CED100: Man-Portable & Heli-Portable Diamond Drilling for Remote Mineral Exploration

When the Target Is Remote, Your Drill Rig Needs to Go Further

Some of the world's most interesting mineral exploration targets are also the hardest to reach.

Mountains, tropical rainforest, islands, steep terrain and exploration licences without established roads can make conventional drilling equipment difficult, expensive or sometimes impossible to mobilise.

But when the road ends, exploration does not have to.

The CED100 Diamond Core Drill Rig has been designed specifically for man-portable, heli-portable and remote-access diamond drilling, giving exploration companies a compact drilling solution for geological targets where mobility is critical.

The CED100 can be broken down into manageable components for transportation by helicopter, aircraft or manual mobilisation, helping exploration teams get drilling equipment closer to the geology without requiring the infrastructure associated with much larger drill rigs.

For early-stage mineral exploration in difficult terrain, that capability can completely change how a drilling programme is approached.

CED100 Built for Remote Mineral Exploration — The CED100 Diamond Core Drill Rig during production, engineered as a compact drilling solution for man-portable, heli-portable and difficult-access mineral exploration programmes.

A Diamond Drill Rig Designed Around Access

Exploration drilling normally focuses on depth, torque and drilling capacity.

In remote exploration, there is another question that needs to be answered first:

How are you going to get the drill rig there?

A powerful machine is of little value if it cannot reach the drill pad.

The CED100 has therefore been developed around a different philosophy. It combines diamond drilling capability with a compact, modular design that allows the equipment to be transported into locations where conventional track-mounted and truck-mounted drill rigs may struggle to operate.

This makes the CED100 particularly suitable for:

• Man-portable diamond drilling

• Heli-portable diamond drilling

• Helicopter-supported exploration

• Remote-access mineral exploration

• Scout drilling

• Greenfield exploration

• Geological investigation

• Difficult-access drilling programmes

Heli-Portable Diamond Drilling

Helicopters can completely change the logistics of exploration in remote terrain.

Instead of constructing significant access roads simply to move heavy drilling equipment, heli-portable drilling systems allow equipment and supplies to be moved directly between staging areas and remote drill pads.

The CED100's modular construction allows the rig to be broken down for transportation and subsequently reassembled at the drilling location.

For suitable exploration programmes, this can provide major advantages in terms of access, mobilisation and flexibility.

Helicopter-supported drilling can be particularly relevant in:

• Mountainous exploration areas

• Tropical rainforest

• Remote islands

• Steep terrain

• Environmentally sensitive exploration areas

• Projects with limited road infrastructure

• Early-stage exploration licences

The objective is straightforward: get the drill rig to the target rather than building the project around the limitations of the drill rig.

Compact Engineering for Heli-Portable Drilling — CED100 equipment being prepared during production. Its modular design allows the drilling system to be broken down for transportation into remote exploration locations where conventional drilling equipment cannot easily operate.

Man-Portable Drilling for the Hardest-to-Reach Targets

Not every exploration target can be reached directly by vehicle or even helicopter.

The ability to break drilling equipment into smaller components creates another option for projects where the final mobilisation needs to be completed manually.

Man-portable drilling can provide exploration teams with greater flexibility when investigating targets in extremely difficult terrain.

This is particularly valuable during early-stage exploration, where constructing major access infrastructure before the geological potential of a target has been established may not make commercial sense.

A compact diamond drilling system allows geological teams to obtain core and improve their understanding of the subsurface before committing to larger drilling programmes.

CED100 for Early-Stage Mineral Exploration

The CED100 is CED's smallest diamond drill rig and has been developed specifically around compact and remote exploration requirements.

It is well suited to scout and early-stage drilling programmes targeting commodities including:

• Gold

• Copper

• Lithium

• Nickel

• Rare earth elements

• Critical minerals

• Base metals

Early-stage drilling is often about answering fundamental geological questions quickly.

Is the target mineralised?

What does the geology look like at depth?

Does the structure continue?

Is there enough evidence to justify a larger drilling campaign?

Diamond core provides exploration geologists with valuable geological information, while a compact drilling platform can help reduce the logistical footprint required to obtain it.

