Caterpillar’s advanced mining vision aims to make mine-to-mill theory a reality

Caterpillar's advanced mining vision, Cat Precision Mining, is designed to improve and streamline every step of the mining process, from extraction to processing, making mine-to-mill theory a reality. According to the company, the initiative will bring everything together as a "fully integrated, end-to-end solution that is customized to the mining operation's specific requirements and unique orebody characteristics." 

"The broad portfolio Caterpillar offers in drills, loading tools, trucks, dozers, graders, and support equipment, along with the integrated suite of MineStar technologies, make us uniquely qualified to efficiently advance the mine-to-mill theory into reality," says Marc Cameron, senior vice president of resource industries sales, services, and technology. "We already have most of the pieces to the puzzle in place and are adding technology collaborators to enhance and bring this initiative all together."

Integrated technologies plan activities based on measured orebody variations

Cat Precision Mining will feature a suite of Cat and third-party technologies, including sensors installed across the site's mobile equipment, processing plant, and other fixed assets, all integrated into the Cat MineStar ecosystem. 

Leveraging data from Caterpillar, Caterpillar company Peck Tech Consulting,and collaborating partner technologies from Orica Digital Solutions, IMA Engineering, Stream Systems, Skycatch, and Information Alignment PTY, the advanced mining solution will help operations more rapidly and precisely adjust their planning activities based on measured orebody variations that are present.

Rock property data collection for efficient material movement

Providing the tools customers need to make quick and accurate decisions, Cat Precision Mining will enable blast plans designed in 3D, while collecting rock property data to help optimize blast designs that accommodate natural ore-body variations. The intelligent mining solution will gather data related to blast fragmentation, muck pile uniformity, payload, and ore material properties for efficient material handling, and assists with making sure the right material gets to the right place reliably and predictably. Ore sensing and sorting technology helps to ensure consistent and repeatable feedstock is delivered to the mill to offer higher recovery rates. 

Aggregating, analyzing, and reporting data from across operations

Caterpillar is also developing an Intelligent Decision Support System which will leverage the capabilities of Cat MineStar to consolidate Cat and third-party technology and sensor data, allowing miners to make data-driven decisions and continually refine processes, according to the company. The solution will aggregate, analyze, and report data from across the drilling, blasting, loading and hauling, and processing operations. 

MineStar Material Management and Reporting will provide ore tracking from mining exploration and extraction processes, right through to the finished product, and can be utilized for evaluation and future prediction. When layered with Cat Command for hauling, the solution is designed to provide even more consistent and efficient operations and lower operational costs.