AQUILA

Drill System

Machine Compatibility
Machine Family

Production Blast Hole Drills

AQUILA Drill System

The Caterpillar AQUILA Drill System assists with drilling and blasting functions, improving
productivity, accuracy and the mines bottom line.
AQUILA Drill System

AQUILA Production

AQUILA Drill Guidance Using GNSS

The AQUILA Drill System improves

the accuracy of drilling depth, provides
feedback on the variation of bench
geology, and improves safety and
efficiency by keeping the operator
in the cab. pg. 4

The Production System records and

measures multiple drill parameters
to optimize machine utilization and
improve the overall efficiency of
drilling and blasting operations. pg. 5

The Guidance System uses Global

Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
to provide three-dimensional positioning
of the bit to ensure holes are drilled
according to the designed drill pattern.
pg. 6

Features and Benefits

The AQUILA Drill System increases
the accuracy, efficiency and safety of all
functions relating to production blasthole
drilling, making a measurable impact on
a mines bottom line. pg. 10

The AQUILA Drill System takes the

guesswork out of drilling by accurately
guiding the operator in the execution of
drill patterns, reporting on individual
machine and operator productivity, and
allowing remote, real-time supervision of
drilling activity and blast planning from
the mine office.

AQUILA System Options

On-Board Components

Off-Board Components

The AQUILA system offers a number of

options, including Production and Hole
Profile Monitoring, Strata Recognition,
Drill Guidance and Auto-Drilling.
Users identify the features required by
their mine site and systems are tailored
to meet specified needs. pg. 7

Purpose built install kits are available

for most OEM blasthole drill models.
On-the-drill sensors automatically drive
and deliver real-time information on
shift drilling activity, giving the operator
improved control, greater accuracy and
efficiency. pg. 8

Comprehensive software tools allow

remote design of blast patterns,
visualization, reporting and remote
drill management. On-board and
off-board components adhere to
industry standards and support Ethernet
connection to standard 2-way radio
networks. pg. 9

AQUILA Drill System

The AQUILA Drill System improves the accuracy, safety and efficiency of drilling operations.

There are three optional modules that

enhance the capability of the
AQUILA system:

AQUILA Drill System. Mining is a function

of a number of processes, and it is
important to consider the impact that
drilling and blasting have on downstream
mining activities such as loading, hauling,
crushing, and milling. Technology that
helps optimize drill and blasting
operations can improve productivity and
efficiency of the entire mining cycle.
In 1992, the Caterpillar AQUILA Drill
System became the first product to
provide real-time GNSS positioning
of mining machines. Today the system
continues to lead and deliver tangible
value in optimizing drilling and blasting
at mining operations worldwide.
The system assists operations in:

Accurately executing drill patterns

Ensuring designed hole depths are

maintained

Identifying local variations in bench

geology as a basis for developing
specific hole loading instructions

Recording comprehensive data on all

facets of drill operation as the basis for
calculating machine utilization and
productivity statistics, benchmarking
best practices, and developing key
performance indicators.

The Strata Recognition option uses a

suite of sensors and an expert system
algorithm to pinpoint the location of
variations in the competency of the
bench rockmass, to help determine
the loading requirements for each
blasthole. The variations in the
bench competency are displayed
in real-time to the operator, and are
also stored on-board or wirelessly
communicated to the mine office for
use in designing loading instructions
for the blast.

The Hole Profile module, a simplified

version of the Strata Recognition
option, is used with massive deposits
where local variations in the rockmass
are unlikely to influence hole-loading
instructions. The Hole Profile module
utilizes the same sensor set as the
Strata Recognition module and the
associated AQUILA Blastability
Index. This option enables recording
of all drilling parameters (pulldown,
rpm, torque, depth and air pressure)
for use in analyzing and optimizing
drill operating practices. For example,
determining why on the same drill
one operator may be more productive
than another.

The Auto-Drill module enables

automatic drilling from collar to
design depth. The system regulates
pull down pressure and rotary speed
within the most productive limits for
torque and vibration. This option
is currently only available on the
Atlas Copco (Ingersoll Rand)
PitViper 351 drills.

Users can purchase the Production

Monitoring module, the Drill Guidance
module or a combination of both in a
Production and Guidance system.

