CED Underground Drilling: Rigs, Crews, Consumables & Complete Mine Drilling Capability
THE OREBODY DOESN'T STOP WHEN THE MINE GOES UNDERGROUND.
Neither does CED.
Mineral exploration often starts on surface.
Air Core identifies anomalies.
RC drilling tests targets.
Diamond drilling gives geologists the core required to understand the geology.
Eventually, a successful exploration project can become a mine.
And once development moves underground, the drilling requirements change dramatically.
CED's capabilities go underground too.
Cylinder Exploration Drilling can provide underground diamond drilling rigs, drilling consumables, pumps, tooling, critical spares, experienced crews, mechanical support and operational management for underground exploration and mining projects.
From compact underground diamond rigs through to mobile underground drilling systems, CED is developing equipment and services around one objective:
KEEP THE MINE DRILLING.
What Is Underground Diamond Drilling?
Underground diamond drilling allows mining and exploration teams to obtain continuous core from drilling locations established inside an underground mine.
The geological objective may be familiar.
The operating environment is not.
Instead of establishing a drill pad on surface, the rig may operate from a drill bay, development drive or other underground working area.
Space becomes restricted.
Ventilation matters.
Equipment dimensions matter.
Mobilisation matters.
Rod handling matters.
Maintenance access matters.
Water management matters.
And the ability to position the drilling equipment efficiently can have a major influence on the operation.
This is why an underground drill should be selected as an underground drilling system, not simply as a smaller version of a surface machine.
Why Mines Drill Underground
Once access to an orebody has been established underground, drilling from underground positions can provide major geological and operational advantages.
Underground diamond drilling can support:
Resource definition
Infill drilling
Grade-control programmes
Exploration around existing workings
Testing extensions to known mineralisation
Structural interpretation
Mine planning
Geotechnical investigation
Deeper exploration targets
Drilling from underground can also allow geologists to test targets from positions considerably closer to the mineralisation.
Rather than drilling every target from surface, the mine can use existing underground infrastructure to establish new drilling positions.
For mature mining operations, underground drilling can become a continuous part of understanding and developing the orebody.
CED Underground Diamond Drill Rigs
CED has developed a dedicated range of equipment for underground drilling applications.
Our underground portfolio includes the:
CEDUG150
CEDUG200
CEDUG400
alongside additional underground configurations including the UG400 and the mobile SFM7500 underground drilling platform.
Different underground operations require different machines.
A compact drilling location with restricted access may require a very different configuration from a larger mine with established underground infrastructure.
CED can therefore work from the drilling requirement backwards.
What core size is required?
What depths are planned?
What space is available?
How will the equipment enter the mine?
How will it move between drilling locations?
What power and hydraulic infrastructure exists?
How many metres are expected?
Will the operation run single or double shift?
What ground conditions are expected?
Those questions determine the package.
CEDUG150: Compact Underground Diamond Drilling
Underground space is expensive.
Sometimes there simply isn't room for unnecessary equipment.
The CEDUG150 sits at the compact end of CED's underground diamond drilling range and is intended for applications where manoeuvrability and a smaller equipment footprint are important.
Compact underground rigs can be particularly valuable for shorter-hole exploration, geological investigation and drilling locations where larger equipment would create unnecessary logistical problems.
But compact does not mean the supporting system can be ignored.
Rods.
Bits.
Core barrels.
Pumps.
Tooling.
Spares.
Operators.
The rig still needs everything around it to produce reliable metres.
CEDUG200: More Underground Drilling Capability
The CEDUG200 provides another step within CED's underground range for projects requiring additional drilling capacity while maintaining an equipment configuration suited to underground operation.
This type of rig can support mine exploration and resource drilling programmes where geological teams need consistent core production from underground drilling positions.
As always, the machine is only one part of the equation.
Correct setup, experienced operators, appropriate tooling and planned maintenance all contribute to actual drilling performance.
CEDUG400: Serious Underground Exploration Drilling
For more demanding underground programmes, the CEDUG400 provides increased drilling capability.
This brings CED into applications requiring more substantial underground diamond drilling while maintaining the practical considerations necessary for working inside a mine.
Deeper holes place increasing demands on the entire drilling system.
Rod handling becomes more important.
Pump performance matters.
Hole stability matters.
Bit selection matters.
Drilling-fluid management matters.
Maintenance matters.
And operator experience becomes increasingly important.
Depth exposes weaknesses in a drilling system very quickly.
That is why CED looks at the complete package rather than simply quoting a rig.
SFM7500: A Different Approach to Underground Mobility
CED's underground capability also includes the SFM7500, part of the wider SFM mobile drilling and exploration equipment series.
The philosophy behind the SFM range is mobility.
For underground applications, moving drilling equipment efficiently between work areas can have significant operational value.
The SFM7500 applies that thinking to underground drilling, creating another option for mines looking at mobile drilling capability rather than relying exclusively on conventional static configurations.
It also connects underground drilling with CED's broader strategy:
Build equipment around how it will actually be mobilised and operated.
Underground Drilling Is a Space Management Exercise
On surface, there is often considerably more freedom around equipment placement.
Underground, every dimension matters.
The rig has to fit.
The rods need somewhere to go.
The crew needs working space.
Core needs to be handled.
Hoses and services need routing.
Maintenance access needs consideration.
The drilling direction needs to align with the geological target.
And all of this needs to happen without unnecessarily interfering with other mine activities.
