Mineral Resources (MinRes) is commissioning 10 Komatsu HD1500-8 dump trucks at the Iron Valley mine in Western Australia with safety a key reason behind the purchase.
The HD1500-8 includes a collision awareness system which features eight on-board radars and six cameras, creating a 360-degree view of the surrounding environment.
Health and safety are enhanced by the truck’s intelligently-designed cabin that includes cooling systems, low vibration operations and noise attenuation that is capped at 72 decibels.
MinRes commissioned the first Komatsu HD1500-8 in late 2020 with the remaining nine to be delivered in the first quarter of 2021.
According to MinRes, the Komatsu HD1500-8 trucks are a faster alternative to previous dump trucks used at Iron Valley.
The company reported that the HD1500-8 could complete a haul journey from Iron Valley’s pit floor to the crushing facility and return in 21.63 minutes, compared with 23.84 from the older machines used.
“Following the success of the HD1500-8, (MinRes) placed a milestone order for 10 of our machines,” Komatsu sales person Jason Lambert said.
According to Lambert, cost effectiveness was also a major consideration for MinRes.
“From a miner’s perspective, cost is a major determinant – capital cost, life cycle cost and productivity,” Lambert said.
“In this instance, there was a consistent theme of 10 per cent improvement – in purchase cost, payload and operating efficiency – an additional 10 tonnes, 10 per cent faster and 10 per cent cheaper.
“But increasingly, there’s also the consideration of health and safety.”
The HD1500-8 was also capable of climbing the 160-metre-deep pit at Iron Valley at 13 kilometres per hour, while achieving 60 kilometres per hour on the flat road and a 22-kilometre-per-hour descent.
“The operator can alter the fuel use according to gradient and also the load for the return trip to the floor,” Lambert said.
The HD1500-8 has achieved two fuel shifts of operation between fuelling at Iron Valley.
“It’s as if the HD1500-8 has been purpose built for the mine and in many respects, that is the case,” Lambert said.