Welcome to visit us at the booth #221 in 49th Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique

Welcome to visit us at the annual conference on Explosives & Engineering Technique, sponsored by the International Society of Explosives Engineers in San Antonio, Texas, USA on 4-8 February 2023. You will find us at the booth #221.

Get a firsthand look at our new products, comprehensive services and integrated solutions. Get familiar for our new Top Hammer Rbit series as well as tubeless DTH WH TL hammer family and DTH bits.

Meet the Experts in Drilling Consumables – Robit Blasting Team

NEW TRAM LINE CONSUMES 100 KM OF STEEL PILES

A project is underway in Helsinki, Finland to build a completely new tram line, along with new municipal infrastructure and green spaces. The contractor Destia is using a wide range of Robit wear parts for soil and rock drilling in the project.

The alliance model project will involve the construction of approximately 4.5 kilometres of tramway and associated street areas and municipal engineering between Nihti and Pasila. The project will also include the renovation of street areas as well as improved pedestrian and cycling connections. Preconstruction started in Nihti in July 2021.

A massive groundwork project

An alliance group led by Destia is working in challenging street conditions in the middle of urban Kalasatama. The group’s share of the construction work on the new line comprises some three kilometres of road, the entire cross-section of which will be rebuilt in the course of the project.

“The section will be built on a pile slab structure, covering a total area of over 36,000 square meters, or about the size of five football pitches. During the project, about 100 kilometres of individual piles 15 to 20 meters in length will be used for road foundations,” says Alexei Kesonen, Project Manager for Foundation Engineering at Destia Oy.

At the same time, a ramp will be built for the possible future construction of a tunnel to Sörnäinen.

“The support structures of the ramp and tunnel walls combine three techniques: pipe pile wall, sheet pile wall and combi wall. Based on excavations, each was chosen to save time and, of course, to achieve a highquality result. The ground on the site varies widely from soft clay to hard rock to bouldery fill.”

“A wide variety of drilling equipment, sheet pile drivers and piling rigs are needed on site, allowing the choice of optimal working methods. With skilled workers, the right equipment and careful planning, even the largest projects can proceed on schedule,” says Kesonen.

Using domestic wear parts is an asset

Destia has a long history of solid cooperation with Robit on wear parts for soil and rock drilling.

“You can always trust the quality of Robit’s products and their service level as a domestic manufacturer. Speed of delivery is also excellent, which is an absolute must, as the schedules are tight, and work cannot stop because of missing parts. Robit supplies us with drilling consumables directly from their factory in Lempäälä. Of course, we also store them onsite, which ensures there is no downtime.”

“The pipe piles are installed using Robit’s 18″ DTH hammers, 508 mm SR XL2 ring bits, 508 mm SR pilots and L-model impact shoes, which arrive on site pre-welded to the pile ends. For the installation of combi wall piles, Robit Prime ring bits and pilots are used. For the supporting wall anchors, we are using Robit’s DT (Drill Through) technology, which allows us to drill the pilots into the rock through the ring bit assembly,” Kesonen says.

Construction of the new tramway line started in the summer of 2021. If all goes according to plan, the line will be operational by the end of 2024, greatly streamlining cross-town traffic: you can get from Kalasatama to Pasila by tram in 15 minutes. The route will also conveniently link trams to trains and the metro at several transport hubs.

Picture: Construction Engineer Alexey Selivonchyk of Destia presenting the Robit SR pilot.

GIANT PROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA TAKING FIRST STEPS

One of the world’s largest construction projects is currently underway in Saudi Arabia near the northern end of the Red Sea. It is the future site of Neom, an ambitiously futuristic city planned to cover a total area of 26,500 km2 – more than twice the New York metropolitan area.

Still mostly on the drawing board, Neom is planned to comprise various high-profile regions, each catering to different needs. By late 2022, the plans for four regions have been publicized. Sindalah, a luxury island resort on the Red Sea, is expected to be the first physical showcase of Neom, scheduled to open in early 2024. Trojena will be a mountain destination for year-round skiing, while Oxagon is going to be a coastal clean industry hub.