The Production Monitoring module

provides the operator with immediate
feedback on drilling performance,
including number of holes drilled
and the current total shift footage/
meterage. It also provides access to
prior shift statistics and the detailed
production history for each hole,
including (but not limited to) drilling
time, operator name, and hole depths.
The Drill Guidance module uses
GNSS receivers with centimeterlevel accuracy positioned on top of
the drill mast to indicate the operators
heading and position relative to the
design location of all holes in a
particular blast. The module also
uses GNSS to provide drilling depth
control to ensure holes are consistently
and accurately drilled to the designed
elevation. This drastically reduces
over- and under-drilling and ensures
the bench toe breaks to the designed
elevation.

Uptime and productivity is key to any

successful mining operation. With the
AQUILA Drill System, knowing what
your drills are doing, how many holes
are drilled each shift, and when and why
a drill is down provides the information
you need to drive operational
improvements.

AQUILA Production
The Production module uses an array of sensors to automatically determine the drill states
and generate comprehensive reports on all facets of drill operation and utilization.
Application. The AQUILA Production
Monitoring module is a comprehensive
drill monitoring system, and is the only
buttonless system on the market today.
Systems that require operator input to
identify operating states such as leveling,
rod handling, hole cleaning or re-drilling
often result in inconsistent data.
The AQUILA system is an ergonomic
solution that minimizes interaction
so the operator can focus on drilling.
The automated data capture, display
and on-board reporting results in more
accurate and consistent information.
The AQUILA Production Monitoring
module:

Displays depth

Shows penetration rate

Generates production and utilization

statistics such as cumulative footage/
meterage, number of holes drilled,
time spent drilling, propelling
between holes, and rod handling

Consumables Tracking. The Production

Monitoring module also offers the ability
to track four consumables as a standard
feature, with optional expansion to ten
additional consumables. Consumables
tracking for the bit, stabilizer and three
steels allow recording the number of
revolutions, total time and footage/
meterage for each consumable during
drilling. The system uses sensors and
logic to determine the drilling state,
such as when the drill is engaged in
breaking new ground, which results in a
more meaningful tracking of consumables
performance than competitive systems
that simply track time between installation
and removal of a consumable.

AQUILA Drill Guidance Using GNSS

The Guidance module minimizes the need for survey support while dramatically improving
the accuracy of actual holes drilled against plan.

Application. The Drill Guidance module

uses GNSS navigation to ensure the
operator accurately executes the blast
pattern developed by the mine office.
The operator uses the buttonless, touchscreen display to position the drill at the
next designed drill location. Operators
can be confident theyre drilling at the
precise hole location every time, reducing
the margin of error over traditional
surveying and staking techniques.

The mine survey department at many

mines commits up to 40% of its resources
to the staking and restaking of drill
patterns. This module eliminates the
need for survey support to design and
execute drill patterns. Mine engineering
creates digital plans in their preferred
mine planning package and then sends
these virtual plans to the drill via radio.
These drill patterns appear on the drill
operators display and independent of
bench conditions (snow, mud, dark of
night) the drill operator can follow and
accurately execute the desired pattern.
No more concern for drill cables, tracks
or support vehicles knocking over
wooden stakes or destroying paint-marks.

The Drill Guidance module compensates

for irregularities in the actual collar
elevations and instructs the operator to
drill to the designed depth, producing a
level bench. A drill operator is typically
given a standard, designed drill depth
for all holes in a pattern. If the operator
drills all holes to the same depth on an
irregular surface, the blasted surface
will replicate the initial, irregular surface.
This system automatically identifies the
collar elevation and calculates the correct
drill depth for each hole.
A well designed drill pattern results in the best possible fragmentation when blasting.

Safety. The Drill Guidance system

provides a digital map by which the
operator can choose the next hole in the
pattern. Acting as their own surveyor,
this reduces manpower and the potential
safety hazard of having personnel on
the bench working in close proximity
to moving equipment.

AQUILA System Options

Optional modules are available to enhance the functionality and productivity of the standard
AQUILA Drill System.
Additional Options. The AQUILA
Drill System improves drilling with
the following additional options:

AQUILA Hole Profile. This option utilizes

a set of sensors in the Production
Monitoring module to record and display
the following drilling parameters:
rpm, weight on bit, rotary torque and
air pressure. Measurements of these
parameters are taken at configurable
intervals along the length of each
blasthole. On-going monitoring of these
parameters can be used to estimate
changes in bench geology and assess
individual drill operating practices.
AQUILA Strata Recognition. The Strata
Recognition option undertakes an on-line
analysis of the drill operating parameters
provided by the Hole Profile option
to analyze the rockmass being drilled.
The AQUILA Blastability Index is
generated from this data and helps to
identify specific geology as the basis
for determining the optimal hole loading
instructions. A mine can achieve
significant savings by better matching
explosive properties to the characteristics
of the rockmass being blasted.

