Simba Junior

The Simba Junior is a compact ring-drilling rig for underground mines and tunnels. It drills through a full 360 degrees at any angle for long-hole and fan drilling in small headings from around a 3 metre radius, and dismantles into sub-assemblies for moving between levels.

Ring drilling is how narrow orebodies are mined without the capital cost of a full jumbo fleet. The Simba Junior mounts a drifter on a rotating feed that indexes around the heading, so a complete fan of production holes is drilled from one setup.

Vikay supplies the rig in three configurations: a standard version, a mini version for the tightest headings, and a lateral-movement version that traverses the setup without re-collaring the rig. All three break down into sub-assemblies light enough to be carried through a raise or dropped down a winze, which is the practical reason small mines choose this class of rig over a tracked jumbo.

Applications include long-hole production drilling, ring and fan drilling, drifting and tunnel development. Aftermarket spares including feed beams, cradles, guide rails, motor housings and eccentric shafts are listed under Atlas Copco Simba Junior parts.

Related: Mining Equipment

- Long-hole and ring or fan production drilling in underground metal mines and tunnels, particularly narrow headings where a full-size drill rig cannot be set up.

- It is designed for small headings from roughly a 3 metre radius, and drills through a full 360 degrees at any angle from a single setup.

- Yes. It dismantles into sub-assemblies that can be handled through raises and narrow accesses and reassembled on the new level.