The region that has attracted the most press coverage and provoked discussion worldwide, is called The Line. It is planned to consist of a single structure that is 500 m tall, 200 m wide – and no less than 170 km long, stretching from the Red Sea coast deep into the desert.

The Line is planned to house nine million residents, all with access to their basic services within a five-minute walking distance. Eliminating the need for cars, it is planned to use high-speed trains for transport within the city.

The transport system of The Line will consist of two separate railroads: one for the high-speed passenger trains and the other for freight services. The rail system will require the excavation of some 28 km of tunnels.

The tunnel construction bid was won by the Korean consortium of Hyundai E&C and Samsung C&T. The value of the order is estimated at no less than US$1 billion.

In the summer of 2022, the bidding for jumbo drilling and rock tools in the tunnel project was won by Jinyang R&S, one of the largest jumbo drill rental companies in Korea. Jinyang manages some 35 jumbo drill units, renting them with operators to tunneling and mining sites, mostly within South Korea.

Rock tools for the tunnel jumbos will be supplied by Robit. Since their distribution deal struck in 2017, Robit has supplied Jinyang with rock tools for several domestic job sites in Korea; the Neom deal, however, is unprecedented in scope.

“This is a huge project and a major deal for Robit for the coming years”, says Sales Manager Sunyong Choi of Robit.

At the future tunneling job site, the first test drillings using Robit’s tools started in November 2022. Still in its infancy, the entire Neom project is guaranteed to keep drawing widespread attention.

Read more about the project here: NEOM

Season update 2022-2023

Hilla Niemelä is one of the rising young stars in Finnish skiing. A corporate supporter of sports, Robit signed a sponsorship and cooperation agreement with Hilla in late summer 2021.

The collaboration between Robit and Hilla is based on shared values and jointly produced media content that gives glimpses into Hilla’s training, racing career, goals, current affairs and future expectations. Hilla put the season opening update together:

The season has now progressed to the point that it is time for a little Christmas holiday. While this won’t really be a break from exercise, I will still have time to relax and recover at home and to prepare for my main objective for this season.

In May, I had to put practice on the backburner, when studying for the university entrance exams required a lot of energy. I did train even then, but in freeform, completely without a program and without stress. That same month, I also moved officially to Tampere, which has felt like the right choice ever since.

With the entrance exams over in June, I headed to Otepää for a training camp with my skiing club. And at the end of the month, I had this training season’s first U23 (Under 23) national training camp.

In July, I clocked over 100 hours of training. I had plenty of successful practice sets and even managed to break a few personal records during the test in the final days, despite considerable stress from all the training.

At the beginning of August, I attended yet another camp in Vuokatti, together with the U23 group. During that month, I also finally started my studies at Tampere University. All the studying for the entrance exams in the spring bore fruit as I managed to secure a study place, and now I am studying environment and biotechnology while training and competing.

I attended university regularly in September and October, but also managed to train a fair bit. At the end of October, I had a snow camp in Vuokatti and started accumulating the first skiing kilometers on snow.

November arrived with the start of the competition season at the Finnish Cup in Vuokatti. I got up to a good speed on both competition days and it started becoming evident that I was in good condition for competitions. The first races of the season have always been a bit more difficult for me, but I continued with a good flow at Olos the following weekend. Success at the high-level, traditional-style race on 10-kilometer distance guaranteed me a spot representing at the World Cup in Ruka. In a race in Taivalkoski, one week after Olos, I secured a spot for the sprint race in Ruka as well.

My first World Cup weekend started well, and I made it all the way to the Quarter Finals, finishing as 25th. I was also happy with my results in the 10-kilometer traditional race in Ruka. These successes gave me the opportunity to participate in the World Cup in Lillehammer in the 20-kilometer, traditional-style mass-start race. I had a couple of peaceful days at home after Ruka, before heading off to Lillehammer, where I had a clean race and loads of great experience. In the final listings I was 37th.

