The Pantera platform is available for both down-the-hole and top hammer applications.

The models are the DI6400(DTH) and the DP2000(TH).

Sandvik Mining vice president for product line surface DTH/TH drills Jan-Olaf Petzold says the latest Pantera line delivers greater productivity and better drilling economy.

“These new drills have been developed from the ground up to meet the needs of today’s mining industry as well as future requirements as the industry moves towards automated and, ultimately, fully autonomous operations,” he said.

Designed for wall control, pit development and production drilling in open pit mines, all Pantera variants share the same platform, control system and automation infrastructure, which reduces the cost of training, maintenance and ownership.

Petzold said the Pantera platform used the Sandvik Integrated Control Architecture control system.

The Pantera DI6400 is designed for 115-203mm diameter blast holes up to 45m deep while the DP2000 can drill 152-178mm diameter holes 36m deep.

Petzold said the DI6400 would be available later this year while the top hammer DP2000 was to be released in 2014.

“Our Pantera range is a major step forward in our surface mining drills business,” he said.

“It combines mining industry-specific design, machine intelligence, increased performance and productivity, higher safety and truly ‘green’ features unmatched by other drill manufacturers.

“And our Pantera top hammer configuration – featuring the new Sandvik RD2045C 45-kilowatt hydraulic rock drill – will offer superior drilling capacity in the 152-178mm diameter range for the first time in the market.

“Its combination of a longer feed and greatly reduced tool handling times means many more metres can be drilled in a shift.”

Sandvik Mining product manager for top hammer production drills Jukka Naapuri said the RD2045C featured percussion dynamics optimised for Sandvik’s ST94-127 tub rods when drilling 152-178mm diameter blast holes.

“This rock drill incorporates two rotation motors delivering a total 4800 newton-metres of rotation torque, ensuring smooth rotation and optimal energy transfer,” he said.

Naapuri said the field-proven simple modular construction ensured high availability and ease of maintenance regardless of site conditions.

Besides releasing the RD2045C drifter and Pantera rig, Sandvik also released an ST94-127 tube drilling system and a new drilling tool.

Petzold said the range was the “greenest” and safest blast hole drill offering on the market, pointing to features such as advanced power pack and clutch technology that reduced engine load, saved fuel and reduced carbon emissions.

“Our Pantera range also contributes to improved operator safety through a number of new features,” he said.

“These include an optimised combination of width and weight distribution for better stability, a FOPS/ROPS [falling object protection system/roll over protection system] cabin with comfortable seats for operator and trainer and a remote control option when drilling in potentially hazardous areas where unmanned operation is required.”

The Pantera drills will be available in three configurations: silver, gold and platinum.

Silver is the industry-standard configuration.

Gold is designed for applications requiring Sandvik’s TIM3D navigation via GPS and data transfer. It incorporates automated drilling functions and a machine health monitoring system.

Platinum is for mines wanting to take advantage of Sandvik Automine for drills. This configuration incorporates all silver and gold features as well as allowing autonomous and tele-remote operations.