MINE.IO presented at MINEXCHANGE 2025 in Denver, USA

At the end of February, Max Friedemann, one of our mining experts from TU Bergakademie Freiberg – presented the MINE.IO project at the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) Annual Conference MINEXCHANGE in Denver, USA.

The presentation focused on the project’s Pilot Site Mine “Reiche Zeche” in Freiberg, Germany and was entitled “Integrating a Drill Rig into the Digital Mine 4.0 Ecosystem”. Digitisation, along with Industry 4.0, is a key factor in improving modern mining operations.

The talk highlighted how to implement a digitisation strategy on a standard exploration drill rig without any existing digital infrastructure. Currently, drill operators have limited information about the machine’s status. By integrating digital technologies, the drilling process becomes more efficient, easier to learn for new operators, and generally more effective.

The main requirement of the project is to add sensors to the existing rig without making any structural changes, while simplifying operations for the operator. This approach has proven highly successful. Today, the drill rig operator benefits from real-time insights into the machine’s performance via a user-friendly dashboard displaying data such as current hole length, penetration speed, rotation speed, rotary unit vibrations, and hydraulic pressure levels.

This data not only enhances drilling performance and core quality but also helps prevent downtime. In collaboration with our partners LTU and ICCS, we are also developing AI-based algorithms for rock analysis and predictive maintenance.

More about conference you can read here: smeannualconference.org/