News (October 01, 2001)

Valuable Airborne Image Data for Sale

Alto Technology Resources Inc. of Houston, Tex., will be making data available for sale from the western and south-central United States for commercial use from its world-leading hyperspectral imaging technology.

The data cover 27 areas and 8,500 km2 in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington. All sites were flown this summer and most were imaged at resolutions of 3 m. There is complete day and night multi-band thermal data for 14 of these sites. The data can be used for many applications including mining, geologic data integration, environmental evaluation and groundwater resource management.

Alto offers hyperspectral imaging combined with synthetic aperture radar, multispectral “smart” cameras, and leading-edge analysis. Alto’s unique airborne system uses a hyperspectral imaging spectrometer to record more than 200 selected wavelengths of reflected and emitted energy, which is unmatched in the industry.

116-HP Diesel Engine Certified for Underground Mining

The Cummins B3.9 116-horsepower engine has recently been certified by CANMET and MSHA for use in underground mining. This is the second in a series of Cummins engines approved for underground mining.

The B3.9 provides the underground market with a proven fuel-efficient, durable and dependable power source for personnel and service vehicles, air compressors, pumps and utility vehicles. Built with advanced piston design, plateau-honed cylinders and a Bosch in-line fuel pump, the engine produces cleaner combustion and more power with less oil consumption.

The B3.9 116-hp engine comes with with QuickServe service to deliver parts and service throughout the United States and Canada.

Cummins of Columbus, Ind., is the world’s largest producer of commercial diesel engines above 50 hp.

Spirally-Cut Wrap for Big Hoses

A new line of spirally-cut expandable plastic wrap is being introduced by M.M. Newman Corp. of Marblehead, Mass. Heli-Tube Super Large Spirally-Cut Wrap protects large hydraulic and pneumatic hoses from abrasion. It is offered in 2-, 3- and 4-inch outer diameter sizes with 0.25-inch-thick walls for protecting and bundling hoses up to 12 inches. Developed for use in extreme off-road environments, this extra large wrap is available in natural and UV-resistant black polyethylene and custom colours, in continuous lengths up to 45-feet long or cut to order.

Easy to apply without tools, this product permits breakouts in any orientation. A flame-retardant material that conforms to MSHA requirements for underground use is also offered.

Breakthrough Technology to Lower Global Manufacturing Costs

McMaster University and Dofasco Inc., both of Hamilton, Ont., have developed a statistically-based technology that will have far-reaching advantages for many process-manufacturing industries, including the steel industry.

The two groups have succeeded in bringing multivariate statistics (MVS) online to predict manufacturing breakdowns and lower the cost of disruptions. MVS adds value to the enormous pool of data collected by expensive IT systems, because it extracts information from these data pools and creates analytical and predictive models.

The McMaster/Dofasco breakthrough represents a giant leap forward because MVS’s predictive capabilities can now be used to respond to problems before they result in production breakdowns and disruptions.

IREDES Finalizing Drill Rigs Profile

The first part of the International Rock Excavation Data Exchange Standard (IREDES) is almost final. The Drill Rigs Equipment Profile, containing basic standardization parameter definitions for all kinds of drill rigs, was expected to be ready for the first prototyping applications the end of September.

IREDES is a year-old industry-supported standardization organization. Its goal is to set up modern data interfaces between mining and tunneling machinery and central computer systems for all kinds of information; planning, logging and on-line information can be transferred via networks.

Eleven companies contribute to the work: Sandvik Tamrock, Atlas Copco, LKAB, Orica Explosives, Statens Vegvesen, Reflex Industries, El Equip, AMS, DM Technologies, Bever Control Sector OY and the Norwegian Technical University.

A local work group in Sudbury, Ont., is available to discuss IREDES-related issues.

Nordberg and Svedala Merge to Form Metso Minerals

The purchase of Svedala Industri AB by Metso Corp., first announced in June 2000, was finalized in mid-September 2001, creating a world leader in rock and mineral processing technology. The Metso Minerals sector, with 13,000 employees, now makes, sells and services Nordberg crushing, screening and conveying equipment as well as Svedala mineral processing, material handling and drilling equipment.

The size of the combined business necessitated selling off certain assets; i.e., the grinding portion of Nordberg’s line was sold to Outokumpu OY, and part of Svedala’s crushing line was sold to Sandvik Tamrock.

Metso Minerals now offers more than 300 products, and can support customers at over 500 locations worldwide, including several Canadian service centres. It also offers product specialists in product centres and testing facilities.

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