South African player ThoroughTec Simulation recently targeted Australia, and also was noticing an improvement in demand, with mining activity rising.

“Since setting up the office two years ago [in Perth Western Australia], we were slowed down by the GFC, however, based on activity in the last quarter we see 2011 as very promising, as the market is starting to show a lot of interest in our offering,” ThoroughTec regional manager Australia and South East Asia Mark Gregson said.

ThoroughTec has 25 years of simulation experience, with a global presence in both military and mining simulation.

Its international clients include BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, DeBeers, Atlas Copco, Anglo Platinum and Sandvik, with 500 simulators distributed globally.

ThoroughTec is the largest global supplier of both surface and underground mining simulators and the leading supplier of military simulators in its local market.

Design and technology teams at ThoroughTec can engineer simulation specifics to any machine, a component of the business that Gregson said was one of its key strengths.

“Anything can be simulated,” Gregson said.

A range of applications are supported by ThoroughTec technology for surface and underground operations, drill and blast, rock reinforcement and load and haul.

It has created surface mining simulators for haul trucks, dump trucks, articulated dump trucks, drill rigs, excavators, shovels, bulldozers, loaders, draglines, graders, drill rigs, and roof bolters, loaders, locomotives and scalers for underground mining simulation.

The CYBERMINE ⁴ base unit is ThoroughTec’s latest generation of simulation equipment. It has the option of a full 360-degree panoramic display screen.

Students can use all four screens when operating the equipment, providing increased awareness of surroundings and a more accurate simulation.

“Your awareness levels can save your life and the life of your co-workers” ThoroughTec business development manager Justin Collins said.

The CYBERMINE instructor station and reporting software also has been upgraded for improved training and operator analysis.

Instructors can view student performance and vehicle diagnostics on two high definition wide-screen displays, allowing for a full “fly-around” view to run simultaneously.

“The software automatically identifies operational violations such as speeding, simultaneous brake and accelerator engagement and incorrect gear selection, to which the instructor can then take corrective action with the student to eliminate these violations and thus save the mine a fortune in unnecessary maintenance bills and prevent hazardous safety situations,” Collins said.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is using a ThoroughTec CYBERMINE surface simulator base unit to train operators on a Komatsu 830E-AC haul truck cab.

Sandvik Australia has a CYBERMINE underground simulator base unit with “plug-and-play” cabs for its D420 drill rig, Toro 40D ADT, 007 load haul dump, LH517 LHD, TH660 LHD and the Sandvik Solo 7-7v drill rig.

Sandvik said the simulator encouraged operators, both new and experienced to gain added experience in a true to life, non-destructive environment that could target certain areas if required.

All experiences on the simulator can be tangibly measured through printed reports to show progress.

“The Sandvik Underground Simulator is an extremely useful tool in the training of operators in the correct usage of mining equipment, by the original equipment manufacturer, in a safe, realistic environment allowing us to introduce hazards and faults so we can ensure the operators react in an appropriate manner,” Sandvik product support representative and underground mining operator trainer Andy Winspear said.

By training operators correctly and instilling behaviours that least impact wear and tear on the machinery, Sandvik also ensures longevity of its machines, reducing maintenance costs.

ThoroughTec said the military and aerospace industries had defined simulation standards, and the “cross pollination” of skills and technologies used a common architecture and code base to support mining simulation products more effectively.