High resolution bench scale data gives miners real time insights to cut dilution, boost recovery, improve safety, and optimise open pit blasting

In open-pit mining, getting the right information at the right time can mean the difference between precise grade control and costly dilution - and one technology is giving operators a sharper, faster view of what lies beneath each bench.

Fred Blaine, product manager at Imdex Limited, presented at AusIMM’s APCOM 2025 conference in Perth on Beyond Grade: Provision of Relevant and Timely Information from Blast and Grade Control Holes in Open Cut Operations. The paper was co-authored with Emmanuel Schnetzler, John Jackson, and Nurassyl Battalgazy.

In his presentation, Fred highlighted the shortcomings of traditional bench-scale data collection and the operational risks of relying on coarse or delayed datasets. He then introduced the BLASTDOG™ multi-sensor logging system, demonstrating how it delivers the depth, resolution, and turnaround times needed to support high-confidence decisions between drilling and loading.

The data gap at bench scale

Fred began by setting out the practical reality mine geologists, drill-and-blast engineers, and geotechnical teams face on most benches. Exploration and grade control drilling is often spaced too widely to detect the geological variability that can significantly impact blast performance and ore–waste boundaries. “You might only have one or two holes - if that - in a given blast pattern to base your model on,” he said.

Assays from these holes can deliver precise grade information, but their turnaround time is too long to support near-real-time operational decisions. Measurement While Drilling (MWD) offers the advantage of dense sampling along the hole, but often comes with noisy, incomplete data and only captures a single rock parameter - useful, but insufficient for robust material classification in complex geology.

This mismatch between the spatial and temporal resolution of available datasets and the speed at which blasting and loading decisions need to be made is a key source of downstream inefficiency. Ore loss, dilution, suboptimal fragmentation, and missed opportunities for targeted loading can all result.

Introducing BLASTDOG

BLASTDOG was developed to address this gap. It is a fit-for-purpose, semi-autonomous bench-logging system designed to operate in the narrow window between drilling and loading. It logs every blast hole at centimetre-scale resolution, collecting multiple independent petrophysical parameters - gamma, conductivity, magnetic susceptibility - along with dip and azimuth, hole diameter and shape, water levels, and precise collar location.

“Because we’re measuring multiple independent parameters, we can discriminate between rock units that traditional single-parameter methods can’t,” Fred explained. The eight-arm calliper, for example, can identify both hole diameter and shape, as well as highlight potential voids if it exceeds its maximum range. The system also works in wet or dry holes and under varied bench conditions, providing flexibility across operational environments.

While capable of full autonomy, Fred said the current sweet spot is a semi-autonomous deployment: “We have an operator positioned safely to the side of the bench controlling the unit. That gives us the safety and efficiency benefits of autonomy, but also the flexibility to integrate with different site systems depending on how advanced they are.”

At twice the productivity of conventional solutions - regularly logging 1,500 to 1,700 metres per day - BLASTDOG can deliver a comprehensive rock characterisation at the speed mining operations demand.

From raw data to decision-ready outputs

Collecting the data is only part of the story. Fred stressed that the short timelines between drilling and loading require automated, system-wide data integration and processing. “You can’t just hand over raw data and expect teams to make fast calls. We deliver outputs they can consume immediately, in the form and timeframe required.”

Data from BLASTDOG is streamed in near real time to a cloud storage system, where it is combined with site datasets such as MWD, exploration drilling, and collar data. Pre-processing includes QA/QC, environmental corrections, levelling (for MWD), and compositing where required.

Advanced analytics and AI models then run material classification, boundary detection, coal picking (where applicable), and scene labelling. The outputs - such as block models, fixed surface intervals, or material classification surfaces - are formatted to integrate seamlessly with the mine’s planning and blast design software.

Fred emphasised that these models are not static: “They continually adapt as new information comes in. The goal is to keep improving the accuracy of classification and predictions over time.”

Operational value

By integrating BLASTDOG outputs into short-term mine planning, operations can refine ore/waste boundaries, optimise blast designs for fragmentation control, and make more informed loading decisions. The technology also supports geotechnical assessments, enabling early detection of voids or unstable ground conditions and ensuring safety protocols are in place before loading or blasting.

The benefits extend downstream. Better control of material movement at the bench reduces dilution and ore loss, improves plant feed consistency, and can reduce processing costs. In coal operations, the system’s clean detection of coal seams allows for sharper separation and recovery.

A broader shift in bench-scale thinking

Fred concluded with a clear message: “Institute geological data collection doesn’t have to stop at grade control. By understanding deposit variability at the blast-bench scale, there’s a huge opportunity to improve both safety and value recovery.”

With centimetre-scale resolution, multi-parameter measurement, automated data pipelines, and near real-time delivery, BLASTDOG is not just filling a data gap - it is changing the operating rhythm of the bench. For operations where every hour between drilling and loading counts, that shift could prove decisive.