Drifters

HYDRAULIC DRIFTERS

Roxar offers mining equipment manufacturers a range of high-performance hydraulic rock drills. Unlike most hydraulic drifter manufacturers, Roxar is fully independent from any complete equipment manufacturer. Our products are typically integrated into OEM complete equipment. To achieve the best performance and integration, we offer custom engineering services for OEMs. Roxar’s products are manufactured at our facility located in Europe. The drifters combine innovative design with exclusive features and are optimized for underground mining, tunnelling, surface drilling, and special applications. Roxar hydraulic drifters offer:

High drilling rate of penetration (ROP) in hard rocks,

Easy integration on any type of machine,

Higher efficiency for a lower drilling cost per meter,

High-frequency percussion system,

Inexpensive to maintain with longer service intervals

Reduced stress on the drill string for lower operation cost,

Simple and robust design for improved reliability and durability.

FACTORY REBUILT HYDRAULIC DRIFTERS

Roxar remanufactures used hydraulic drifters in its dedicated workshop. During the rebuilding process, more than 90% of the internal parts of the used drifter are replaced with new, genuine Roxar parts. The main bodies are carefully inspected, and if necessary, replaced or precision machined using specialized CNC machine tools. The drifter is fully remanufactured and assembled in accordance with the manufacturer’s technical specifications. After the assembly phase, the rebuilt drifter is thoroughly tested and inspected to obtain the Roxar Quality Certificate, which confirms its perfect working condition. Factory-rebuilt drifters from Roxar come with a 6-month warranty. The factory rebuilding process includes the following stages:

The drifter is completely dismantled and cleaned

Every single part of the drifter is inspected and measured according to the manufacturer's specifications.

OEM parts are ordered from the brand producer or high-quality equivalents are manufactured by Roxar.

The main bodies are inspected, and if necessary, precision machining is executed using our CNC machine tools.

Roxar Factory Rebuilt drifters offer many advantages

Our state-of-the-art factory, experienced technicians, and modern manufacturing equipment allow us to provide a perfect reconditioning of drifters.

We deliver factory-rebuilt drifters that operate in compliance with the original manufacturer's technical specifications.

Every drifter remanufactured in the Roxar factory comes with a certificate of quality and a 6-month warranty.

The cost of a factory-rebuilt drifter is much more affordable than purchasing new equipment.

Drilling methods with drifters & rock drills: How to choose the right drill for your application?

Drifters, hydraulic rock drills, hard rock hammers, and top hammers are designed to be fitted on specific drilling machines and mining equipment like Atlas Copco, Secoroc, Sandvik, Tamrock, Minemaster, Resemin, MTI, Fletcher, Montabert, Wolf, AMV, Robodrill, CAT, Caterpillar, McDowell, Herrenknecht, Furukawa, FRD, DH Mining, Boart Longyear, Joy, RDH, Terex, and many others. All manufacturer names, numbers, prices, symbols, and descriptions are used for reference purposes only.

When considering integrating a new drill into your equipment range, there are many factors to take into account. These include rock typology, budget, mining or quarrying site configuration, anticipated future applications, noise, desired hole dimensions, existing machines, and available time.

There are key differences between hydraulic top hammer rock drills (drifters) and down-the-hole (DTH) drills or in-the-hole (ITH) drills. The main mechanical difference is where the hammer is located within the equipment. Percussive devices (hammers) apply cyclical shockwaves to the drill bits. In the case of DTH drills, the percussive device is in direct contact with the bit and is therefore “down-the-hole.” Top hammer rock drills, however, apply these repeated shockwaves at the top of the drill string, outside of the bore.

The main difference between the two types of equipment is that top hammer rock drills are more efficient at depths up to 40m deep and are faster. However, it’s important to consider that the operating cost of DTH drills is often higher. Both types of drill can be operated in soft, medium, and hard ground, while top hammer drifters perform better in very hard rock, particularly in fractured hard rock. Neither rock drill, however, has an excellent performance in soft ground. In this case, a rotary drill would be a better choice.

DTH drills are usually powered by pressurized air, and their overall system efficiency is very low, becoming gradually lower as drilling depth increases. Top hammer rock drills use hydraulic energy with a very high system efficiency that remains unchanged in any drilling conditions. However, DTH drills are more mechanically efficient as less energy is lost in the transmission of shockwaves from the hammer to the drill bit.

In top hammer rock drills, part of the energy is lost going down the way along the drill steel. This repeated shockwaves from the hydraulic hammer on couplings and rods of top drifter drill strings gradually wear those components, meaning that top hammer drills usually require more consumables in the long run.

The new drifter technology that Roxar has recently introduced helps to avoid the fast wear of the drill steel thanks to the automatic adjustment of the frequency/energy ratio. With Roxar drifters, the stress on the drill string is drastically reduced, allowing for a longer lifespan of the shank adapter, couplings, rods, and drill bit.

Hydraulic top hammer drills are better suited for narrow and short bores (up to 40m), they drill quicker and more efficiently than DTH.

Let's Connect

If you are looking for high drilling speed and low operating cost in both fractured and hard rock, top hammer drifters like Roxar’s are an ideal choice. Roxar’s experts are skilled and experienced in helping equipment manufacturers choose the perfect drill for their equipment or specific applications. We understand that each application is unique and every equipment manufacturer has different factors to consider when selecting a rock-drill. Contact us to discuss your requirements and budget, and
we will find the best solution for you.