Bootleg Display A bootleg is the

bottom of a hole location from a
previous bench. In the event of a
misfire, its important to know the
bootleg location so the operator
doesnt drill into an unspent booster.
When starting a new drill pattern
or redrilling, the system tracks the
location of the bootleg to prevent
the operator from drilling into it.

BorderGuard Allows blast designers

to designate a virtual boundary within
which the drill in intended to operate.
Optional alarms will sound if the drill
moves beyond the area designated
with the BorderGuard feature.

Pipe-In-Hole Sounds an alarm if

the drill operator attempts to propel
the drill to the next hole while the steel
or pipe is still in the hole. An optional
relay circuit can be used by the mine
to lockout the propel mechanism and
prevent the operator from moving
the drill while the steel or the pipe
is in the hole.

AQUILA Auto-Drill Option. The Auto-Drill

option provides for automated drill
operation from hole collaring through
to the designed depth. Operator variance
can have a significant impact on drilling
accuracy, speed and consumable wear.
Consistent drilling practice among
operators can lower operational costs.
The system is currently only available
on the Atlas Copco PitViper 351
drill model.

On-Board Components
AQUILA on-board components are built-to-last and provide reliable performance in harsh
mining environments.

GNSS Receiver. The MS990C is the

next generation GNSS receiver from
Caterpillar. The antenna and receiver
hardware have been combined into one
durable component built to withstand
operation in harsh mining environments.
Two MS990C GNSS receivers on each
drill compute positions and heading
with centimeter-level accuracy to ensure
precise machine location. The MS990C
supports GPS and GLONASS
constellations, faster initialization
times, better tracking and accuracy
characteristics, and leverages increased
satellite availability for mines with deep
pits or locations in the far northern and
southern hemispheres.
Communications Radio. Caterpillar offers
a 900 MHz dual channel radio that
sends GNSS base-station corrections
to the GNSS receivers on the drill fleet.
Under normal conditions, this 900 MHz
radio will broadcast data over distances
up to 10 km (6.2 miles). Mine-wide radio
coverage over broad areas is ensured
with a network of repeaters. AQUILA
drill systems are Ethernet-based which
facilitates connection to alternate,
Ethernet-based industry standard
wireless networks in the 900 MHz or
2.4 GHz range. A ruggedized Ethernet
port on the AQUILA touch screen display
allows convenient connection to third
party radios.

AQUILA Touch Screen Display. The in-cab

graphical display provides real-time
production information to the operator.
Designed for simple operation, the
264 mm (10.4 in) custom configurable,
integrated touch screen display allows
operators to easily interface with the
AQUILA Drill System.
Harnesses and Cables. The AQUILA
system has installation and harness kits
specifically designed for over 30 of the
mining industrys most common
production blast hole drills.

Off-Board Components
AQUILA off-board components allow remote supervision of drill fleets and improved
communication with machine operators.

AQUILA Office Software. Three office

software components are provided to
assist mines in getting the most out of
its AQUILA system. These are based
on industry standard software tools that
ensure complete flexibility in how a
mine works with its drill data:
AQ2DB (AQUILA-to-Database).
This data parsing utility acts on the
drill system files sent at regular
intervals from the drill fleet to the
mine office through either manual
downloads or via wireless networks.
AQ2DB scans directories on a local
PC, identifies that new files have
arrived, and will then automatically
write all data to the mines database
(e.g. Oracle or MS-SQL).

AQReports. Builds reports from the

database populated by AQ2DB.
AQReports comes with a series of
standard reports including timelines,
shift summaries, detailed production
and drill availability reports.
AQReports includes visualization
tools with which specific holes
can be selected to view a geology
stratagraph. This data helps determine
hole-by-hole variation in bench
geology as the basis for explosives
selection and designing optimal
hole loading instructions.

MachineManager. This
communications and drill system
manager utility allows planners and
supervisor personnel in the office to
configure the drill systems. They can
also design, modify and transmit
drill patterns, view near real-time
updates on drill position, operational
status and progress toward completing
individual blast patterns.