That is why underground drilling equipment must be designed around practical operation.
A specification sheet can tell you torque, pullback and rotational speed.
It doesn't tell you whether the crew can efficiently operate the machine in the available space.
Real underground productivity happens in the details.
Underground Drilling Consumables
A drill rig without the correct consumables is simply parked machinery.
CED can supply the underground diamond drilling equipment together with the consumables required around it.
Depending on the drilling programme, that can include:
Diamond drill rods
Core barrels
Inner tubes
Diamond bits
Reaming shells
Core lifters
Casing systems
Drilling fluids and muds
Lubricants
Tooling
Service consumables
Critical spare parts
Consumable planning should be based on expected metreage, core diameter, geology, drilling schedule and the ability to replenish stock.
For remote mines, this becomes even more important.
Drilling Fluids Still Matter Underground
Being underground doesn't make difficult ground disappear.
Fractured formations.
Water inflow.
Hole instability.
Lost circulation.
Swelling formations.
Changing geology.
All can influence drilling performance.
The correct drilling-fluid programme can help improve hole stability, cuttings transport, lubrication and overall drilling conditions.
CED can incorporate drilling muds and fluids into the underground drilling package rather than leaving the client to source critical operational consumables separately.
Again:
The rig is only the start.
Pumps: The Equipment Nobody Talks About Until There's a Problem
Diamond drilling requires circulation.
That makes the pump an essential part of the drilling system.
CED can configure appropriate pump packages alongside its underground rigs depending on the drilling application.
Pump capacity, expected depth, drilling diameter and ground conditions all need consideration.
Treating the pump as an afterthought is a good way to create unnecessary problems later.
The rig, pump, drill string and fluid system should be considered together.
Underground Drillers Make the Difference
There is an enormous difference between owning underground drilling equipment and running a productive underground drilling operation.
Experienced operators understand:
Drilling parameters
Ground changes
Bit performance
Rod handling
Core recovery
Hole stability
Pump performance
Equipment behaviour
Preventative maintenance
Early signs of mechanical problems
Those decisions accumulate across every shift.
The result can be the difference between productive drilling and constant downtime.
CED can provide experienced underground drillers, supervisors and mechanical personnel alongside equipment where required.
Mechanical Support Is Part of Production
Underground drilling equipment works hard.
Waiting for something to fail before thinking about maintenance is rarely a sensible strategy.
CED places significant emphasis on preventative maintenance.
Daily inspections.
Scheduled servicing.
Hydraulic checks.
Lubrication.
Rod and tooling inspection.
Pump maintenance.
Critical spare-part management.
Small problems are considerably easier to solve before they become large ones.
And underground, recovering or repairing equipment can be considerably more complicated than simply bringing a service truck onto a surface drill pad.
Maintenance isn't lost production. Good maintenance protects production.
From Exploration to Underground Mine Development
CED's wider drilling capability means we can support clients across multiple stages of the mining lifecycle.
Greenfield exploration.
Air Core.
RC drilling.
Surface Diamond Core.
Resource definition.
Mine development.
Underground Diamond Drilling.
Production drilling.
Drill & blast.
This creates an important commercial advantage for clients looking for a drilling partner capable of understanding what happens beyond the immediate programme.
The drilling method changes as the project develops.
CED's role can develop with it.
Equipment Supply or a Complete Underground Drilling Package
Some mining companies already have experienced underground drilling teams.
They need equipment.
CED can supply it.
Other projects require significantly more support.
CED can build a wider package incorporating:
Underground drill rig.
Diamond drilling consumables.
Pumps.
Drilling fluids.
Tooling.
Critical spares.
Experienced drillers.
Mechanical fitters.
Supervision.
Operational support.
The package should match the mine.
Not the other way around.
Supporting Underground Gold, Copper and Base-Metal Mines
Underground diamond drilling is used across a wide range of commodities.
Gold.
Copper.
Nickel.
Zinc.
Lead.
Silver.
Critical minerals.
And other underground mining operations where continued geological understanding is essential to mine planning and resource development.
CED's international focus also means our equipment and operational services are designed with remote and developing mining jurisdictions firmly in mind.
For mines operating far from major service centres, equipment support, spare parts and consumable planning become even more important.
CED Is More Than Surface Exploration
CED started with a heavy focus on exploration drilling.
That remains fundamental to what we do.
But the capability is getting broader.
Surface Diamond Drilling.
Man-Portable & Heli-Portable Drilling.
RC Drilling.
Air Core.
Auger.
Water Well.
Underground Diamond Drilling.
Production Drilling.
Drill & Blast.
Then the systems required around them:
Compressors. Pumps. Generators. Consumables. Spares. Crews. Maintenance. Management.
The objective is straightforward.
We want clients to be able to come to CED with a drilling requirement rather than simply a shopping list.
Tell us what needs drilling.
We'll work backwards from there.
Planning an Underground Diamond Drilling Programme?
Talk to CED about the complete requirement.
Tell us:
Where is the mine?
What commodity are you drilling?
What core sizes are required?
What hole depths are planned?
What underground dimensions and access restrictions exist?
How many metres are expected?
How many shifts will the operation run?
What equipment is already available?
What level of operational support is required?
CED can then look at the appropriate underground drilling rig, pumps, consumables, spares and personnel for the project.
SURFACE OR UNDERGROUND.
EQUIPMENT OR COMPLETE OPERATION.
CED HAS THE CAPABILITY TO KEEP DRILLING.
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