Latest additions to the MacLean EV Series mobile equipment product line round out company’s offer for zero-emissions ground support installation

The commercial release of the latest additions to the MacLean EV SeriesTM fleet of diesel-free mining vehicles was marked yesterday with a live launch event from underground at the company’s Research and Training Facility in Greater Sudbury. The combination of the ss5 Shotcrete Sprayer and TM3 Transmixer now provide underground mining companies with an additional option for zero-emissions ground support installation from MacLean, either from the new battery electric sprayer and tumbler combination or from battery electric rock bolting using the 975 Omnia EV Bolter, launched in 2016.

The ss5 product launch milestone not only marks the first-ever MacLean battery electric sprayer and industry first articulated EV sprayer specifically designed for the underground mining application, it also represents a complete re-design of the
MacLean shotcrete sprayer from the wheels up. This includes a new carrier and a new, ergonomically designed operator’s cab with greatly enhanced visibility and noise attenuation to support in-cab spraying. In addition, new dosing control and real-time thickness measurement technologies have been integrated into the ss5 design to reduce the amount of process chemicals used as well as improve the quality and reduce the quantity of shotcrete applied.

The new and improved MacLean ss5 and TM3 offer the mining industry a solution tailored to the application and the underground environment. The launch of the two latest MacLean battery electric mining vehicles means the company can now offer a complete, full-fleet electrification across the ground support, secondary reduction, and utility vehicle product lines.

“We knew with ss5 design we had a great opportunity to build on the success of the first EV unit MacLean introduced to the mining world back in 2016, the 975 Omnia Bolter, to give customers a complete solution for diesel-free operations within
the ground support portion of the mining cycle,” notes Jonathan Lavallee, global product manager for the MacLean shotcrete product line. “Having access to a test decline right in our own backyard in Greater Sudbury made the process of fine tuning the unit’s design both more rapid and more successful in terms of being able to offer the industry a zero DPM, ‘no boots on the ground’ shotcreting solution that delivers substantive improvements in safety as well as installation efficiency and quality.”

“Having an applied research lab to connect the fit-for-purpose engineered design work being undertaken by our Advanced Vehicle Technology team with our manufacturing expertise and underground mining experience, has proven to an accelerator for our ability to deliver tech-enabled mining vehicle solutions to customers around the globe,” adds Patrick Marshall, Vice President of Product Management at MacLean. “When we say, ‘we build for life underground’, this is what we mean - I can’t wait to see these battery electric units working together at mines around the globe.”