Sandvik is expanding its autonomous operation capabilities via its latest acquisition
Sandvik has completed its acquisition of Universal Field Robots (UFR), a Queensland provider of autonomous interoperable solutions for the surface mining and underground mining markets.
UFR has approximately 40 employees and is headquartered in Eagle Farm, Brisbane. It produces robotic and autonomous solutions for trucks, loaders and auxiliary equipment.
“Universal Field Robots is an important strategic addition to Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, which will strengthen our growth potential and provide key capabilities in the development of our mining automation solutions portfolio going forward,” Sandvik president and CEO Stefan Widing says.
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UFR has been involved in automating haul trucks at Gold Field’s Granny Smith gold mine in Western Australia by applying its UFR Autonomy system to Epiroc MT65 underground haul trucks. These trucks will be used for additional material haulage during shift changes when the mine is evacuated for blasting activities – increasing productivity and safety in the mine.
UFR is also working on developing robots to optimise blasting via collecting data for 3D modelling, as well as automating blast hole cleaning and surveying. UFR’s automated sensor system is also being trialled for automating infrastructure inspection at BHP’s Prominent Hill mine.