Komatsu has reached a joint implementation agreement with Chile's CODELCO Company for the experimental application of "mining TBM"

Komatsu Corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Komatsu") has reached an agreement with CODELCO, a large state-owned mining company in Chile, through its subsidiary in Chile - Komatsu Cummins Chile (referred to as "KCC"), to start using "mine TBM (Tunnel)" in underground hard rock mines in 2024 The "Boring Machine" (tunnel boring machine) was used for experimental application of a new tunneling method.

Both parties will conduct experimental applications of "mining TBM" at the Chuquicamata mine owned by CODELCO in Chile, aiming to introduce this innovative technology to the market as soon as possible.

In recent years, the global demand for resources and the depth of mine exploitation have been constantly increasing. Against this backdrop, it is expected that the demand for underground mining machinery in the mining industry will also increase. Since developing Japan's first rock tunnel boring machine for civil engineering in 1963, Komatsu has sold more than 2,300 tunnel boring machines (including Iron Mole) cumulatively. Based on the tunnel boring machine technology accumulated by Komatsu so far, a new technology has been developed that can achieve "sharp curve correspondence", "retreat" and "intersection point excavation" in hard rock tunnel excavation. So far, the use of general tunnel boring machines has often been limited to the excavation of straight tunnels. Through this new technology, the flexibility of "mining TBM" has been enhanced, enabling it to carry out tunnel excavation construction according to the shape and design of each mine.

The "mining TBM" uses a rotary cutter installed on the cutter head at the front end of the machine to excavate rocks, and then uses a conveyor belt to discharge the crushed rocks into the soil. At the same time, it continuously conducts a series of tunnel excavation processes such as strengthening the support of the pit wall after excavation. Compared with the blasting operation in the previous construction methods, the tunneling operation carried out with a rotary cutter forms a circular cross-section tunnel with less concave and convex parts of the pit wall due to the smaller area of rock being damaged, thus improving the strength and stability of the tunnel. In addition, as the "mining TBM" uses high-voltage cables to provide electricity as power and enables a single machine to complete a series of tunnel excavation processes, the number of vehicles used underground can be reduced. Moreover, since no blasting is required, the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and particulate matter (PM) are significantly reduced. All of this helps to reduce the underground ventilation volume that is crucial for underground mining and improve the underground environment. At the same time, compared with traditional construction methods, it can also significantly increase the productivity of excavation operations.

In response to the increasing awareness of climate change and the increasingly serious environmental problems, Komatsu proposed "No Blasting (No Blasting excavation operation), No Batch (no intermittent continuous excavation), No Diesel" for underground hard rock tunnel excavation The slogan "No diesel engine" is precisely embodied in the new product "Mine TBM". Its aim is to enhance the safety, environmental friendliness and productivity of the customer's site (shorten the tunnel construction period and reduce construction costs) through the "Mine TBM" construction method, and to facilitate the operational transformation of underground mining and excavation mines.

As a concrete action of The growth strategy of the new medium-term business plan "DANTOTSU Value - Together, to 'The Next' for sustainable growth" that began in April 2022, Komatsu is striving to expand its mining machinery business targeting underground hard rock. With the goal of creating new value, by quickly introducing "mining TBM" to the market, we aim to transform the mining machinery business targeting underground hard rock, take a new step towards the realization of future-oriented sites, and strive to pass on a sustainable future to our next generation.