Komatsu engineer Colten Leviere spoke to NAM’s Jonathan Rowland and Donna Schmidt about the transition of ‘intelligent’ longwall mining as automation makes its way into the technology. While the number of longwall panels in operation in North America sits at its lowest level in some time, those that remain are producing at the highest average output levels ever recorded. Longwall…
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Unfolding longwall automation
Fully automated longwall operations have been dreamt about since the 1950s. Are they finally within grasp? by Jonathan Rowland Longwall mining has always been associated with significant safety risks for personnel. Reducing this risk through mechanization, automation, and remote-controlled operation has – alongside improving productivity and operational efficiency – been a “central driver of longwall innovation for more than five…
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