Having participated in races five weekends in a row, I was in dire need of a training break after Lillehammer. For me, this means a weekend without a race to attend to. After the training break I headed to Östersund for Scandinavia Cup, which is in practice a B-Class World Cup. I reached the 6th place in the qualification round of the traditional-style sprint, meaning that in the Quarter Finals I was up against the Olympic winner of last winter’s sprint, among others. High performance in the Quarter Finals netted me a spot in the Semi Finals with a lucky loser time, and there I achieved the 11th place in the final rankings.

Now I have some time to rest and recover again, gaining some energy from Christmas food. The next important races are in January of 2023. The plan is to head over to the United States at the start of January, in order to participate in the Winter Universiade, or the World Championship for students, in Lake Placid. The competitions will run for a couple of weeks, after which I will transfer from the US directly to Canada. This is where my main competition for the season, the U23 World Championship, will be held. I am now in a better condition than ever before and I am eagerly looking forward to finding out, just how far that will get me this year.

Best Regards, Hilla

ROBIT AND VELJEKSET TOIVANEN HAVE SIGNED A LONG-TERM COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Robit Plc and Veljekset Toivanen Oy have signed a long-term cooperation agreement of supplying drilling consumables to Sotkamo Silver mine in Kainuu. The deliveries of Robit drilling consumables start along with the first mining project in January 2023. Veljekset Toivanen works as the prime contractor in Sotkamo Silver mine based on a three-year-agreement with two option years. Robit also supplies its consumables to Endomines’ Pampalo gold mine for opening the open pit mine in Ilomantsi.

Arto Halonen, Group CEO, Robit: ”We are extremely pleased to start building a long-term cooperation with Veljekset Toivanen. This agreement strengthens Robit’s position as the leading drilling consumables supplier in Finland.”

Ari Keskitalo, Mining Manager, Veljekset Toivanen: “Our previous cooperation with Robit run smoothly. Thus, the new agreement of drilling consumables supply to Sotkamo Silver mine creates a natural continuum. In addition, one of our company’s values is locality, so Robit as a domestic actor was an easy choice.”

Since 1983, Veljekset Toivanen has been known as a reliable and innovative company providing mining, infra-building, and industry services. The company provides its customers among others with mining support services in underground and open pit mines. Further information is available at www.toivanengroup.com.

Robit is the expert focused on drilling consumables for mining and construction markets. Through the high and proven quality Top Hammer, Down the Hole and Geotechnical products, and the expert services, Robit delivers saving in drilling costs to the customers. Robit has its own sales and service points in eight countries and an active distributor network through which it sells to more than 100 countries. Robit’s manufacturing units are located in Finland, South Korea, Australia and the UK. Robit’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Further information is available at www.robitgroup.com.

Picture from left: Kimmo Kangas, Sales Manager Finland, Robit and Ari Keskitalo, Mining Manager, Veljekset Toivanen

Further information:

Arto Halonen
Group CEO, Robit Plc, arto.halonen@robitgroup.com

Ari Keskitalo
Mining Manager, Veljekset Toivanen Oy, ari.keskitalo@veljeksettoivanen.fi

Agnico Eagle Finland Certificate

Robit Finland Oy received a diploma “Our Best Suppliers 2021” from Agnico Eagle Finland on 2 November 2022. We are very proud of being acknowledged of our customer-oriented work and safety matters. The diploma was received by Kimmo Kangas, Sales Manager Finland, Robit and Mervi Kallioinen, Grinding & Drillmaster Service.

Robit Rbit™ Button Bit Series for drifting and tunneling available

Summarizing all the essential drilling features, we are going deeper with more speed and force, driving the development of the drilling consumables industry. As an established global company, we continuously need to reinvent ourselves. Across the globe, our cases are more versatile, our knowledge base wider, our questions and tools for finding answers smarter. We fight hard every day to be the strongest and smartest when it comes to the space between drill and rock so that we deliver only the best to our valued customers. That is the true spirit of Robit® Rbit™.

