Novamera’s Sustainable Mining by Drilling (“SMD”) technology is a two-pass drilling the system where the first pass strategically places a pilot hole through the vein along the dip using directional drilling methods and high resolution near wellbore imaging and surveying tools. The second pass uses large-diameter hole-opening equipment, following the pilot hole, to excavate the vein out to its full thickness and transport the cuttings to the surface using low-energy reverse circulation methods.
Their technology has potential as a standalone commercial technology to enhance exploration by providing ore deposit imaging around and between diamond drill holes to build more accurate ore body models, identify ore body zones possibly missed by drilling, and enhance overall subsurface information.