Multi-Disciplinary Engineering Research and Development Skills for Mining – A Case Study

摘要

This paper discusses how advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), which is fundamentally reliant on and developed via multi-disciplinary skills, has benefi tted non-mining industries, and what lessons can be derived from this experience to benefi t the mining industry, particularly underground coal mining. Examples of AMT use in ‘conventional’ industry, some drawn from the more than 25 years experience in many different industries of the Automation and Robotics team at the University of Wollongong, are described to show typical benefi ts, risks and opportunities expected in using AMT. Applying AMT to mining brings many unique challenges and this paper expands on these and then provides practical examples of how a multi-disciplinary team can develop new processes and systems leading to productivity, safety and other benefi ts for underground coal mining.