Editor’s pick
Epiroc
Epiroc SmartROC D65
- Hole diameter
- 110+ mm
- Drilling method
- Down-the-hole
- Automation
- Rod handling, hole navigation, auto drilling
Earthmoving
Drill rigs for quarrying, mining and tunnelling
Drill rigs make the blast holes that break rock in quarries, mines and tunnels. Learn the difference between top-hammer, down-the-hole and rotary drilling, and surface vs underground rigs.
Model guides
Popular drill rigs reviewed
Editor’s pick
Sandvik
Sandvik DD422i
- Booms
- 2
- Application
- Underground mine development
- Automation
- Automated drilling cycle
Drill Rigs compared
6 models · click a column to sort
| Epiroc SmartROC D65 | Epiroc | — | — |
| Epiroc Boomer S2 | Epiroc | — | — |
| Epiroc FlexiROC T45 | Epiroc | — | — |
| Sandvik DD422i | Sandvik | — | — |
| Sandvik DP1500i | Sandvik | — | — |
| Sandvik DR412i | Sandvik | — | — |
Rock drill rigs drill holes for explosives (blasting), rock bolts, anchors and exploration. They are essential in quarries, open-pit mines, underground mines, road cuttings and tunnels.
Drilling methods
- Top-hammer drilling: a hydraulic rock drill on the feed beam hammers and rotates the drill string. Fast in small and medium holes, typically 35–127 mm (1.4–5 in).
- Down-the-hole (DTH): the hammer sits at the bottom of the hole, driven by compressed air. Straighter holes and better performance in larger diameters (90–254 mm / 3.5–10 in).
- Rotary drilling: heavy pull-down force and rotation with tricone bits; used for large blastholes (150–311 mm / 6–12 in+) in big open-pit mines.
Surface vs underground rigs
- Surface drill rigs are tracked crawlers with a boom and feed, often with an enclosed cab and on-board compressor.
- Underground drill rigs (jumbos) have one to three booms for drilling the face of a tunnel or mine drift, plus rigs for rock bolting and long-hole production drilling.
Automation
Modern rigs offer automated rod handling, hole navigation using GNSS, and fully autonomous drilling of a pre-planned pattern, improving accuracy and safety.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between top-hammer and DTH drilling?
Top-hammer rigs hit the drill string from the top and are fastest in smaller holes. Down-the-hole hammers work at the bottom of the hole, producing straighter, larger-diameter holes with less energy loss.
Earthmoving