When looking at pit-to-port successes at mines, particularly from a cost perspective, the seemingly small changes can make the biggest impact. NAM recently talked to Dialight CEO Fariyal Khanbabi about how vibrations – or lack thereof – can impact other systems, specifically safety through proper lighting.
NAM: Why is vibration such an important consideration when looking at upgrading lighting in metal and mining operations and how can vibration negatively affect lighting?
Fariyal Khanbabi: Vibrations caused by heavy machinery, combined with the harsh environment and exposure to debris on mining sites, can drastically impact the reliability and performance of critical mining equipment such as lighting fixtures.
Any lighting fixture, whether it be LED (light-emitting diode) or conventional HID (high-intensity discharge), is an assembly of parts, where robustness to movement and physical energy needs to be understood and factored into its design. Because these fixtures are often mounted in locations of high or consistent vibration, it’s critical to understand the effects it can have on the fixture drivers, power connections, housing materials and even the brackets and poles on which they are mounted. Otherwise, the fixtures may fall or suffer premature failure.
This, in turn, can have a negative impact on overall visibility and mine safety – causing extensive downtime and delaying productivity until these fixtures are fixed or replaced.
Dialight plc (LON:DIA) is the world leader in LED industrial lighting technology with millions of LED fixtures installed worldwide.
