Flanders, Tribe Tech eye automated RC drill rigs

International mining drill automation specialists Flanders Electric and innovative reverse-circulation (RC) drill rig manufacturing and engineering company Tribe Technology, both based in Perth, Western Australia, have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop the next generation of automated RC drill rigs for resource definition in mining.

Tribe Tech has put together one of the largest dedicated drill rig design engineering teams in the world to develop the world’s first completely unmanned RC drill rig, the first of which is being manufactured in Tribe Tech’s Belfast, Northern Ireland, facility for their first customer McKay Drilling, a Perth-based drilling contractor.

"Flanders are the global leaders in autonomous drill systems for blasthole rigs around the world,” said Mike Lane, general manager of Flanders in Western Australia.

“We’re very excited by the automation technology developed by Tribe Tech and delighted to be working together to bring our industry-leading drill control and monitoring technology to the world of RC drilling.”

Tribe Tech’s managing director Charlie King says the collaboration would position the two companies to enable the development and manufacture of the world’s first fully automated RC drill rig for the global mining industry.

“We see this as an opportunity to disrupt the market and accelerate the development and implementation of fully autonomous drilling for Tribe Tech’s customers globally,” King said.

More information is available at www.FlandersInc.com and www.TribeTechGroup.com.