The mining industry has been improved drastically by drones. What better way to improve mining than to have an eye in the sky that can give you specific data and keep you up-to-date with your mining sites? Drones for mining are an affordable and simple way to optimise mining operations.

With traditional methods, there is an extensive amount of expensive equipment, time, and dangerous labour that goes into mining, but using drones can help you to speed up the process and improve safety while being more budget-friendly. These are just a few benefits you can experience from using a drone for your mine.

APPLICATION

Mapping and 3D Modelling for Your Mining Site

You need to map and model your mining site before you get started, but this can be both a lengthy and costly process. This process known as photogrammetry requires a lot of equipment and workers to review and analyse the site, to determine the safety aspects and gather accurate data.

With drones, you’re able to do sufficient planning and monitoring of the mines. Traditional methods of mine exploration and monitoring posed threats to workers, as they were discovering the condition of the sites without knowing their risk factors.

Drones can eliminate this issue, as they can provide an analysis of factors suchas safety hazards, 3D modelling showing the after effects of blasting, and environmental monitoring

Inspecting Underground Mines

Drones are especially valuable for mining sites as they can get into places your workers can’t. They can give you a view of underground mines before you enter them.

This helps you to identify how safe the site is, so no workers get injured. With the use of drones, you’re able to detect how stable the stopes are after blasting

The only drones that can inspect underground mines are the Elios 2 and Elios 3. The Ellos 3 is the latest version which has a 4K camera, thermal imaging sensor and a carbon fibre cage, which helps to prevent any damage to the drone in the mine.

Stockpile Management

Calculating the volume and size of a stockpile can be very challenging and time consuming, as they are all irregular in shape. This process can also be dangerous
for workers, so deploying drones to do the job can make the process more efficient holistically. Ultimately, they produce accurate data that helps you keep a record of the materials that you extract during the mining process.

Improving Safety of Mining Operations

One of the biggest benefits of using drones for mining is the safety element. Mines pose various safety hazards for workers. This is where your mining drone comes into play, as it goes to spaces where your workers can’t. Reviewing the safety of the area before deploying your employees, eliminates the risk factor. Drones in mining sites can also be used as a form of security. It can cover a larger amount of land at a faster pace than physical security patrolling can. This ensures that you don’t have any security threats that interfere with your mining operations