nkana and Mufulira mines.
Redpath Mining Africa’s successful collabo-
ration with MCM is helping increase awareness
about raise drilling in the African mining
industry. “A significant feature of our raisebore
machines is that they are low-profile,” Davel
points out. Fully extended, the Redbore 100 has
a height of only 7,6 m.
With energy-saving a major driver in the
African mining industry, Redpath Mining’s
raisebore machines all feature variable speed
electric drives, which reduce energy consump-
tion by 25 % to 30 %, compared to traditional
hydraulically-driven units.
Billed as the ‘crown jewel’ of the series,
Largest raiseborer
in the
world
deployed in Zambia
The Redbore 100
in operation at the
Synclinorium Vent Shaft
project on the Zambian
Copperbelt.
Redpath Mining Africa currently has what it says is the largest raisebore
machine in the world, the Redbore 100, in operation at the Synclinorium Vent
Shaft project for Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) in Zambia.
the Redbore 100 is the most powerful, larg-
est-capacity proven raiseboring system ever
manufactured by Redpath Mining. It has the
ability to bore raises of up to 8 m in diameter
and to depths exceeding 1 000 m.
The development of the Redbore series
is integral to the company’s philosophy of
modernisation and mechanisation. “We are a
frontrunner in terms of reducing the human
element in sinking development work. Our
sinking methodology differs from the tradi-
tional, tried-and-tested way,” Davel explains.
“Redpath Mining is represented on all conti-
nents, which bolsters the entire group in terms
of technological development. In South Africa,
for example, we are able to draw expertise from
Australia, Canada, North and South America,
and even Europe, where we are undertaking
massive projects. In Indonesia, we are work-
ing on one of the largest sinking projects in the
world. Being able to access that level of inno-
vation is a major advantage for us,” Douglas
stresses.
An example of this ongoing development
is the Redtrax raise drill carrier, which can
blind-bore a 1,6 m diameter shaft. “The major
advantage of this machine is that it has the
ability to swing 360 degrees and carry out con-
ventional raise boring as well,” Davel notes.