At the beginning of last year Robit launched bigger diameters, over 60 mm sizes of Rbit series. Now we have the complete series with 32 mm (1¼”) up to 57 mm (2¼”), which full-fill the needs of drifting & tunneling.

With the Rbit, our commitment is to help our customers reduce the total drilling costs by achieving faster rate of penetration and the lowest cost-per-meter.

New features of Rbit  series (sizes 32 mm – 57 mm) are:

  • An optimized button layout configuration to ensure maximized rock contact and energy transmission.
  • Optimized placement of flushing holes allowing improved flushing and even improved rate of penetration (ROP).
  • Redesigned wider flushing grooves, that allow more space delivering a better flow for the cuttings.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation images show the efficient flushing properties of new Rbit series.

Robit® Rbit™ Series – New Innovations for Drifting & Tunneling Bits

1. Optimized button layout maximizing rock contact

  • Smart button configuration → Optimized rock breaking dynamics

2. Wider flushing grooves allowing better flow of cuttings

  • Improved flushing → Maximized flushing efficiency

3. Optimized placement of flushing holes allowing better flow of cuttings

  • Improved flushing → Maximized flushing efficiency

You can watch the video at our Youtube channel: Robit Rbit Series for Drifting and Tunneling

Please download the catalogue: Robit Top Hammer Product Catalogue 8-2022

Welcome to visit us at 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations

October 4–7, 2022 – National Harbor, Maryland, USA – Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center

Join us for our 47th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in National Harbor, MD, and network with the largest gathering of international practitioners specializing in cutting-edge technologies and risk management for deep foundations, ground improvement, earth retention and excavation support.

Through Robit’s technologies and support, we are pleased to help the major construction sector with all their drilling needs and offer the solutions to even the toughest projects. We will introduce the brilliant solutions and technologies of geotechnical applications. Come and meet our experts to hear more about the competitive offering in top-quality drilling consumables at our booth #507!

Warmly welcome, Robit team

The new Robit Top Hammer Product Catalogue has been published

Explore the competitive full-set offering in top-quality consumables for Top Hammer applications like drifting & tunneling, long hole drilling, reaming and surface drilling:

  • New Rbit™ button bit series
  • Reaming equipment
  • Shank adapters
  • Drill rods
  • Couplings
  • Auxiliary tools

We offer You:

  • The highest quality in drilling consumables – Our focus is 110 % in drilling consumables.
  • Excellent drilling results and performance – We have a lot of references.
  • We emphasize short and precise deliveries from 4 factories – Robit also has comprehensive storages in every continent.

Robit is following together with its key customers the development steps of more powerful hydraulic drifters. Robit is modelling and simulating the dynamic forces and stresses, and innovates new solutions to meet the best performance, efficiency, and lifetime to fulfill drillers’ needs.

Please read and download the new catalogue here: Robit Top Hammer Product Catalogue 2022

Robit supports Tampere Eagles Cricket Club

Robit has sponsored the jersey kit for Tampere Eagles Cricket Club based in Tampere, Finland. Tampere Eagles Cricket Club, founded in 2015, plays in the National League Twenty20 Division 2 of Cricket Finland. They have already secured second position for this year’s tournament in their division, and they have their final game of the season this weekend which will determine their promotion to the National League Twenty20 Division 1. Robit would like to congratulate them for their success so far, and wishes the club all the very best for their promotion to Division 1.

“Robit Group supporting our club and cricket in general is quite an encouragement for the club and its members to perform well. We really are grateful for this gesture.”, acknowledged Mohibullah Moradi, Chairman of Tampere Eagles Cricket Club during the kit handover event.

Picture: Mohibullah Moradi, Chairman of Tampere Eagles Cricket Club receiving his jersey from George Apostolopoulos, VP Global Sales, Robit Group

VISÍTANOS – PERUMIN 2022 – DEL 26 AL 30 DE SEPTIEMBRE, AREQUIPA, PERÚ

Welcome to visit us at Perumin 2022. The exhibition will take place on 26-30 September 2022, Cerro Juli – Centro de Convenciones de Arequipa, Peru.

