Manufacturer Epiroc has donated a FlexiROC T20 R drill rig and consumables to the mining engineering program at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. The new rig replaces outdated equipment at the school’s nationally recognized Experimental Mine, where students gain valuable hands-on experience with real equipment and mining practices.

“Epiroc is thrilled to support the next generation of mining engineers at Missouri S&T,” says Jerry Enyeart, Epiroc Midwest region district manager. “It’s an honor to provide such a respected institution with drilling technology that will give students real-world application experience for the future.”

Epiroc’s FlexiROC T20 R joins a fleet of equipment used for practical hands-on experience at the Experimental Mine. The donation was facilitated by Chris Upp, vice president and general manager at longtime Epiroc customer Conco Companies. Upps also belongs to the development board for the Missouri S&T mining and explosives engineering programs.

“I have great appreciation for Epiroc and the folks that made this happen because it means a lot to the university,” Upp says.

The university recently approached Upp, an alumnus, about the need to upgrade the old air track drill at the Experimental Mine and Upp relayed the need to Enyeart, enabling Epiroc to help by delivering the T20 R and consumables in April 2019 with the assistance of supporting Epiroc dealer Roland Machinery.

The company says the FlexiROC T20 R drill rig is an ideal fit for the Experimental Mine site, where vertical and horizontal drilling needs vary depending on the surface or underground application. The consumables utilized with the T20 R differ from those used with the outgoing air track drill, so Epiroc provided some of its rock drilling tool technology to get the university off to a productive start with the new rig.

“There was a dire need to update our drilling equipment so we could train our mining and explosives engineering students on a machine used in the industry today,” says Kyle Perry, associate professor of explosives engineering at Missouri S&T and director of the Experimental Mine. “The FlexiROC T20 R drill rig will make a night-and-day difference compared to what we have been using.”

Epiroc serves customers in the mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries in more than 150 countries. It develops and produces drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment, and also offers services and consumables. For more information, visit www.epiroc.us. For more information on the Missouri S&T Experimental Mine, visit mining.mst.edu.