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BHP buys Atlas Copco robot drills

ATLAS Copco is converting 18 of BHP Billiton Western Australia Iron Ore’s Pit Viper 271 rotary blasthole rigs to fully autonomous operation, joining two autonomous drills already in operation.

Noel Dyson
BHP Billiton will be running autonomous Atlas Copco Pit Viper 271s in its Pilbara operations.

BHP Billiton will be running autonomous Atlas Copco Pit Viper 271s in its Pilbara operations.

This follows a two-year trial the mining giant has been conducting with Atlas Copco at its Yandi mine in WA. During that trial drills were operated autonomously for more than 15,000 hours, drilling more...

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