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FANTASTIC
IN FRANCE
The Coprod system
with the new ROC F7 rig has also been a hit in France.
The ROC F7 has
been well-accepted on the market since its introduction in early
1997, but, when Coprod was introduced, a major milestone was reached.
The success story
began with the first version of the range - ROC 942 Coprod. It
was first used in France in 1992 at the Carrière de Voutré
quarry near Le Mans. At this quarry, the system managed a total
of 300,000 drilled metres in six years (or 8,000 engine hours).
In 1997 alone,
45,300 metres were drilled in 556 percussion hours, giving a penetration
speed of more than 80 metres per hour.
| Outstanding
progress: When it was introduced in France, the ROC F7 Coprod
proved its worth on a demonstration tour of quarries with
different rock types. |
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With the introduction of the
ROC F7 with Coprod, a wider market gained access to the technology
for the 90-127 mm range. A demo tour was arranged whereby the
ROC F7 Coprod 89 drilled at different quarries in varying rock,
from the hard and abrasive granite of western France to the soft
limestone in the south.
Outstanding progress
The rig made outstanding progress
- recording from 30 to 100 per cent better performances than with
high pressure down-the-hole drilling - and a number of quarries
have already taken delivery of the rigs, including:
Carrière
Mousset, part of the Migné Group based in the Vendée
region. It was impressed with the hole quality and the ability
of the rig to provide optimum results at different parts of
the quarry.
Tamfor Ser,
a drilling and blasting subcontractor based in Limoges but operating
in many parts of France. This customer had already invested
in a ROC F7 in 1997. The contractor was looking for a DTH rig
and considered Coprod 89 to be the best solution.
Bignon, a drilling
subcontractor which specializes in the hard and abrasive rock
of Carrière de Chailloué in Normandy.
Bonnier, a drilling
subcontractor in the west of France. The company, which used to
drill tophammer or high pressure down-the-hole, is impressed by
the quality of drilling with the Coprod system and says: "Using
Coprod, we don't destroy the head of the hole and we also avoid
the hole collapsing when the rock is fractured."
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