Sizing Up Simulation, Engineering and Mining Journal

In the area of computer-controlled equipment simulators, the industry is following the well-established paths of the military services, airlines, and other equipment-critical industries who long ago determined that simulator-based training was an effective approach to cut operational training costs, reduce wear and damage to important equipment, and measure an individual’s aptitude and operational skills or lack thereof, early in the training sequence and without putting them and others at physical risk.

Rapid improvements in overall PC performance and 3-D graphics processing speed have reduced the cost of developing specialized simulators that operate in real time; i.e., that react in a realistic speed and manner to operator choices and inputs. Consequently, interest from major equipment manufacturers and others has increased, and several companies have recently introduced simulators that can provide specialized training for various types of mining equipment.

Atlas Copco Construction and Mining North America announced earlier this year a partnership with Simlog, a Montreal-based simulator developer, to offer its customers after-market, simulator-based training for Atlas Copco’s jumbo drill equipment. According to Paul Freedman, president of Simlog, his company began developing a simulator for training jumbo operators in 1999 in collaboration with Atlas Copco and introduced a pre-production version at a Canadian mining trade show in March 2000. After field testing by Inco at Sudbury, Ontario, additional improvements were made to the unit and it was displayed at MINExpo 2000.

The simulator, which incorporates standard jumbo controls and three-dimensional graphics showing the boom components and drill face, provides a means of accurately measuring operator performance criteria necessary for efficient drilling operations. Blaine Vatcher, technical services and training manager for Atlas Copco Construction and Mining North America, says “this type of training tool is needed because the level of technology being used [in drill jumbos] demands a higher level of knowledge and quality control from operators. The simulator provides the ideal situation where we can control the situation and monitor performance, then provide feedback that will improve the operator’s performance, all based on fact.”

According to Vatcher, Atlas Copco received the jumbo simulator in July and began offering simulator training at that time, in combination with a package of computer-based training modules that cover the principles of percussive drilling. “The simulator has defined [training] modules that start the student off with some basic tasks. Once he’s been tested on those tasks, he then moves to the next modules. We’ll tailor our training to the customer’s needs, and use the simulator in conjunction with other training, [to ensure that] the trainees have been given the knowledge to do their jobs efficiently.”

One of the modules, for example, involves mastering the jumbo controls. The trainee is shown a complete drill round pattern on the graphics display, with one hole designated as the target. The trainee must use the various levers, joysticks, and push buttons to place the boom in the proper position and orientation in order to correctly drill the target hole. The trainee’s performance is measured by time taken to complete the task and the number of errors made while positioning the boom. To assist the operator in visualizing depth of field on the graphics display, the simulator presents a series of artificial visual “cues.”

As Paul Freedman of Simlog points out, there are certain obvious advantages to simulator training; for example, vital production equipment need not be taken out of service for training sessions. But he notes that his company’s drill jumbo simulator has not been in service long enough to measure actual training benefits.