Features and Benefits

AQUILA systems increase drill productivity, accuracy, efficiency and safety,
making a measurable impact on your mines bottom line.

Reducing over and under-drilling via

precise hole depth control, resulting
in more even bench grades.

Reducing blasting costs through

improved loading instructions.

Tracking consumables allows

monitoring of bit, stabilizer and
steels to ensure components are
replaced as required, thereby
reducing costs.

Increased Safety. AQUILA Drill

System improves the safety of your
mining operations.

Accurate drilling and blasting is

fundamental to mine operation.
Drilling and blasting have significant
downstream effects on the entire mining
process. Use the Caterpillar AQUILA
Drill System to get the shot right and
reap the benefits of improved
fragmentation, easier digging conditions,
bench grade control and haul road
conditions.
Increased Accuracy. The AQUILA
Drill Guidance System is a proven,
practical tool for ensuring holes are
consistently drilled within designed
tolerance, producing optimal charge
distributions and improved fragmentation.

10

The Bootleg Display allows blast

designers to indicate the previous
bench bootleg locations on the blast
pattern design for the current bench.
This helps ensure that current holes
are not drilled into a hole from the
previous bench.

BorderGuard allows blast designers

to designate a virtual boundary
within which the drill is intended
to operate. Optional alarms will
sound if the drill moves beyond
the designated area.

Pipe-In-Hole sounds an alarm if the

operator attempts to propel the drill
to the next hole while the bit and
steel are still in the hole. An optional
relay circuit can lock out the propel
mechanism and prevent the operator
from moving the drill while the steel
or the pipe is still in the hole.

Reducing survey work minimizes

personnel working on unreliable
surfaces near moving equipment.

Increased Efficiency. The AQUILA

system increases drilling efficiency by:

Reducing or eliminating the surveying

requirement to maintain staked
blasthole patterns. The operator does
not need to leave the cab to search
for drill stakes and can precisely
position the machine under any
weather conditions, day or night,
24 hours a day.

Minimizing periods when a machine

is down waiting for a new or updated
pattern to be manually surveyed.

Minimizing pre- and post-blast

survey to measure depth and collar
elevations.

Customer Support. For more than

25 years, Caterpillar has been providing
electronic and electrical components
and systems for the mining industry
real-world technology solutions that

enhance the value of Cat products,

making customers more productive and
profitable. Your Cat dealer is ready
to assist you with mining technology
systems and knowledgeable support.

Machine Compatibility
Machine Family

AQUILA Touch Screen Display

Production Blast Hole Drills

Electrical input
Memory drive

Communications Radio
Operating range
Technology
Data rate
Operating temperature
Storage temperature
Humidity
Height
Width
Length
Weight

Display screen

Up to 10 km (6.2 miles)
Spread spectrum
High speed
40 C to 70 C
40 F to 158 F
55 C to 70 C
67 F to 158 F
100%
216 mm
8.5 in
86 mm
3.4 in
260 mm
10.3 in
0.9 kg
2 lb

Operating temperature
Storage temperature
Humidity
Height
Width
Depth
Weight

264 mm (10.4 in) LCD

display, 640  480
transflective color VGA
9 to 32 V DC
64 MB Ram, solid state disk:
internal 128 MB, external
compact flash
20 C to 70 C
4 F to 185 F
50 C to 85 C
58 F to 185 F
100%
315 mm
12.4 in
261 mm
10.28 in
3.17 mm
8.5 in
93 kg
3.66 lb

GNSS Receiver
Horizontal accuracy
Vertical accuracy
Operating range
Network connector
Electrical input
Operating temperature
Storage temperature
Height
Width
Depth
Weight

10 mm
0.39 in
20 mm
0.79 in
Up to 10 km (6.2 miles)
16-pin
9 to 32 V DC
40 C to 70 C
40 F to 158 F
50 C to 85 C
67 F to 185 F
147 mm
5.8 in
232 mm
9.1 in
251 mm
9.9 in
3.8 kg
8.3 lb

AQUILA Drill System specifications

11

AQUILA Drill System

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and industry solutions, visit us on the web at www.cat.com
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All Rights Reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
Materials and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Featured machines in photos may include additional equipment.
See your Caterpillar dealer for available options.

AEHQ5828 (12-07)

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