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The first new ROC F9 rig
in North America starts work
PATHFINDER
at CHICOUTIMI
The
pioneering spirit is alive and well in Chicoutimi, the Canadian
city established as a Jesuit mission and trading post in 1676.
A drilling contractor has blazed a new trail to efficiency and
high performance by buying North America's first Atlas Copco ROC
F9 crawler rig.
Chicoutimi, located
on the Saguenay river some 170 km north of Québec, grew
rapidly from 1850 as a result of the developing lumber industry.
Today it is a
flourishing administrative, commercial and industrial centre with
a population of 65,000 people.
The contractor
Dynamitage TCG (Travaux Civils Gilbert) has its headquarters in
Chicoutimi and operates a fleet of some 11 Atlas Copco ROC surface
drilling rigs in its construction, excavation and open-pit mine
operations. The fleet comprises four 712 HC rigs, three 722 HC
units, three 812 HC machines and a 748 HC model.
The company's units
are up to 10 years old and are still performing very well - mainly
because TCG always uses genuine replacement parts from Atlas Copco
instead of shopping elsewhere.
However, in order
to cope with its increasing work load, the company was testing
a new Atlas Copco ROC F7 when it heard about the even more powerful
ROC F9 model before it was officially launched at the Las Vegas
show.
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| Dynamitage
TCG team: Chief Controller Daniel Gilbert (left) and Project
Manager Jocelyn Larouche with a model of the first ROC F9
drilling rig in North America. |
The new rig, which can be
equipped with either the conventional tophammer drilling method
or the fast-drilling Coprod system, was being tested only a day's
drive away from Chicoutimi. And TCG's Drillmaster Sylvain Privé
took only a few hours to view and operate the rig before deciding
it was definitely the one for his company.
He says: "This
new rig is really amazing - it handles really well on rough terrain
and the CAT engine is a real plus. The F9 will give us increased
productivity in two ways: it is mechanically superior, with more
driling power, and the new cab will give us a better performance
from the operators. Atlas Copco has built a winner for us."
The ROC F9 CR,
equipped with the Coprod straight-hole drilling system, is the
most powerful drill rig in its class in terms of productivity
and reliability.
Its standard features
include a 231 kW (313 hp) Caterpillar diesel engine that powers
the hydraulic and air systems to ensure straight and fast drilling;
a screw compressor producing 188 l/s (400 cfm) for air flushing
to create clean and easy-to-charge holes; a double drill steel
support for easy guidance; and an ergonomically-designed operator's
cabin that gives improved visibility during drilling, tramming
and collaring of the hole. In addition, controls positioned in
the operator's armrest give ease of operation, comfort and safety.
The ROC F9 CR is
also equipped with the powerful COP 1800 series rock drill incorporating
Atlas Copco's unique double-dampening system, which ensures longer
drill steel life and high penetration rates.
Concludes Atlas
Copco's M. Martin Boyer: "We often talk about listening to
our customers - and the creation of the ROC F9 was a classic example
of this philosophy. Before we built the drill rig, we talked to
hundreds of people on drill sites all over North America and much
of what they told us is incorporated in the new design.
"The ROC
F9 is not just another machine - it's a product of interaction."
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