Charlotte, NC, February 4 – In conjunction with JH Fletcher Engineers and bolter operators and management at Oxbow Mining, LLC, Huesker, Inc. has developed a new mining grid to increase safety and speed bolting of mine roof and ribs.

Huesker Minegrid® 65 SP (US Patents No. 7,166,349 and 7,393,080) has been developed to be dispensed from a handler attached to a roof bolter. As the bolter trams forward, Minegrid 65 SP is stretched across the entry roof while being bolted to the roof and rib.  Bill Kendall, Western Regional Manager for JH Fletcher Co. explains “We designed a mechanism to carry the roll on the front of the TRS and a set of cylinders to tension the mesh … as you tram forward, tensioning the mesh and rib mesh, deployment is automatic.”

Jens Lange, Production Superintendent at Oxbow’s Elk Creek mine, states, “This system works well for us because it allows us to mesh the ribs as we bolt the roof. When the miners advance the vent tube, the rib is fully supported.”

This new procedure was developed to protect miners from material falling out of the roof/rib intersection, to keep miners from between the bolter and the ribs and to eliminate injuries associated with steel mesh panels. The Minegrid rolls offer complete coverage, including the roof/rib intersection. Custom Minegrid rolls are made to match the entry and the cut. The Minegrid rolls can be made to fit any entry. It is non-conductive, non-corrosive and fire retardant, so mines can expect a long life from the Minegrid.

“These grids are really going to take off,” said Jamie Beard, Maintenance Superintendent at Oxbow “We’re able to get the grid bolted right into the corner and the grid rolls keep the guys from between the bolter and the rib. The grid held up real well when the longwall passed, too.”

“The new Minegrid 65 SP is designed and patented especially for this application,” according to Tom Bailey, Market Manager for Mining at Huesker, Inc. ” It  improves the safety of the bolting process, while making the mine more productive.”