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26 March 2020
ARMZ Mining Machinery: First Ever in Russia Mass Production of Electric LHDs Launched
The production of mining equipment has been established in Krasnokamensk (Trans-Baikal Territory) at the site of Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union (PIMCU, PJSC is a part of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. management circuit). The project is being implemented under the Industrial Partnership Agreement between ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. and the French company Aramine signed in April 2019.
ARMZ Mining Machinery, LLC is the project operator. Localization of production in Krasnokamensk will cover the internal needs of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation and let the company enter foreign markets with competitive products.
ARGO LHD 140B is designed specifically for underground work in narrow-vein deposits. It has a width of 1.1 m, a bucket carrying capacity of 1.3 tons. A 50 kW engine and a lithium-ion battery block provide high mobility, autonomous operation for up to four hours, low noise, minimal heat transfer, and no gas contamination in the mine. The machine outperforms the requirements of the Russian standards in industrial safety significantly.
«New load-haul-dump machines will let us efficiently and reliably carry out operations for the shipment and transportation of ore inside the stopes. The transition to a new battery powered narrow-cut equipment is an economically viable solution aimed at reducing operating costs and improving the quality of ore mining,» Ivan Kiselev, Director General of PIMCU, PJSC, said.
«ARMZ Mining Machinery has become the first and the only company in Russia and the CIS to launch the production of mining equipment using lithium-ion batteries. We adapted the Aramine design and specifications to Russian standards, organized the technological process: in-house production of the structural frame, arms and dippers, assembly of body parts, installation of components, start-up and commissioning of machines. Our next step will be the localization of the production of lithium-ion batteries and the expansion of the product line with other types of underground equipment,» Igor Semenov, Executive Director of ARMZ Mining Machinery, LLC, commented.
The first serial vehicles have already passed factory tests and will be sent to the uranium mines of PIMCU, PJSC in April. In 2021, ARGO LHD 140B will enter the Russian market, and then will gradually become available in the countries of the Customs Union.
