Komatsu, Cummins repair LHD for Montana school

Montana Technological University’s load-haul-dump was repowered with help from Komatsu and Cummins. (Photo: Montana Tech)

Students at Montana Technological University’s Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) in Butte, Mont., will continue to have important hands-on experiences that will help them land careers in the mining industry thanks to a donation by Komatsu Mining Corp. and Cummins Inc.

Komatsu Mining Corp. donated the labor to install a new engine for the UMEC’s MTI/Komatsu LT-270 load-haul-dump (LHD) through its service branch in Billings, Mont. Cummins provided the diesel engine at a competitive price.

The machine was originally donated to Montana Tech in 2016 by Stillwater Mining Co. It allows students to scoop 1.5 cu.yd. of blasted rock from the school’s underground training mine so ground support can be installed and the next round for blasting can occur.

The UMEC is a hands-on, interdisciplinary educational space consisting of the former Orphan Boy and Orphan Girl mines which are located immediately west of campus. A former silver mine, access to the Orphan Boy mine is through a 1,000 ft. ramp to the 100 ft level. There are more than 3,000 ft. of workings as part of the school’s UMEC, which is home to courses for mining engineering, geological engineering, environmental engineering, metallurgical and materials engineering, and occupational safety and health. It also serves as a research facility.

Montana Tech said the need for the LHD’s repair was apparent when Mining Engineering Department Head Dr. Scott Rosenthal gave a tour of the UMEC to Katie Zindler, a human resources and accounting representative from Komatsu Billings, and Andy Hartford, service manager for Komatsu Billings.

“The donation of labor to replace the engine is a huge outlay in working time and travel for the Komatsu service technicians Baili Thompson and Zachary Smith,” said Rosenthal. “Montana Technological University is greatly appreciative of the support provided by Komatsu and Cummins in getting our machine running again.”

Rosenthal said the repair is a critical piece of providing the best experience possible for students who rely on the hands-on training at Montana Tech.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into upgrading the equipment and facilities at the UMEC to show students how it should be done correctly,” said Rosenthal. “This process started with the Joy mucker eight years ago followed by obtaining a roof bolter, new fans, and the new Epiroc mucker last year. Keeping the Joy mucker in good operating shape with this replacement motor continues our efforts to maintain the integrity of our equipment. This is what I learned in industry managing mines and maintenance functions so it should not be any different for us at Montana Tech.”

The school’s LHD was built by Mining Technologies International (MTI). Joy Global purchased the Sudbury, Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer in 2014. Then, following its acquisition by Komatsu in 2017, Joy Global became Komatsu Mining Corp.