DBT’s innovative new compact loader will make its world debut at AIMEX 2007. It has been engineered to access the previously inaccessible with a height of 1350mm and a width of only 1995mm.

The loader’s front frame is equipped with a parallel lift, allowing use of work baskets, forks and buckets, and boasts a 6–8 tonne lifting capacity. The loader has a range of dedicated attachments, including side-shift forks, slewing jib crane, buckets (direct mount, spade or straight lip), general-purpose trailer, pipe trailer, belt/cable reeler, manual side-shift forks, work platform, fuel pod and concrete kibble, and comes with Rapid Attachment System and QDS for rapid pick-up and release of accessories.

DBT will also showcase a Longwall Top Coal Caving roof support, the same support that is being used at the Austar mine. The shield allows mines to extract up to 8m of a coal seam with a shearer cutting the bottom 2.8–3m and then caving the top coal.

The LTCC shield support extends from 1900mm to 3500mm, provides a total support capacity of 1040t and is fully automated with DBT's latest generation PMC-R control, also on display.

Sandvik will showcase its range of underground mining solutions at AIMEX 2007, featuring its Series 2500 Roof Bolter – designed as a high-performance solution for coal mining operations. Custom-designed mounting systems can be mounted to any make or model of new or used underground hydraulic equipment, including continuous miners, road headers, shuttle cars, mobile bolters and multi-purpose vehicles.

Sandvik will also have a range of conveyor dust solutions on display.

Longwall Associates will feature a “before and after” line pan on its stand this year. The line pan was from an existing US customer who was operating in extremely difficult and abrasive mining conditions. Whilst the mine considered the pan beyond economical repair, Longwall Associates rebuilt it – increasing the pan’s life and saving the client on significant capital investment.

On top of its extended life rebuild capabilities, Longwall Associates will also feature a Fleity ventilation stopping, hand-held compressed air roof bolter, hydraulic prop and a submersible compressed air operated pump.

Ellton Longwall’s work with China National Coal Mining Equipment (CME) is set to attract plenty of attention, with a wide range of longwall equipment on display.

On 170 square metres of stand, Ellton will exhibit a full-size roof support, shearer ranging arm, Parsons Chain, sprocket, connectors, pan line, gearbox and a working mini-model of a shearer, AFC and BSL conveyor.

Vought Engineering Services will display its recently released Highlander shuttle car with a patented Ergo Pod, providing increased efficiency and ergonomics.

The Ergo Pod can be retrofitted onto existing shuttle cars as an add-on item, and may revolutionise the operator experience on existing shuttle cars.

Furmanite Australia will promote its onsite machining expertise at this year’s AIMEX exhibition, providing onsite maintenance for a range of equipment, from draglines to leak sealing and composite repairs.