ThoroughTec at MINExpo 2012

INTERNATIONAL MINING – AUGUST 2012

For the past 15 years, ThoroughTec has been applying high standards of engineering and production quality to the design and manufacture of simulators for the mining industry. This expertise has culminated in the fourth-generation mining simulator system, CYBERMINE4. Examples of the latest range of ThoroughTec’s underground and surface simulator cabs, including a Komatsu 960E haul truck, will be available for test drives at MINExpo 2012. ThoroughTec’s unique 3 Degree Of Freedom (3DOF) motion platform and adaptor plate will be used for these displays, exhibiting how 6DOF surface cabs can be effectively used on a 3DOF motion base fitted with the adaptor plate. This allows a single simulator to replicate the entire working fleet of a mine, reducing costs and maximising return on investment.

All ThoroughTec simulator cabs use CYBERMMINE4 technology to create the realistic sensation of driving the actual vehicle in an actual mine, with all the correct visual, auditory and tactile feedback. Instructors can configure training scenarios to specific training objectives – not just generic scenarios, but those specifically faced on their mine site. According to ThoroughTec’s CEO, Rob letschert, “Our new fourth generation mine truck simulators have redefined the technology benchmark. We now provide an enhanced scoring system, a mission planner for simulating dispatch systems, simulated reversing aids and a replicated two way radio”. Hands-on demonstrations will be available for visitors to the ThoroughTec stand. ThoroughTec states that it is able to simulate any machine from any OEM in the industry, surface or underground, and has the largest development pipeline by far, so is able to customise on every build it does, going beyond the OEM specification “to deliver the exact operating procedure the customer wants and needs.” ThoroughTec currently simulates over 100 different mining machines, covering both underground and surface machines, from drills and bolters to draglines and haul trucks.