Pit & Quarry, November 2011

LOADING Clear picture Caterpillars new Terrain computer application simplifies and improves management of a mines loading drilling dragline and grading operations EDITED BY DARREN CONSTANTINO T errain is the first capability set in Caterpillars MineStar System technology suite of computer applications and is a direct replacement for the companys Computer Aided Earthmoving System CAES and AQUILA Drill and AQUILA Dragline products Cat says Terrain is designed to boost mine site productivity and efficiency while simultaneously enhancing safety The companys MineStar System is a broad suite of integrated mine operations and mobile equipment management technologies configurable to suit any mining operation Terrain is the first of a number of capability sets that Caterpillar will roll out this year and next Like Terrain many of these capability sets are based on existing Cat mining technologies but the new sets offer additional features and better scalability according to the company Mines will be able to integrate products processes and people more easily New features in the office In the office Terrain delivers the means to manage drilling dragline grading and loading activities using a single computer application All machines using precision Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS tracking and guidance can be managed within Terrain Managers and engineers dont have to switch applications to get a full picture of whats happening at the mine which speeds work and problem solving The applications web based user interface is designed to make file management easier and reduces the number of steps required to send design files And the office software is scalable through licensable capability packages The Productivity capability package enables the mine to track and analyze machine utilization and productivity by machine type and operator The Position Material capability package allows machines to share position and job status information both on board and in the office Data Share allows Terrain to share information with other applications such as competitive fleet management systems data reporting systems and position monitoring systems through an industry standard interface And Multi Site allows for management of multiple Terrain equipped sites from a single control center Using Caterpillars Terrain managers dont need to switch applications to get a full picture of whats happening at the mine New features on board Terrain has many new capabilities that enhance operator efficiency productivity and safety For example the position of other GNSS equipped machines now can be viewed on any in cab display enabling the operator to avoid maneuvers that could create hazards or slow other machines Terrain for drilling includes hole to hole updates that provide blasthole drill operators with real time status of other holes being drilled in the same pattern The information enables each drill operator to plan appropriate drill moves and to avoid duplicating efforts Terrain shares current elevation data from dragline cuts with dozers and other grading machines working near the dragline The result is more accurate dozer work and higher productivity Cat says Terrain can assign job tasks to grading and loading machines based on their location and can manage completion of those tasks via the optional Productivity capability package and the Task List Manager application The process is designed to unburden the manager empower the machine operator and boost production PQ www cat com miningtechnology 18 PIT QUARRY November 2011 www pitandquarry com