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    Sandvik DR410i at Copper One: autonomy‑first drilling lessons for mine engineers

    April 24, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Sandvik DR410i at Copper One: autonomy‑first drilling lessons for mine engineers

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    Sandvik Mining has delivered a DR410i rotary drill rig, factory-equipped for autonomous operation with AutoMine Surface Drilling, to Mariana Minerals’ Copper One open-pit copper mine in Utah. Commissioning of the AutoMine system is under way, setting up an autonomy-first drilling operation rather than retrofitting automation onto an existing manual fleet. The deployment will test fully automated rotary drilling in a greenfield context, with implications for blast-hole quality control, shift utilisation and remote operation in similar large-scale copper projects.

    Technical Brief

    • Autonomy-ready configuration reduces future modification downtime compared with converting conventional rotary rigs in-pit.

    Our Take

    Sandvik Mining features heavily across our recent mining coverage, with the Copper One deployment in Utah adding a surface copper application to a portfolio that also includes underground gold (Marmato) and salt (Great Atlantic), signalling a deliberate push to showcase automation across multiple ore types and mining methods.

    Sandvik’s recent acquisition of ThoroughTec Simulation, alongside launches like My Sandvik Geo, indicates that autonomy-first rigs at Copper One are likely to be supported by an expanding digital and training ecosystem, which can materially shorten ramp-up times and de-risk operator acceptance at new sites.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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