MacLean Engineering is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its 900 Series Scissor Bolter, a ground support system that has significantly improved underground mining safety and increased productivity.
The company delivered its first Scissor Bolter in 1984 to McCreedy West Mine, then operated by Inco Ltd. The bolter was designed in response to serious ground support challenges experienced at the underground mine located in the northern part of the Sudbury Basin.
MacLean Engineering founder Don MacLean developed the safer bolting mechanism in consultation with the mining company to help prevent falls of ground.
“We spent the period of April 1983 to April 1984 testing the designs and having discussions with various people within Inco’s organization, and also at Falconbridge, Kidd Creek and J.S. Redpath,” recalled MacLean.
“The concept was right, but we had to go back to the drawing board a number of times and refine it and to add features,” said MacLean.
The Scissor Bolter that offers semi-mechanized ground support, allowing the operator to change the type of rock bolt by changing the dolly.
Originally designed for Inco, the Scissor Bolter has also been purchased by several other Canadian mining companies and has been introduced to the U.S., Mexico, Peru and South Africa.
“We’ve come this far because the mining industry supported us,” said MacLean, a professional engineer.
Founded in 1973, MacLean Engineering provides engineering solutions to the global underground, hard rock mining industry. The company’s product line includes equipment for ground support and ore flow facilitation, as well as the Mine-Mate series of utility vehicles.
Design and manufacturing occur in Collingwood and Owen Sound, Ontario, while sales and service branches are located in Sudbury; Val-d'Or, Quebec; Thompson, Manitoba; Creighton, Saskatchewan; Phalaborwa, South Africa and Perth, Australia.
