Orica’s next generation centralised blasting system ORBS™ has made a leap into the digital world. Customers in the underground mining segment can now experience the benefits of the ORBS™ blasting system.
ORBS™ (Omni Remote Blasting System) is Orica’s latest generation centralised, electronic blasting system and is now available to i-kon™ and eDev™ customers. It is designed to provide operations with the ability to safely initiate multiple development headings and production blasts concurrently from a remote, central location.
Building on Orica’s flagship Blaster 3000 architecture, ORBS™ enables greater productivity by initiating up to 30 Remote Blaster 3000, or up to 90,000 detonators, in one blast sequence. Its browser-based interface provides users with full visual oversight of all connected hardware and detonators and has enabled a host of valuable new features.
Orica’s Head of Initiating Systems, Dr Rodney Williams said: “We’re focused on providing the latest innovations and technology advancements to our customers. Upgrading our electronic blasting systems is as much about strengthening the capability as it is about enhancing our customers’ experience. We were conscious about developing a secure, simple-to-use and powerful system, and we’ve achieved this with ORBS.”
A key feature of ORBS™ is that it’s a ‘Plug and Play’ system that doesn’t require customers to invest in additional infrastructure. It simply connects to a mine’s communication network over LAN, Wi-Fi or LTE and users operate the system from a similarly connected electronic device such as a PC, tablet or iPhone. With improved firing capacity and compatibility with Orica’s range of electronic detonators (i-kon™ III and eDev™ II), ORBS™ provides customers with greater versatility.