Get a firsthand look at our new products, comprehensive services and integrated solutions. Get familiar for our new Top Hammer Rbit series as well as tubeless DTH WH TL hammer family and DTH bits.

We serve You at our booth 414, Pavilion 3. You are more than welcome!

Robit team

World Tunnel Congress 2022

Dear friends and colleagues of the tunnel society,

it is our great pleasure to invite you to visit us at the World Tunnel Congress 2022. The conference will be held September 2-8 in Copenhagen, Denmark, focusing on underground solutions for a world in change. You will find us at our stand A1-07 during the exhibition dates, September 5-7, 2022.

Robit’s products are known world wide. We’ll introduce you our patented Robit® RoX Casing Systems series for forepoling. It allows easy driving of the casing tubes into the ground with low torque demand. In modern forepoling also fiberglass casings can be used for ultra-long facebolts. We’ll introduce also our new state of the art – Robit® Top Hammer Rbit™ button bit series.

Robit team will be delighted to tell you more about our unbeatable tunneling products and also the other world-class products in our assortment.

Welcome to meet us at WTC 2022 in Copenhagen!

Robit Team

The new Robit Geotechnical Product Catalogue has been published

Explore the competitive full-set offering in top-quality consumables for geotechnical applications like piling, micropiling, underpinning, anchoring and well drilling:

  • Casing Advancing Systems
  • DTH Bits
  • DTH Hammers
  • Shock Absorbers
  • Drill Pipes
  • Accessories

We offer You:

  • The highest quality in drilling consumables – Our focus is 110 % in drilling consumables.
  • Excellent drilling results and performance – We have a lot of references.
  • We emphasize short and precise deliveries from 4 factories – Robit also has comprehensive storages in every continent.

Robit is following together with its key customers the development steps of more powerful hydraulic drifters. Robit is modelling and simulating the dynamic forces and stresses, and innovates new solutions to meet the best performance, efficiency, and lifetime to fulfill drillers’ needs.

Please read and download the new catalogue here: Robit Geotechnical Product Catalogue 2022

A LASTING MARRIAGE IN THE SPANISH MARKET

A Coruña is a city at Europe’s westernmost edge, in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula in Galicia, Spain. It is home to Suministros Guillemet, a company specializing in drilling and earthmoving consumables for the Spanish market.

Founded in 1986, Guillemet’s mission is to offer the best quality to their customers in mining and public works. Guillemet’s owner Hector Blanco discusses their long-term relationship with Robit.

How long has Guillemet been representing Robit? How did it all start?
It all started with a dinner and a handshake about 20 years ago. We were three people at that dinner, and ever since then, we have been distributors of Robit all across Spain. Our cooperation continues to this day – as a strong marriage, I would say.

How is the “marriage” working after all these years?
Wonderfully. Robit’s steels and designs are top-notch. Robit is today the number one brand in drilling consumables. They are always bringing out new designs to the market that extend the product life. This saves the end customer a lot of costs in drilling, fuel, filters, and equipment maintenance in general.

What are some of the typical Robit tools used in the Spanish market? In what sectors?
We have clients in underground mining, open-pit mining, quarries, public works, and well drilling. We typically use R25 to RG60 (diameters 33—152 mm) Top Hammer tools in underground, open pit, and public works. And if we had to go up to planet Mars, that would be no problem either!

What kind of feedback are you receiving from clients regarding Robit’s tools?
Fabulous. In fact, at the last Metal Mining fair in Seville, all the people who came to our booth congratulated us on the quality of the bits and rods. I would say 99 % are happy with the Robit brand in Spain.

How is Guillemet positioned in the competition in Spain – what are your strongest assets as a company?
Our main asset is undoubtedly the Top Hammer, where we have a market share of 60–65 %. As for Down the Hole, we’re just starting and, as you know, all beginnings are slow but surely it will be a key asset for us in the near future too. To support this goal, we are hoping to see Robit extend their DTH stock in Europe.

