ATLAS Copco’s lightweight 20kg and 25kg Surface Rock Drills boast a “world-class” power-to-weight ratio and perfect balance, enhancing handleability, comfort and safety.
That’s according to Atlas Copco Power Technique’s Business Line Manager for Portable Products, David Stanford, who attributes this to the ergonomic Solid or Single Body design.
He added that the solid housing eliminates leakages and increases cylinder lifecycle while fewer moving parts mean less wear. “As these one-piece machines are also easy to assemble and disassemble, service is expedited, thus maximizing uptime.”
Stanford said operators have full control thanks to the two-step Softstart trigger which enables them to start a cut with surgical precision, allowing for seamless operation even in difficult working conditions.
“High vibration and noise levels are leading causes of operator fatigue which in turn, increases the risk of injury and curbs productivity. We have introduced HAPS (Hand and Arm Protection Systems) to substantially reduce vibration levels on our SRD pneumatic handheld tool range,” he said.
“Furthermore, the tool’s piston switches on air cushions on both ends of the cylinder, thereby almost fully eliminating metal-to-metal contact when working off-load and subsequently further shrinking vibration as well as reducing wear. This substantial reduction in vibration makes it possible to extend working hours up to six-fold.”
According to Stanford, the vibration levels of the new generation SRD 25 rock drill is an impressive 50% lower compared to its predecessor.
The company has also diminished the noise levels of the SRD tools by up to 75% with the development of the wear-resistant polyurethane silencer. Putting this into perspective, Stanford says that this equates to a 2dB reduction in noise which can make a substantial difference, especially when several drills are operating simultaneously.
Another operator health-enhancing feature is the new pneumatic Dust Collector for the efficient removal, directly at the source, of silica dust that is produced during the drilling and breaking process.
Powered by compressed air and utilising vacuum technology, the Dust Collector maintains dust levels below the permissible exposure limit, consuming no more than 12 litres of air per second. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, this unit’s recyclable collection bags lasts for an eight-hour shift and the semi-automatic filter cleaning mechanism requires very little maintenance.
The pneumatic Surface Rock Drills also feature Assisted Flushing Technology. This enables the operator to simply open the flashing valve to activate an additional flow of compressed air through a pathway in the cylinder to flush the drill hole while the tool is in operation. The fact that drilling and flushing happens simultaneously can increase productivity by up to 17%.