From Production Facility to the Exploration Target — A CED100 during production and assembly before deployment. CED supports the rig with diamond drilling consumables, rods, bits, drilling fluids, critical spares and experienced drilling personnel.

Remote Drilling Requires More Than a Portable Rig

Getting a drill rig onto the pad is only the beginning.

Remote drilling operations need to remain supplied once drilling starts.

Drill rods, core barrels, diamond bits, drilling muds, fluids, fuel, spare parts, tooling and personnel all need to reach the same remote location.

That is why CED approaches heli-portable and remote-access drilling as a complete operational system rather than simply a drill rig.

CED can supply:

• CED100 Diamond Core Drill Rig

• Diamond drill rods

• Core barrels and inner tubes

• Diamond drill bits

• Reaming shells

• Drilling muds and fluids

• Pumps

• Tooling

• Critical spare parts

• Drilling consumables

• Technical support

• Experienced drilling personnel

The package can be developed around the planned metreage, geology, hole size and logistical constraints of the individual project.

Critical Spares Become Even More Important in Remote Exploration

A missing component can cause downtime on any drilling programme.

On a helicopter-supported project hundreds of kilometres from established infrastructure, that same missing component can become a serious operational problem.

CED therefore places considerable emphasis on identifying critical drilling spares before mobilisation.

The objective is not to send unnecessary equipment into the field. It is to understand which components could stop the operation and ensure sensible contingency stock is available.

This approach becomes increasingly important as exploration moves further into difficult and remote jurisdictions.

Experienced Heli-Portable Drilling Personnel

Portable equipment still requires experienced people.

In remote drilling operations, the quality of the drilling crew can have an even greater impact because logistical support is limited and problems often need to be solved on site.

Operators need to understand the drill rig, ground conditions, drilling fluids, core recovery, equipment maintenance and the practical limitations created by helicopter or manual logistics.

CED can provide experienced drillers, supervisors and mechanical personnel alongside our drilling equipment.

For clients requiring greater operational involvement, CED can also support complete drilling operations.

Purpose-Built for Exploration Beyond the Road — The CED100 Diamond Drill Rig in production, built around mobility, simplicity and reliable diamond drilling performance for remote projects where helicopter or man-portable mobilisation may be required.

CED Turnkey Remote Diamond Drilling Solutions

CED's capability extends beyond manufacturing the CED100.

We can work with exploration companies to build a complete remote diamond drilling package around the requirements of the programme.

That can include:

Drill Rig. Drill String. Core Barrels. Bits. Muds. Consumables. Spares. Operators. Technical Support.

One integrated drilling solution.

For exploration companies entering remote areas or jurisdictions where established drilling infrastructure is limited, having the equipment and operational support coming from one source can considerably simplify project planning.

From the CED100 to Deeper Exploration Drilling

Not every exploration programme remains shallow.

A successful scout drilling campaign can quickly develop into a larger resource drilling programme requiring greater depth capability and larger equipment.

CED supplies a wider range of diamond core drilling rigs and turnkey exploration drilling systems, allowing clients to move from compact early-stage exploration equipment into larger and deeper drilling solutions as projects develop.

The CED100 therefore represents one end of a much broader CED diamond drilling capability.

The appropriate rig ultimately depends on target depth, drilling diameter, geology, access and project requirements.

Built for Exploration Beyond the Road

Mineral exploration is increasingly moving into areas where conventional infrastructure is limited.

The next gold, copper, lithium or critical minerals discovery is not necessarily sitting beside an established road.

Exploration companies therefore need drilling equipment capable of adapting to the geography of the project.

The CED100 man-portable and heli-portable diamond drill rig has been developed for exactly these environments.

Compact enough to mobilise into difficult terrain. Capable of obtaining diamond core. Supported by the consumables, spares and experienced personnel required to keep the programme operating.

When the target is remote, your drill rig needs to go further.

Planning a Heli-Portable or Man-Portable Drilling Programme?

If your company is considering a heli-portable diamond drilling, man-portable drilling or remote-access mineral exploration programme, talk to CED about the project.

Tell us the location, expected geology, target depths, hole diameter, planned metreage and mobilisation constraints.

CED can develop a complete drilling solution around the requirements of the exploration programme.

CED100 — getting the drill rig to the geology when conventional access isn't an option.