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

PROBLEM-SOLVING IN THE DEPTHS OF A GOLD MINE

In the winter of 1986, a road construction job was underway in Kittilä, Finnish Lapland. Some rock was blasted, and out of curiosity, a geologist working nearby decided to examine the boulders – and found something. Today it is the site of the largest gold mine in Europe.

Gold was found in several boulders, and the Geological Survey of Finland began prospecting the site. The deposits turned out to be quite rich. More than twenty years passed until gold mining finally began in the Kittilä mine; first in an open pit in 2008, and underground a couple of years later.

Since 2012, mining in Kittilä has been exclusively underground. Today, Agnico Eagle Finland extracts some two million tonnes of ore each year, with annual gold production of around 7,000 kilograms.

Since May 2021, Robit has been supplying drilling tools to the Kittilä mine under a long-term contract. This includes, among other things, a turnkey drillmaster service, including a sharpening service. Robit supplies the products from their consignment stock, located 350 metres underground in the mine.

In Kittilä, Robit is dedicated to finding ways to cut costs per drill meter in cooperation with the customer. When the need arises, tailor-made products can be developed to meet the customer’s needs. A case in point is cable bolting, a common method used in underground mining to reinforce the rock before extraction.

“Cable bolting posed some problems. The drilling gear did not work properly in broken rock; the flushings escaped into the rock fractures and the drill bit would get stuck,” says Kimmo Kangas, Sales Manager at Robit.

“We suspected that the problem was caused by the side flushing of the bit. Our customer tried what would happen if you welded the side flushing shut – and it helped. We then made a series of bits at the Lempäälä factory that were modified in the same way,” says Kimmo.

Robit’s R&D Engineer Mika Koskinen was closely involved in the development work. “The results improved, but not quite enough. We discussed this with the bolting rig operators, trying to figure out what to do next. Based on the mining company’s views and our own design ideas, we developed the second iteration of the bit, which was substantially different. It finally solved the flushing problems, and drill meters began to reach excellent levels,” says Mika.

The new high-performance drill bit has been in use at the Kittilä mine since early 2022. Plenty remains to be drilled, as the mine is expected to operate until 2034 with the current ore reserves and production volumes. By then, new deposits may well be discovered in the course of prospecting.

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

ROTOTEC ACCELERATES THE GREEN TRANSITION

Carbon neutrality is a globally accepted goal to minimise the negative effects of climate change, in which energy production plays a key role. The current military crisis in Europe is a reminder that nations should also strive for maximal energy self-sufficiency. Geothermal energy provides one promising, cost-effective path toward achieving both goals.

In Finland, the growth of geo-energy has been rapid in recent years. One of the key actors in the sector is Rototec, Europe’s largest geo-energy company with more than 60,000 energy wells drilled. Founded in 2007, Rototec has grown strongly in Finland and operates also in Sweden and Norway.

While geothermal energy has long been a popular energy source for single-family houses, Rototec is focusing more on supplying geo-energy for large properties such as hospitals, shopping centres, and factories.

A geothermal system requires one or more bore wells, drilled to a depth of 150–250 metres, depending on the amount of energy required. Robit has been supplying Rototec with drilling tools since the early years of the company.

“Robit, as a big domestic manufacturer, was a natural choice for us. 99% of the holes we drill are four-inch wells and Robit has a comprehensive line of tools for that. Currently, all our drill bits are from Robit,” says Hannu Puolitaival, Technical Director at Rototec.

The fruitful, mutually beneficial cooperation spans back more than a decade and focuses on customer-oriented service.

“Over the years, we have worked closely together to develop drill bits to better meet our needs. We test the products, and share our experience and comments with Robit for further development. One of Robit’s assets is their agility: after our feedback, they can produce new, improved prototypes at a fast pace for testing. Of course, the fact that they have domestic manufacturing helps too,” Hannu says.

“Another strength is that Robit can make small batches. If we’d need, say, five units of a particular new drill bit for testing, that poses no problem. Not all manufacturers can do this,” says Hannu, and adds one more thing: “I have especially liked the fact that Robit has a dedicated person managing all communication with us. It makes our cooperation seamless and straightforward.”

