A new down-the-hole crawler drill rig has been designed specifically for Southern African drilling conditions.

Local mining equipment supplier ELB Equipment partnered with Japanese drill rig manufacturer Furukawa to develop the Furukawa DCR22 drill rig, with a larger capacity unit than its predecessor Furukawa DCR20 rig, increased and unstressed drilling performance, a modernised operating system and an improved ground clearance and track stability to add to its rough terrain capabilities.

“The Furukawa DCR22 is the end result of the research and development undertaken by Furukawa and as a result, the new drill rig has incorporated all the specifications customers asked for, plus more. For example, the air capacity has been boosted from 24 m3/min to 27 m3/min free air delivery at 25 bar. The new high efficiency compressor design also makes it more fuel efficient and the operating system is also new, using a Canbus system for ease of maintenance, parameter adjustments and monitoring and fault finding,” explains Furukawa & RTDrills national product manager Jimmy Linton.

The centralised interface allows operators to manage all operations of the machine while integrating the engine functions with the drill functions. The machine can be configured for different requirements and can be equipped with navigation systems and controls. The substantially larger track frames are designed to deliver a 50% increase in traction and the ground clearance now stands at 475 mm.

It has a larger capacity rotary head for larger diameter drilling and deeper holes and the redesigned cab is also larger for improved operator comfort. Safety features include ROPS/FOPS and noise insulation to help prevent operator fatigue. Dust collector and water injected dust suppression systems are available as optional extras.

The new rig has the added feature of being able to swing the guide shell to a horizontal position, for horizontal drilling of lateral supports, dewatering and other requirements. The guide shell is designed to allow easy access to its angled breakout clamps with increased clamping force to ease loosening of rods and provide a better view from the cabin for semi-automated rod changes. This helps to improve safety and ease of maintenance.

Power is delivered through a CAT C13 6-cylinder motor providing 328 kW, providing more power to drive the rig and a higher capacity two-stage screw compressor with 953 CFM 28 cubic metres a minute. The rotation speed of the drill pipe can be controlled from inside the cab and gives control from 0 rpm to 120 rpm, with a rotary head torque of 4 200 Nm.

“All this combines for a safer, faster more powerful and efficient machine for the best possible cost per metre of drilling. This type of drilling calls for reliability and durability 24/7/365 and low cost of ownership, with the highest availability for the best utilisation,” Linton concludes.