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MUCKING, LOADING AND CRUSHING OF BLASTED ORE The mining process at Milpillas began with the cut-and-fill mining method, ideal for steeply dipping ore bodies. After drilling and blasting, fragmented Copper ore within the underground stopes was scooped up using Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) vehicles, as seen in Photo A. These vehicles efficiently scooped up the broken ore, or “muck,†from the stope floor. These highly maneuverable LHDs transported the muck over short distances to designated ore passes. These vertical or inclined shafts utilized gravity to move the ore to lower levels of the mine. From there, the muck was transferred to underground crushers for initial size reduction, as seen in Photo B. Crushing was a fundamental initial processing stage. Large run-of-mine ore, some exceeding a meter in size, first underwent primary crushing in powerful gyratory crushers (Photo C), reducing the ore to a manageable size, typically a few centimeters. Subsequently, secondary and sometimes tertiary crushing stages further decreased the particle size. This meticulous size reduction was crucial for liberating valuable Copper minerals from waste rock and preparing the ore for subsequent grinding and leaching processes, maximizing extraction efficiency. At Milpillas, the mine utilized a Metso Superior MKIII gyratory crusher (Photo C) as its primary crushing unit. During its lifetime, the crusher underwent several optimization phases to increase the lifespan of wear-prone components, dramatically reducing maintenance downtime from six months to two years. This enhancement led to lower production costs and improved personnel safety. It is interesting to note that the “ball†of the “gyrator†as seen in Photo C was nearly 1.5 meters in diameter, so the whole crusher unit was huge! After crushing, the ore was transferred onto conveyor belts (Photo D), which transported it to the surface via a hoist shaft, where it then entered the leaching process. As each horizontal slice of ore was mucked out, the void created was immediately backfilled with a cemented waste material. This backfilling provided vital ground support and created a stable working platform for the subsequent mining cycle of the next slice above, thereby ensuring a continuous and safe mining environment. Original photos courtesy of Enrique Jimenez (Author: silvia)

MUCKING, LOADING AND CRUSHING OF BLASTED ORE

The mining process at Milpillas began with the cut-and-fill mining method, ideal for steeply dipping ore bodies. After drilling and blasting, fragmented Copper ore within the underground stopes was scooped up using Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) vehicles, as seen in Photo A. These vehicles efficiently scooped up the broken ore, or “muck,†from the stope floor.
These highly maneuverable LHDs transported the muck over short distances to designated ore passes. These vertical or inclined shafts utilized gravity to move the ore to lower levels of the mine. From there, the muck was transferred to underground crushers for initial size reduction, as seen in Photo B.

Crushing was a fundamental initial processing stage. Large run-of-mine ore, some exceeding a meter in size, first underwent primary crushing in powerful gyratory crushers (Photo C), reducing the ore to a manageable size, typically a few centimeters. Subsequently, secondary and sometimes tertiary crushing stages further decreased the particle size. This meticulous size reduction was crucial for liberating valuable Copper minerals from waste rock and preparing the ore for subsequent grinding and leaching processes, maximizing extraction efficiency.

At Milpillas, the mine utilized a Metso Superior MKIII gyratory crusher (Photo C) as its primary crushing unit. During its lifetime, the crusher underwent several optimization phases to increase the lifespan of wear-prone components, dramatically reducing maintenance downtime from six months to two years. This enhancement led to lower production costs and improved personnel safety. It is interesting to note that the “ball†of the “gyrator†as seen in Photo C was nearly 1.5 meters in diameter, so the whole crusher unit was huge!

After crushing, the ore was transferred onto conveyor belts (Photo D), which transported it to the surface via a hoist shaft, where it then entered the leaching process.

As each horizontal slice of ore was mucked out, the void created was immediately backfilled with a cemented waste material. This backfilling provided vital ground support and created a stable working platform for the subsequent mining cycle of the next slice above, thereby ensuring a continuous and safe mining environment.

Original photos courtesy of Enrique Jimenez (Author: silvia)

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