THE DRILL which penetrated 700m of rock and secured access to the Chilean miners was designed and largely manufactured in Ireland.
The reverse circulation drill, which carries a piston that hammers the rock 2,000 times a minute, is made by an Irish-owned company, Minchem, in Shannon, Co Clare.
The 5cm hole was drilled using a bit made of hardened steel and tungsten carbide, while the drill itself is made of steel alloy, according to managing director Paddy Purcell. The hole took five days to drill using compressed air and specialised equipment to boost air pressure deep below the earth’s surface.
Mr Purcell said staff in Shannon were “chuffed” when it was confirmed yesterday that Minchem’s drill had succeeded in breaking through to the 33 trapped miners.
In all, eight rigs using drills made by three different manufacturers were involved in trying to drill from the surface through the mine, but Minchem’s was the only one to pinpoint the miner’s location. “We were faster in getting down and suffered less hole deviation,” he added.
Minchem, which Mr Purcell established in 1977, employs 50 people in Shannon and 100 worldwide. It has been manufacturing the specialised equipment used in the Chilean rescue since 1990. The company operates plants in the US and Australia as well as Shannon.
Mr Purcell said Minchem’s involvement in the drilling operation was a “good news” story for traditional manufacturing in Ireland. “This sector has been totally destroyed in recent years in the rush to the smart economy, but smart countries like Germany know that manufacturing is what it’s all about.”
A more powerful drill has been brought in to bore a wide hole down to the miners, but is expected to take months to complete.
