Page 28 - EngineerIT December 2021

MINING

“This latest iteration builds on the achievements of the AXXIS GII™ model and raises so more detonators can be initiated per
the bar in many of the features that have served our customers so well,” he said. “These blast. The system can now manage 1,000
include further refinements in safety, accuracy, flexibility, ease of use and speed in detonators per blasting box, doubling the
preparing each blast.” capability of the previous generation.
Safety remains the watchword, with the incorporation of a Swiss-designed application- Brits also noted that up to 20 blasting
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip in the BME detonators, delivering several added boxes can be linked and synchronised
benefits. The ASIC gives the system more internal safety gates against stray current and through hard wiring, enabling the
lightning, enhancing safety levels and allowing for inherently safe logging and testing. possibility of initiating up to 20,000
electronic detonators in a single blast –
Dual safety doubling the capacity of the AXXIS GII™
“A unique innovation is our use of dual capacitors and dual voltage, allowing us to conduct generation.
low voltage logging to avoid any chance of detonation,” he said. Blasts are initiated by a “AXXIS™ has been proven in
robust, encrypted blast command ensuring that detonators all receive their respective some of the largest mining blasts on
commands and fire as planned. He emphasised that the detonator will only react if it record, giving mines the opportunity
receives the correct, encrypted firing sequence from the blasting equipment, not from any to conduct fewer blasts – thereby
other source. reducing downtime due to pit closures,”
“We have developed AXXIS Titanium™ to be resistant to electro-magnetic pulses (EMPs) he said. “The ultra-low energy
caused by the blast, which can affect the accuracy of detonators or even cause them to fail,” microchip is also less susceptible to
he said. “Our intensive tests in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial leakage and cable resistance and
Research (CSIR) showed that our detonators can withstand a significant EMP without any extends the firing time to a maximum
impact on their timing.” of 35 seconds.”
He noted that underground blasting – within confined spaces – made detonators
particularly susceptible to re-setting and misfiring due to voltages from EMP, as well as from Speed, testability
dynamic pressures. Over-moulding of all components on the electronic board protects the The ease of use and on-bench logging
detonators against dynamic pressures, and isolates components from any induced ground is among the key benefits of AXXIS
currents – such as electrostatic discharge and lightning strikes. Titanium™. Hennie du Preez, BME’s
manager, AXXIS™ Support, highlighted
Easier timing, more dets the one-step logging and testing of
The ASIC chip boasts more memory and processing speed, facilitating easier timing and detonators, as well as the simple fault
centralised programming if the timing needs to be changed after being conducted on the finding and quick corrections on the
bench. It also achieves lower power consumption with the incorporation of dual capacitors – blast pattern.

The AXXIS Titanium™ system was built for the blaster and blast engineers who work with the product every day

EngineerIT | December 2021 | 26