Underground » Mining Technology and Production
The aim of this project was to develop an industry based conformance process for specification and acceptance testing of LASC compliance devices and applications. This compliance process will ensure that industry retains the flexibility of interchangeable components that are compatible with LASC technology.
A set of software tools was produced to assist specification and conformance testing of OEM implementations against existing open LASC specifications. The framework for this process is also able to accommodate future automation systems. Both manufacturers and customers will have open access to the software tools and each can test OEM automation systems for conformance with the LASC (and future) specifications.
The conformance process has been documented, including details on how to publicise the fact that a particular device has been verified to industry. Other areas in the coal industry have observed the benefits of the open specification concept to technology transfer in longwall automation. These include:
· Continuous miner automation (miner autonomous navigation, bolting automation);
· Open cut (dragline and shovel automation); and
· Coal Preparation (plant automation).
A benefit of this project is that the success of automation technology transfer in longwall automation will be facilitated in other areas of the coal industry.
THE FINAL REPORT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE ACARP WEB SITE