Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

    Geomechanics.io

    Geomechanics, Streamlined.

    © 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

    Geomechanics.io

    CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

    Industries

    MiningConstructionTunnelling

    Company

    Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Product
    Sustainability

    Sandvik’s higher recycled carbide in PowerCarbide: drilling impacts for engineers

    September 3, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    Sandvik is raising recycled carbide content in its premium PowerCarbide® rock drilling grades from about 50% to as much as 75%, cutting dependence on virgin tungsten and cobalt while keeping wear resistance and penetration performance for hard-rock blasthole and drifting applications. Announced at its Future of Mining 2026 event, the move relies on closed-loop recovery of worn drill bits and inserts from mine sites. For drill-and-blast engineers, the change offers lower embedded CO₂ in consumables without altering bit selection, drilling parameters or expected service life.

    Technical Brief

    • Similar closed-loop schemes could be extended to raise recycled content in other cemented carbide tooling lines.

    Our Take

    Across our Mining coverage, Sandvik’s Future of Mining 2026 presence in Tampere is dominated by automation, electrification and AI themes; pushing recycled carbide content in PowerCarbide into the 75% range signals that tooling sustainability is being elevated to the same strategic tier as digital and battery-electric systems.

    The concurrent SEK260 million expansion of Sandvik’s Tampere rock drill plant suggests that higher recycled carbide content is being engineered to scale in core production, which is likely to give OEM customers a lower embedded-carbon option without changing drill fleet suppliers.

    For mines evaluating Deswik NOVA and other Sandvik digital tools, higher recycled content in wear parts provides an additional lever for ESG reporting, as it allows operators to claim incremental Scope 3 reductions tied directly to drill and bit procurement choices.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    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.

    Related Articles

    Meeka hits nameplate at Andy Well: throughput and ore sorting lens for planners
    Mining
    about 3 hours ago

    Meeka hits nameplate at Andy Well: throughput and ore sorting lens for planners

    Meeka Metals has reached its nameplate 600,000 tonnes per annum processing rate at the Andy Well gold operation in Western Australia, with the plant running at an annualised ~600ktpa through July and August and recording higher peak throughput over the period. An ore sorter is scheduled for commissioning in October, targeting higher feed grades and reduced mill load by rejecting low-grade material ahead of the existing circuit. For plant and mine planners, stable operation at nameplate before adding pre-concentration reduces ramp-up risk and supports more predictable metallurgical performance.

    Greenland Mines’ Sarfartoq rare earth acquisition: NPV, IRR and mine plan lens
    Mining
    about 3 hours ago

    Greenland Mines’ Sarfartoq rare earth acquisition: NPV, IRR and mine plan lens

    Greenland Mines has closed its US$35 million acquisition of the Sarfartoq rare earth project from Neo Performance Materials, securing a carbonatite-hosted NdPr deposit near Kangerlussuaq, about 60 km from Greenland’s main international airport. An independent Initial Assessment on the ST1 deposit alone, which occupies under 1% of the 191 km² licence, reports a pre-tax NPV of ~US$2.05 billion and IRR of 118.6%, based on Indicated and Inferred resources and a nine-year mine plan. The company plans immediate infill drilling, pilot-scale metallurgical test work, mine engineering and expanded environmental and social baseline studies to advance to pre-feasibility.

    Maritana’s Boorara drilling and 2027 restart: planning insights for mine engineers
    Mining
    about 3 hours ago

    Maritana’s Boorara drilling and 2027 restart: planning insights for mine engineers

    Maritana Minerals has completed over 17,000m of reverse-circulation drilling in 119 holes at the Boorara gold project near Kalgoorlie, progressing it as the first planned ore source for the Black Swan processing hub ahead of a targeted mid-2027 restart. The campaign focuses on resource conversion and was run in parallel with grade-control drilling to tighten pre-production mine planning. For geotechnical and mine design teams, the dense drilling grid should materially refine orebody geometry, grade continuity and pit optimisation for the initial restart phase.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental