2023 ISEE 49th Annual Conference Sponsors
SPONSORSHIPS:
Austin Powder Gold Level Sponsorship
Blaster's Tool & Supply Water Station Sponsor
BME ISEE Networking reception
Burton Wire Conference Coffee Break
CAT Lunch Sponsorship
Carlson Software Silver Level Sponsorship Key Card
Carlson Software Key Card
Controlled Blasting Conference Bags
Dyno Nobel Platinum Level Sponsorship
Dyno Nobel Blasters Video Roundup
Explosive Solutions LLC Full page color ad in conference program
Explosive Solutions LLC ISEE Networking reception
Four Star Blasting Lunch Sponsorship
IEE Global Pty Conference bags
ITSCO Full page color ad in conference program
ITS-WM Full page color ad in conference program
M-Roc Bloody Mary Bar
Nelson Brothers Silver Level Sponsorship
Nobel Insurance Welcome Reception
Nomis Photo Contest
Powderman Conference Bags
Sandvik Mining Blasters Video Roundup
Sayre Associates Sorbet Making Class Sponsor
Sayre Associates Water Station Sponsor
Tradestar Official Conference T-Shirt
Tradestar Lunch Sponsorship
Tread Corp Conference Lanyards
Sponsor Spotlight:
Dyno Nobel’s Ranger: SAFE, SIMPLE, and SMART
Dyno Nobel launched the Ranger at ISEE’s Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique in 2022, and the rollout in the year since has been a massive success. There are over 114 units currently in the field, and many customers are now moving from NONEL toward electronic detonators thanks to the Ranger’s flexibility and ease of use.
The Ranger is a blast initiation system that was designed explicitly for the open cut, quarry, civil, and construction industries. The multipurpose device can be used as a Base or Bench Ranger to control the entire blast with two channels that can connect up to 300 detonators each for a total of 600. The Ranger also has a robust built-in long-range antenna that can handle even the harshest mining conditions with a range of up to 3 kilometers or 1.8 miles.
The Ranger stands out in the field for a number of reasons. Traditionally, detonators have been assigned a hole location only, and delay times are then set at the time of blasting. The process is often time-consuming and may introduce user errors. The Ranger’s flexible tagging option tackles these problems by allowing the user to assign both hole location and delay time at the hole or, alternatively, assign delay times at any time the user prefers. This feature enables the user to adjust the process to their needs, thus speeding up the tagging process.
The Ranger also offers a “tag by plan” option, which allows users to pre-design a blast plan using the CE4 Tagger or ViewShot Xpress blast application. The user then only needs to align the correct hole with the valid hole number on the tagger. The tagging path is flexible, so adjustments can be made to the plan during tagging and the addition of any new blastholes. This simple-to-use feature significantly reduces the potential for user error.
In addition to its tagging modes, the Ranger offers several key safety benefits. It automatically checks to ensure the correct number of detonators per channel and offers autonomous detection and testing of the detonators. Detonator energy can be monitored right up to the point of blasting for increased safety throughout the entire process, ensuring sufficient blast voltage at each detonator.
“Eliminating misfires is crucial to ensuring safety and productivity,” says Braden Lusk, President, Dyno Nobel Americas. “The Ranger delivers the safety and reliability that customers need by providing both automatic detonator detection and voltage verification in a rugged, easy-to-use unit.”
Austin Powder Launches E*STAR Tunnel
Economical, Easy to Use, and Environmentally Responsible
July 2022. Cleveland, Ohio. Austin Powder, a leader in the manufacture, distribution, and application of industrial explosives and engineered blasting solutions, announces the release of its new E*STAR Tunnel, developed for rapid tunnel blasting deployment while reducing post-blast plastic residue in the muck pile.
Austin Powder is committed to continuously improving its products and is proud to introduce the E*STAR Tunnel detonator as the latest edition to the E*STAR Electronic Initiation System.
The robust design and exceptional leakage tolerance make the E*STAR Tunnel detonator and the accompanying blasting system reliable in demanding and extreme tunnel conditions.
The newly designed E*STAR Tunnel connector introduces less plastic to the blast site, while the neon colors allow for quick detection, even in a low-light underground environment. "Two of the great features of the E*STAR Tunnel are the economy of the product and the reduction of environmental impact on our customers." Says Campbell Robertson, Global Manager, Electronic Initiation Systems. "Even though the connector and the leg-wire were each designed to have less plastic, it is extremely robust and has proven to be an excellent product."
E*STAR Tunnel offers delays of up to 20 seconds, allowing customers to optimize timing to solve issues caused by excessive vibration or sub-optimal fragmentation. Using the flexible E*STAR Tunnel timing in the blast, along with accurately timed contour holes, can prevent overbreak, which improves wall stability with more advance per blast. This results in multiple production and safety efficiencies which makes significant positive impacts on every part of the operation.
The accuracy of the E*STAR Tunnel timing reduces scaling times and optimizes energy with significantly less over-break, which positively impacts the bolting and concrete spraying cycles.
With RFID capability and Sections & Intervals, the new Austin Powder programming method is specifically designed for tunneling. Programming and connecting E*STAR Tunnel detonators is a rapid process resulting in faster hole-loading and improved fragmentation with less oversized material. Campbell Robertson explains why. He says, "Unlike typical pre-set pyrotechnic delay periods, any detonator can go to any hole, and you assign your delays based on the sections and intervals you have preassigned on your Logger."
In a recent trial in Europe, customer Jiří Horčička, Project Manager, Metrostav Norge AS, said, "The E*STAR Tunnel system is very intuitive, so it is easy to handle for our blasters. The second advantage is that it has a very low environmental impact, and we as customers will definitely use this system in the future with no doubts."
Join Austin Powder on our mission to improve the world we live in through the safe and responsible use of explosives.
Austin Powder continues to develop technology to improve the efficiency of blasting processes. The E*STAR Tunnel technology is now available. Contact your local Austin Powder representative for more information.
Mark your calendars! On June 13, we're opening sponsorship and exhibit booth sales for the 2023 ISEE Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique. Full details will be released on the ISEE website at www.isee.org/events.
We’ve brought back your favorite visibility opportunities and added some exciting new options to let your company shine in front of your customers and the leading experts in the blasting community.
The ISEE Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique will be held Feb. 3-8, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, Texas. The conference, created by the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), is the premier conference in the blasting community, fostering discussions and presentations on the latest explosives-related technology and techniques. For more information, visit www.isee.org.
The Black Hills and Northern Plains ISEE chapters hosted an exciting Best in the West Drill and Blast Conference in Spearfish, South Dakota, in April 2022. Attendees, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors came together to create a successful conference with valuable training and networking.
Three pre-conference events were held on sunny morning: the Crazy Horse Mountain Tour, Paul Muehl Scholarship Trap Shoot, and the Bob Martin Scholarship Golf Tournament. The conference included a regulatory session and panel discussion, active exhibit hall, exceptional speakers covering a range of topics, welcome back party, scholarship presentations, awards banquet and live auction.
Proceeds from the BITW Conference support explosives and mineral industry student scholarships, which promotes and perpetuates the mining and explosives industry. Over $12,000 was presented to students this year as a result of the conference and auction.
Make plans now to attend the 34th Annual Best in the West Drill and Blast Conference on April 19, 20 and 21, 2023, at the Spearfish Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Spearfish, South Dakota. See you there!
Visit the Best in the West Website
Spring is finally here at the ISEE offices. And the fresh air has sparked some spring cleaning over at our online store that ISEE members can take advantage of! For a limited time only, ISEE members can save 15% on select ISEE springtime apparel along with conference proceedings books and flash drives. Head on over to our online store and spring into savings today!
It was standing room only for the Ohio Drilling & Blasting Conference held March 16-17, 2022, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Columbus Ohio. More than 100 people were in attendance for a day packed full of presentations from some of the leading experts in the blasting community.
The event kicked off Wednesday evening with food and drinks where once again friends and colleagues were able to meet again in person during the welcome reception.
Thursday’s training program began with opening remarks from Mike Mann, Ohio Department of Natural Resources; and Steve Shivak, ISEE Executive Director. Speakers and topics included Tony Konya, Rock Breakage Theory and Why it Matters in Blast Design; Bob McClure and Eric Wesel, Underground Limestone Blast Optimization; Danny Conn and Keith Best, Kentucky Lock Project Challenges; Neal Lee, Often Overlooked Facets of Drilling and Blast Design; Jason Fort, An Urban Nightmare Blasting Project; Matt Pilz, Pathway to Success: Understanding Airblast and Ground Vibration Issues; and Evan Hagenlock, Quality Control of Bulk Product. Attendees qualified for blasters training recertification hours from several states.
The Ohio Drilling & Blasting Conference is a biennial event that serves as a platform for the exchange of the blasting community’s best practices. The event scheduled for 2021 was postponed until 2022.