Hello! My name is Leonor and I am honored to be one of the first people to post on the O-Pitblast blog. I am a Technical Services Trainee and I am only a few months into the job. I had known about this company and software in the past but never really dabbled with it. In short, I was a beginner user and came to find out that the software is very user friendly. Proof of that is how quickly I became accustomed to working with it! Within a month and a half of continuous use, I’d say I’m familiar with how to work with O-Pitblast. Of course, as with any software, there are a few tips and tricks for the user to be considered familiar with it. Nonetheless, I can attest to how small the learning curve is as this co-relates with the user friendliness aspect.
First of all, as soon as you open the software for the first time, there’s a pop-up window that shows us some basic features that you can use to start designing your blast (figure 1). From there, you can start exploring all O-Pitblast’s capabilities.
Figure 1- O-Pitblast software initial screen with pop-up window
Some training is required but O-Pitblast has a handful of resources available to you such as a Youtube channel where you can watch tutorial videos and tips & tricks videos; a Moodle Platform with step-by-step instructions on every module; Webinars (available on Youtube) on how to execute a blast from beginning to end and how to use O-PitAnalytics; and last but not least O-Pitblast has a full team ready to attend to your queries.
The platform is ever evolving as we work to attend to our clients’ needs so a quick tip I can give you is to update your software frequently. You can do so by clicking this link: http://downloads.o-pitblast.com/ or click on the ‘down’ arrow on the top left corner of the software (‘check for updates’ option). You can also check out the new features have been added to the software (‘news’ option).
With this said, in order for the beginner user to fully understand the scope of O-Pitblast, I have to point out that it has developed not only a software but an App (O-PitApp - figure 2) which can be used in the field to visualize the blast plans you created on the O-Pitblast software in 2D, access projects, edit holes if needed, collect field data such as the geology encountered in your quarry or mine and send blast reports;
Figure 2- Screenshots of the O-PitApp with ‘2D view of blast plan’ feature; ‘edit holes’ feature; ‘drill log’ feature
a website (O-PitAnalytics – figure 3) where the user can have an overview of some basic information regarding the software(number of projects, for example), check out the latest actions executed on the software in a live feed, correct stemming and charge, view detailed graphs regarding volume of rock, explosive and drilled meters per project, check for hole errors and figure out its cause, obtain KPI’s of their operation as well as control project costs, which as we know plays a major role in decision making;
Figure 3- Screenshot of O-PitAnalytics with overview of graphs regarding errors occurred
a device (O-Pitdev – figure 4) which allows for measurements in 360º of boreholes’ inclination and azimuth in the field, capable of enduring extreme temperatures, aquatic environments and work in metal or non-metal mines and with the use of a corresponding App that connects to the device via Bluetooth, check for deviations as regards to theoretical vs. real values.
Figure 4- O-Pitdev
As if all of this wasn’t enough to make your user experience like a dream, the software has a built-in ‘cloud’ (O-Pitcloud- figure 5) where you can save and share your blasts, projects and reports with everyone involved.
Figure 5- O-Pitcloud
The company’s integrated and whole approach to mining operations and strive to attend to its every step sets it apart from other softwares since you have all your important information in one platform and can generate detailed reports regarding your operation like budgeting, design characteristics, fragmentation, among others.
Now you’re ready to design blasts and manage your operations in the most effective way! Please let us know what you think about our platform and how we can improve at info@o-pitblast.com or, if you prefer, contact me directly at lfeio@o-pitblast.com.
Happy blasting!
Authors:
O-Pitblast