About to celebrate its 16th birthday the ROC F6 has proved to be a steady and reliable work horse.
Singleton Birch Ltd have been quarrying Lincolnshire chalk since 1815, growing to establish themselves as a global supplier of lime products and services. In 2022, Singleton Birch became part of the MLC family of businesses, an international supplier of high-quality products and technical services related to lime, focused on using the essential mineral lime to support the evolving needs of society, with a commitment to safety, sustainability, and service.
Having relied upon the ROC F6 down-the-hole drill rig for nearly 16 years, the Melton Ross limestone quarry was keen to replace it with a fuel efficient and more productive drill rig. Although problematic in the last few years, they had found the F6 to be a reliable work horse and Epiroc to be a trusted, long term business partner, supplying and supporting them with surface drilling equipment, consumables and aftermarket support, so were keen to purchase another Epiroc rig.
The Epiroc FlexiROC D50 has increased Singleton Birch’s productivity significantly whilst also reducing fuel consumption.
"It was immediately apparent that we could achieve the significant increases in both productivity and efficiency that we were looking for with the FlexiROC.. In fact our initial assessment of using the new rig is that it has halved the time spent drilling, and has significantly reduced our fuel consumption, so further contributing to our sustainability targets."
The FlexiROC D50 offers the optimum combination of air flow and air pressure which means high drilling economy and productivity. Built on a proven platform to ensure reliability and efficiency and fitted with a standard feed, the FlexiROC excels at production drilling. The reliable Epiroc DTH hammer is matched with a powerful air compressor – a proven and effective team even in the toughest mining conditions.
As well as reducing running costs, Singleton Birch’s commitment to reducing their environmental footprint meant that fuel consumption of the new rig was a key factor. Inside the cabin a lot of thought has been given to the layout of controls to provide an ergonomically designed and comfortable working environment for the operators.
"The FlexiROC’s system is both intuitive and easy to learn – and presents live information to the operator. All four operators at the quarry have been impressed with the new rig, and appreciate the increased productivity and ease of use."
"Our drillers have found the FlexiROC D50 to be easy to operate and really appreciate the comfortable cabin. With the D50’s 25 Bar compressor achieving a much higher percussion rate we have seen a significant increase in productivity from the shot firing team, combined with a reduction in fuel consumption. We really appreciate the continuing support the Epiroc team are providing to ensure that we really get the most out of the new machine. The new FlexiROC drill rig is at the heart of our operations here, as it is responsible for feeding the lime processing plant with over 1 million tons of material each year, so reliability and dependability are key."
