Komatsu Mining Corp., Cummins Inc. facilitate repair of critical piece of equipment in Underground Mine Education Center at Montana Technological University
Students at Montana Technological University’s Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) will continue to have important hands-on experiences that help them land careers in the mining industry thanks to a recent generous donation by Komatsu Mining Corp. in Billings and Cummins Inc.
Komatsu Mining Corp. donated the labor to install a new engine for the UMEC’s MTI/Komatsu LT-270 mucker. Cummins Inc. provided the engine at a competitive price.
The mucker was originally donated to Montana Tech in 2016 by Stillwater Mining Company. It allows students to scoop 1.5 cubic yards of blasted rock from the UMEC so the next set of 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 located immediately west of campus. It 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. The need for the mucker’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 the 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,” Rosenthal said. “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,” Rosenthal said. “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.”