CED100: Small Rig. Big Exploration Ambitions.
Why mobilise a massive drill rig when all you need to do is punch a few shallow exploration holes?
Not every mineral exploration programme starts with a thousand-metre diamond hole, a fleet of support trucks and a drilling pad the size of a football pitch.
Sometimes, you need to get into the ground, recover quality core, understand the geology and work out where to drill next.
Simple enough.
Until the exploration target happens to be halfway up a mountain, deep inside a tropical jungle or several days from the nearest usable road.
Suddenly, getting a drill rig to the target becomes a project in itself.
Enter the CED100.
A compact diamond core drilling rig designed for shallow-hole mineral exploration, remote-access drilling and projects where conventional drilling equipment may be more machine than the job actually requires.
And this week, we're taking you Inside CED to see exactly what this little rig brings to the exploration party.
1. Watch the CED100 tracked diamond drill rig in action
FEATURED VIDEO
CED100 tracked diamond core drill rig
Embed this week's CED100 social media video here, showing the tracked rig operating in its exploration configuration.
The CED100 shown in this week's video is mounted on tracks, giving exploration teams a compact, mobile drilling platform for projects where access and manoeuvrability matter.
The tracked configuration is particularly relevant to exploration programmes involving uneven ground, restricted drill pads and multiple shallow drilling targets.
Rather than mobilising a much larger machine for every exploration programme, the CED100 offers a smaller equipment footprint for suitable drilling applications.
But the tracked configuration is only part of the story.
The real attraction is the ability to approach different exploration projects with different mobilisation strategies.
2. One drill rig. Multiple deployment options.
Tracked diamond drilling
The CED100 tracked configuration provides ground mobility for exploration programmes where access routes permit tracked equipment but larger drill trucks may be impractical.
It can be considered for shallow-hole drilling campaigns involving multiple targets, restricted work areas and challenging site access.
A close-up look at the CED100's operator controls, highlighting the engineering and attention to detail behind our compact diamond core drilling equipment.
Designed around the practical demands of exploration drilling, the CED100 brings essential drilling functions together in a compact operator interface, supporting controlled drilling operations in challenging field environments.
Man-portable diamond drilling
Sometimes, there is no practical vehicle access to the drilling target.
Man-portable drilling systems use smaller, transportable components that can be moved into remote exploration locations and assembled at the drill site.
CED can discuss modular drilling configurations for projects where equipment weight, transport routes and access restrictions dictate the mobilisation strategy.
Heli-portable diamond drilling
When roads disappear altogether, helicopter-supported mobilisation may become the practical route to the exploration target.
Heli-portable drilling requires more than a compact rig. Equipment must be configured around transportable component weights, helicopter lift capacity, site access and the complete drilling support package.
CED can supply modular drilling equipment and support remote drilling programmes involving helicopter mobilisation.
The key is selecting the right configuration for the actual project. A tracked rig, a man-portable system and a heli-portable drilling package have different transport and operational requirements.
Small doesn't mean one-size-fits-all.
3. Shallow-hole exploration: get the geology before you go big
Early-stage mineral exploration is about building an understanding of what is happening beneath the surface.
Before committing to deeper drilling campaigns, exploration teams may need to investigate near-surface mineralisation, test geological interpretations, collect core samples and identify potential follow-up targets.
This is where compact diamond core drilling equipment can make commercial and operational sense.
Diamond drilling recovers cylindrical rock core, allowing geologists to examine lithology, alteration, mineralisation and geological structures.
For suitable shallow-hole programmes, a compact drilling system can help exploration teams collect that information without automatically committing to the mobilisation requirements of a larger drilling fleet.
Potential applications include:
Gold exploration and near-surface mineralisation.
Copper exploration and geological target testing.
Lithium and critical-mineral exploration.
Geological mapping and structural investigations.
Early-stage exploration drilling and follow-up target definition.
Of course, the correct drilling equipment depends on the required hole depth, core diameter, ground conditions, access and geological objectives.
A small rig is not automatically the right rig.
The right rig is the one that can safely and effectively deliver the geological information the programme requires.
4. Remote exploration: the rig is only half the battle
Here's where things get interesting.
You can have a fantastic diamond drill rig, a perfectly planned exploration programme and a geological target that has everyone excited.
