Peru hosts a number of deep mining operations, so it was no coincidence that equipment specialist Tumi Raise Boring—headquartered in Lima, Peru—seized the opportunity of the recent Perumin trade show to introduce its new SBM 400 SR slot raise boring machine. Slot raises are an important element of sublevel stoping operations, often necessary to create a free face for blasting. The SBM 400 SR is a fully automated raise boring system that operates on a set of crawlers with its own leveling and anchoring system. The unit has a tramming speed of 3 km/h. According to Tumi, the mine only has to supply the crew with water and power, compared with conventional raise boring machines that have to be anchored with rock bolts and leveled with concrete pads.
The 400 SR is 7.5-ft (2.286-m) wide and stands just more than 10-ft (3.05-m) tall. The 200-hp diesel-powered machine has a maximum boring capacity of 820-ft (250-m) with a maximum diameter of 7-ft (2.1-m). It has an adjustable angle of 36°–90° and maximum torque of 60,000 lb-ft. It weighs 8 metric tons.
“Typically, standard raise boring machines are used for ventilation purposes,” said Marc Blattner, Tumi’s general manager (pictured above). “This unit easily integrates raise boring into the production process. It has changed the [attitude] in mining toward raise boring, because it’s no longer a ‘pain.’” Blattner said Chevron Mining Inc. has purchased two of the new models for the mine it operates near Questa, New Mexico, USA.
Tumi, in addition to building the machine, said it can train a company’s personnel to operate it, or it can run them on a contract basis. In addition to service, Tumi also offers drill pipe, cutters and reamers.
