Sandvik raise boring lifting solutions: design and safety notes for mine teams
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Sandvik has launched two certified lifting solutions for raise boring maintenance: a patented cutter lifting tool and a reamer lifting system with removable lifting shackles. The systems replace ad hoc lifting slings wrapped around cutter bodies, giving defined lifting points and controlled orientation when handling heavy raise boring cutters and reamers. For mine maintenance teams, this introduces engineered, certifiable lifting geometry that can be integrated into existing rig maintenance procedures and risk assessments.
Technical Brief
- Patented cutter lifting tool provides a fixed, engineered interface between hoist and individual raise boring cutters.
- Certified reamer lifting system uses removable shackles, allowing standard inspection, tagging and periodic recertification.
- Defined lifting geometry enables predictable load paths, improving rigging design and reducing side‑loading on shackles.
- Engineered attachment points allow pre‑job lift planning with known centres of gravity and rotation behaviour.
- Certification supports compliance with mine lifting standards and statutory requirements for rated lifting accessories.
- Standardised tools simplify inclusion in site lifting registers, inspection regimes and permit‑to‑work systems.
Our Take
Sandvik’s certified lifting solutions for raise boring sit alongside its recent OEM-support collaboration with Eldorado Gold (4 November 2026), signalling a push to lock in lifecycle responsibility for underground equipment performance and safety rather than just selling machines.
The new raise boring safety product complements Sandvik’s large underground fleet orders such as Northern Star Resources’ 25-unit package in Western Australia (23 October 2026), indicating that major gold operators are likely to favour OEMs that can demonstrate integrated, auditable safety systems across both drilling and loading/hauling.
Within our mining database, Sandvik appears frequently in safety-tagged items, from flameproof LS312 loaders in Australian coal to crusher ‘Reborn’ upgrades, and this raise boring solution extends that pattern into shaft development where lifting incidents remain a critical residual risk for owners and contractors.
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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