1 min read / December 6, 2022 / Staff writer
Capstone Mining trialed a ZT44 track drill for an open pit copper mine in Arizona.
Capstone Mining, working in the Pinto Valley open pit copper mine in Arizona, was facing production challenges regarding availability of their drills, as well as having the trained resources available to effectively address issues.
They trialed a ZT44 track drill, operator training, service training and study analysis from Komatsu to great success.
Pinto Valley relied on a fleet of primarily competitors’ equipment but were facing drilling production challenges regarding availability and trained resources to address issues.
To help Capstone meet its goals, Komatsu offered a trial of a ZT44 track drill, including operator training, service training and coverage by the Milwaukee engineering team. An applications study was initiated to document the drill’s performance and observe operator behavior.
Over the course of 60 days, Capstone relied on the ZT44 for all its presplit drilling, and it became the operators’ drill of choice. Throughout the trial period and after, Capstone realized reductions in cycle time and increases in penetration rates.