But if you can't get the equipment to the drill pad, you're not drilling anything.
Remote exploration programmes introduce a completely different set of challenges.
Equipment weight, helicopter lift capacity, access routes, water supply, fuel, drilling fluids, consumables, personnel and spare parts all need to be considered before mobilisation.
A heli-portable drilling programme in the Pacific, for example, presents different logistical challenges from a man-portable exploration programme in West Africa.
The geology may be different. The ground conditions may be different. The available transport infrastructure may be different.
And the support package needs to be designed accordingly.
This is why CED doesn't simply look at the drill rig.
We look at the entire drilling programme.
This detailed view of the CED100's control system highlights the hydraulic engineering behind the machine, with operator controls designed to manage essential drilling functions.
For remote exploration projects, practical equipment design, accessible controls and serviceability are important considerations when selecting a diamond drilling rig.
5. CED100: More than a compact diamond drill rig
The CED100 is part of CED's wider range of exploration drilling equipment, covering compact shallow-hole systems through to larger diamond drilling, Reverse Circulation and Air Core drilling packages.
But we don't stop at manufacturing the machine.
At Cylinder Exploration Drilling, we can support exploration companies and drilling contractors with the equipment, consumables and experienced personnel required to execute their drilling programmes.
The complete CED exploration package
Diamond core drilling rigs and modular drilling equipment
Man-portable, heli-portable and tracked drilling configurations
Drill rods, core barrels, bits and diamond drilling consumables
Mud pumps, drilling fluids and supporting equipment
Operational spares, tooling and maintenance support
Experienced drillers, mechanical fitters and supervisors
Contract drilling and exploration programme management
That gives our customers options.
You may already have an experienced drilling team and simply need the right rig and consumables.
You may be an exploration company looking to purchase your own equipment but require experienced personnel to operate it.
Or you may need CED to help build and manage a complete remote exploration drilling programme from the ground up.
We can have that conversation.
And that's where the CED100 becomes more than just another compact drilling rig.
It becomes part of a wider exploration solution.
6. From West Africa to South America and the Pacific
The need for compact, mobile exploration drilling equipment is not limited to one commodity or one part of the world.
In West Africa, exploration teams may need to investigate gold targets in areas with limited road access.
In South America, tropical vegetation, mountainous terrain and remote exploration concessions can complicate equipment mobilisation.
Across the Pacific, island geography, steep terrain and helicopter-dependent access can make drilling logistics particularly demanding.
Different locations. Different geological targets. Different challenges.
But one common requirement:
Get the right drilling equipment to the target and start collecting geological data.
CED's range of compact diamond drilling equipment, supported by our wider manufacturing and drilling services capabilities, allows us to discuss solutions tailored to these different exploration environments.
Whether you're planning a shallow-hole drilling campaign, evaluating man-portable drilling equipment or considering a helicopter-supported diamond drilling programme, the starting point should always be the same.
What does the exploration programme actually need?
Then we build the drilling solution around it.
7. Small rig. Big exploration ambitions.
The CED100 isn't trying to be the biggest drill rig on the planet.
It doesn't need to be.
Its purpose is to provide a compact diamond drilling solution for suitable shallow-hole exploration programmes where equipment size, mobility and access matter.
And when the project demands something different, CED has a wider range of drilling rigs, support equipment, consumables and experienced personnel to draw upon.
Because exploration doesn't always start with a massive drilling fleet.
Sometimes it starts with a small rig, a geological target and a team determined to find out what's beneath their feet.
SMALL FOOTPRINT. SERIOUS EXPLORATION CAPABILITY. GLOBAL SUPPORT.
Planning your next exploration drilling programme?
Whether you're looking for a CED100 tracked diamond drill rig, man-portable or heli-portable drilling equipment, or a complete exploration drilling package, we'd like to hear what you're planning.
Tell us where you're drilling, what you're targeting, your expected hole depths and the access challenges you're facing.
We'll help you explore the equipment and support options available.
This close-up showcases the machine's drilling controls and compact component layout, demonstrating how essential operating functions are incorporated into a smaller exploration drilling platform.
When equipment needs to be transported into remote locations, every component matters. Compact design, operational control and practical maintenance access all need to be considered together.
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