DRILL RIG NEWS Atlas Copco Makes Inroads in Philippines

PHILIPPINES Atlas Copco CS Series drill rigs are taking on the tantalizing geology of the Philippines. For the past 2-1/2 years, UNITED PHILIPPINES DRILLING (UPD) has been running a fleet of nine CS-1000 P6C diamond drills from ATLAS COPCO EXPLORATION PRODUCTION. The hunt is on for gold and copper.

The holes that UPD is drilling average 1,000-metres-deep including up to 300 metres of overburden consisting of volcanic tuffs, mudstones and broken andesite. Drilling is slow, as much as two months to complete a hole. The drillers rely on Atlas Copco TUFF rods for added drill string confidence in such hard, fractured rock.

UPD director Allan Blackley says the size and capacity of the CS-1000s make them ideal rigs for the mountains and heavily forested Philippine terrain. "This country is environmentally sensitive with a lack of infrastructure, and the rough terrain makes travel very arduous," he said. "The CS-1000 rigs are small enough we can winch them from site to site, yet powerful enough to handle difficult drilling conditions in broken volcanics. Pound for pound, these rigs have really performed beyond our expectations."

Find all the technical details that have made the CS-1000 a favourite of UPD in the mining and construction section at www.AtlasCopco.com. Or phone Stan Stewart in North Bay, Ont., at 800-465-8490.