Underground Drillrigs LaunchAfter the Rocket Boomer E2, Atlas Copco has added a new member to the Rocket Boomer E-series family: the Rocket Boomer XE3, a three-boom drill rig. The Rocket Boomer XE3 incorporates all the features introduced with the Rocket Boomer E2: the new BUT 45 boom, the third generation Rig Control System and the possibility to add the COP 3038, the fastest rock drill in the world, but now with even larger coverage area of 206 sq m, thanks to the added boom. Click here and here.The first two Rocket Boomer XE3 have been purchased by Veidekke of Norway, to be used for the E16 road project between Woyen and Isi (click no/63). The 3.9 km project includes two dual-lane tunnels named Brenne (1.1 km) and Berghoff (1,440 m). The first Rocket Boomer XE3 was delivered in March and the second one is in production at Atlas Copco's factory in Orebro, Sweden.These two rigs are the 6th and 7th face drilling rigs with Rig Control System that Veidekke has purchased from Atlas Copco since 2002. Veidekke is buying state-of-the-art drilling equipment and is the first contractor in the Norwegian market that has installed Rig Remote Access through WLAN on their face drilling rigs. This is utilized to handle data logs and drill plans, and also allows Atlas Copco to log on to the equipment if needed. Visit www.veidekke.no The Rocket Boomer XE3 is suitable for medium to large tunnels in civil engineering projects. In particular the advantage of having the third boom will be appreciated when tunnelling with one single face only, where every reduction of drilling time adds to higher advance rates. Visit www.atlascopco.comSandvik's Tamrock division introduced its three-boom T9i jumbo at the Intermat show held in Paris last month. The drifter and the control system are the 'heart and soul' of the new unit. The triple dampening in the rock drills together with sensitive drilling controls allows maximum power use in any rock conditions but without overloading the drill strings. The machine's strong structure, robust booms and advanced drill string guides make it a fast and accurate driller. Accurate drilling and blasting prevents overbreak and underbreak, reducing costs significantly. The Rocket Boomer XE3 at the E16 road project Woyen-Isi in Norway The Tamrock T9i underground jumbo The user interface of the Tamrock T9i has many advanced features and it includes a comfortable and ergonomically designed workstation, easily understood displays and built-in diagnostics.Thanks to the condition monitoring, the operator can see whether preventative maintenance is needed immediately or if the operator can continue until the work phase is completed. Self diagnostics in the machine also help service personnel to identify problems, which also saves time.The data systems of the Tamrock T9i can interact with existing network systems, offering a great advantage to contractors as it makes production and rig maintenance planning more effective.The intelligence features offer the possibility to consider charging and blasting in the early planning phase. This facilitates the true optimisation of drilling and blasting economy. The machines can be configured with many different sets of features and components to handle multiple tasks in the tunnelling cycle and in different rock conditions. Among systems that can be used with the unit are the Sandvik Alpha 330 tool system and the Sandvik Extra. Visit www.tamrock.sandvik.com 22/06.