MIRS adapted the design of a robotic arm, common in industrial manufacturing, to the mining industry to replace individual trommel panels. Courtesy of MIRS

A trommel is one of the key components of a SAG mill, but it is a difficult and dangerous piece of equipment to repair. Made up of a series of heavy duty rubber screens, the trommel sorts and sieves the milled ore before it exits the mill. If the panels are damaged and not replaced, the holes risk becoming too big and allowing oversize ore to make its way into later stages of processing and damage the plant.