The first Atlas Copco SmartRig ROC F9C in the United States was delivered to Conco Quarries Inc. of Springfield, Mo., in 2009. Within the first few months, the rig had reduced Conco's drilling costs by 10 to 12 percent. Chris Upp, vice president and general manager of the company's Quarry Division, says the savings came from GPS-positioned layouts and automated drilling. When Conco Quarries first got the rig, it was using 4-in. bits and T51 steel in a 9-ft. × 13-ft. pattern to 27 ft. Drilling up to 2,800 ft. per day and blasting twice a week, the goal was for 100,000 tons drilled with 80,000 tons on the ground all the time. Three years later, the company has found the optimum pattern to consist of 4.5-in. holes to 40 ft. in a 10-ft. × 14-ft. grid. Drilling costs are a steady 10 to 15 percent lower than the previous drill, owing to slower wear on steel, bits and hammers. Powder expenses went down by roughly 20 percent.
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