The RBM is destined for India where it will be the first large raise borer in the region. As the leading TBM manufacturer in the country, the move signals Terratec’s expansion into raise-boring in India’s mining business.
The TR3000C is designed for ease of operation and maintenance. It has a nominal boring size of 3m diameter and 400m depth, and has a standard pilot hole diameter of 311mm. The modular construction is designed to allow easy disassembly of major components for inspection, transport and repair.
Included in the machine’s derrick configuration is a ‘powerful’ near-ground pipe loader that results in a very low profile in relation to drill-string length. Rotation is powered by a hollow-shaft hydraulic motor affording protection to the drill string when operating at near maximum capacity, and also allowing unrestricted flow of flushing water through the drive train into the drill pipe.
Gulshan Gill, managing director of Terratec India, said: “This is an important milestone that the Indian mining industry has been looking forward to for many years. To see simultaneous increases in safety and productivity through the use of raise boring machines for the excavation of vertical ventilation shafts is for many a dream come true.”