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

SMOOTH DRILLING ON LAKE ONTARIO

Wolfe Island sits at the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River. The Canada–US border runs immediately to the south of the island, leaving it on the Canadian side. A ferry connects the island to the city of Kingston, Ontario.

A popular destination for nature lovers, Wolfe Island’s resident population tends to double or triple in the summer. For years, the ferry has been running near or even over capacity during the busy seasons. That’s why the Ontario Ministry of Transportation launched a major improvement project in 2020. Its goal is to replace the old ferry with a new, larger one, which requires significant upgrades at both ends of the ferry line: Kingston Dock on the mainland and Marysville Dock on Wolfe Island.

The General Contractor for the Marysville Dock project is Facca Inc. from Lakeshore, Ontario. A family business now in the fourth generation, Facca has built a reputation as one of the premier civil construction contractors in Ontario over several decades. They perform all the foundation work, and most of all other work on the Marysville Dock project with their own forces.

“We have been doing our own deep foundation work – piled foundations and sheet piling, some drilled shafts in earth – for about 15 years now. However, this job is only the second for which we’ve performed hard rock drilling of this scope, and the first we’ve done completely with our own forces”, says P.Eng. Steven Gardonio of Facca.

On their Down the Hole hammers for the project, Facca has used both the Robit DTH Prime system and the Robit Steel Fist system, supplied by Pinnacle, Robit´s Canadian distributor. Through their extensive piling expertise, Pinnacle’s Mitch Yorston and Jim McPhail have also provided valuable technical support for Facca.

“We’re putting in about 1,800 m of caisson with the Primes through a mixture of clay, sand, and till, with 250-ish meters of that socketed into the very strong (approaching 200 MPa UCS) limestone bedrock.” “There are a total of 87 caissons on the contract, some more than 27 meters in length. Nine were first installed on a dolphin from our barge with technical assistance from Pinnacle. This work went so well that we decided to purchase from Pinnacle the drill setup required – Down the Hole hammers and associated – and the remaining caissons were installed at the main ferry dock”, Steven explains.

“With the Steel Fist, we’ve been drilling some of the more difficult of the approximately 220 toe pins embedded 2.4 m into the bedrock.”

“We’ve been extremely happy with the performance of our equipment from Pinnacle and Robit bits. All drilling is full RC, and the process of drilling overburden – soft to hard clay and dense glacial till – from inside of the pre-driven pipe piles and locking into the ring bit at depth has not been an issue at all.

“Often, we can lock into the rings without halting rotation, very smooth, as was the drill-through process. Same for the Steel Fist, we’ve managed to drill material out from piles without rotation so as to not engage the wings and lock into the shoulder at depth, saving us significant time. We realize this is unorthodox, but it’s been working for us”, Steven says.

The CA$70M ferry dock project is still very much in progress. If everything goes as anticipated, Wolfe Islander IV, the new state-of-the-art, fully electric, zero-emission ferry – first of its kind in Canada – will start operating between the new Kingston and Wolfe Island docks in November 2023.

 

Read more new stories in the latest Bulletin!

Robit’s consumables were introduced for Cimertex’s customers in a seminar held 31st May 2022, Portugal

The seminar gathered drilling professionals in Coimbra, Portugal. George Apostolopoulos, Global Sales Director and Ahmad Afridi, Sales Manager from Robit lectured company´s competitive consumable offering for rock and ground drilling applications. Robit novelties like Rbit™ Top Hammer button bit series were at the showcase.

Robit Group and Cimertex signed an exclusive distributor agreement over a year ago. Based on the agreement, Cimertex represents Robit and distribute all Robit products in Portugal.

Cimertex was established in 1964, in Porto, Portugal. After more than 50 years of intense activity, Cimertex believes it has the essential skills to face the future with optimism. The key concept of company’s activity is customer support throughout the life of the equipment. Robit’s partnership with Cimertex is developed to ensure highest possible services levels for drillers in Portugal. Further information: https://cimertex.pt/en/.