“AI should free human beings from repetitive, uncreative drudgery – leaving leaders the challenge of putting people to work in jobs that are worth doing. Automation should not replace human beings; rather, it should empower them to solve problems”
ARI embraces cutting edge automation technology, as we believe it improves the safety and efficiency of our drilling and blasting, rock crushing, and quarry operations. We endeavor to provide our employees and customers with leading edge technology that helps them lead safe and happy work lives, be more profitable, and to continue to reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
Smart Drills Report Hardness, Penetration, Percussion, Feed and Flush Data
ARI’s fleet of nearly 40 drills includes seven “Smart Drills” (Epiroc D65 drills) which have the capability to measure and report data that aids in test drilling exploration, and provides information to aid in blast design to optimize fragmentation to customer specifications. A sample of the Measure While Drilling data is shown here:
REMOTE CONTROL DOZER- AUTONOMOUS DOZING | SAFER QUARRYING
In 2017, ARI introduced Cat Command for dozing to its fleet. This equipment increases safety and productivity by removing the operator from the machine. With line-of-sight remote operation, operators are able to clear areas under highwalls that would not otherwise be accessible. Safety of the operator combined with accessing saleable material for the customer is a win-win!
REMOTE CONTROL ROCK DRILLING - AUTONOMOUS DRILLING
SMART DRILLS - SMARTER QUARRYING | EPIROC D65
“You could have the world’s greatest wheel loader or excavator, if the drilling is not accurate and correct, then you can forget about optimizing the rest of the process.”
ARI has added six Epiroc Smart Drills to the fleet. (Epiroc D65). These drills employ the latest Hole Navigation System technology that ensures high precision drilling. Drilling plans can be created in the office and downloaded directly to the drill. This eliminates the need for a driller to manually mark and survey hole positions, improving safety and efficiency. The drills are also equipped with Measure While Drilling technology, discussed above.
Mine Planning + 3D SURVEY Modeling
ARI’s utilization of Drone Technology, 3D survey, AI powered technology solutions and Smart Drills with GPS hole navigation capability and Measure While Drilling capability optimizes drilling and blasting results.
DRONE TECHNOLOGY
Drone technology is available as a value-added service for ARI's drilling, blasting and crushing customers. ARI will provide volumetric surveys of rock quarries, including stockpiles of finished material and in-situ material, 3d modeling, and aerial photography and pre-blast, mid-blast and post-blast video. These mine planning tools can be used to aid the operator in efficient mine planning and in improving safety of the mine site.
ELECTRONIC BLAST INITIATION METHODS
Electronic blasting initiation methods provide high-precision results with reliable initiation, resulting in better fragmentation, and ultimately increased efficiency in rock crushing operations when compared to non-electric or electric blasting methods. Electronic detonation can be programmed within 1-ms precision, eliminating scatter time, and thus eliminating the necessity of the age-old "8-ms rule." In our experience, electronic detonation has proven to reduce ground vibration, increase safety and predictability of blasting operations, and has notably improved crushing operation efficiency.
AVIATION
When operations are spread across eight Western states, aviation becomes a critical tool to keep our customers, team, and fleet connected and running smoothly. Rather than pass on the opportunity to bid a job because they don't have the time to get their boots on the ground, our customers call us so we can get look at the project together that same afternoon. With aviation, rather than having a crew drive for days to get to a project, we can fly the entire crew and complete several projects in multiple states in the same day.
Connected Quarries
Our quarries are connected with automated weighing technology, which allows customers' project managers to have real-time access to material quantities and end-of-shift reporting.