While hard-working bolter miners can look worn out after just four to five years of life underground, Sandvik says its MB series can be completely rebuilt to as-new condition— extending their lives and bringing them up to the latest standards and safety requirements— at its facility in Heatherbrae, north of Newcastle in New South Wales.
More than 50 of these longwall development machines operate in underground coal mines in NSW and Queensland, Sandvik Project Manager Overhauls – Mechanical Cutting, Underground Coal, Troy Robertson says, adding: “The main models we sell in Australia are our MB650 and MB670 bolter miners – these fit with the seam heights for most longwall mines.”
Bolter miners are electrically powered, track-mounted continuous mining machines designed to excavate longwall development roadways and install roof bolts simultaneously.
Robertson says an important element of the economics of running bolter miners is their ability to be completely rebuilt from the ground up a number of times during their working lives.
“A key part of Sandivk’s service and support offerings for our MB series machines is our capability of carrying out these rebuilds to OEM (original equipment manufacturer) standards, and with full factory warranty,” he says.
The bulk of the rebuild work is done by Sandvik technicians, including the initial mechanical stripdown, engineering, electrical systems, gearboxes, components, bolting systems, and upgrades, followed by re-assembly, function testing, commissioning, painting and detailing.
Also included in the rebuild process are updated Link1 parts manuals, revised and updated documentation, operator and maintenance crew training, and plant safety files.
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