Since almost the beginning of civilisation, people have been trying to access the underground assets of our planet. Over the centuries, three different ways to do this have emerged; drilling, boring and mining. The earliest attempts were by hand, with simple tools; today’s drilling, boring and mining equipment is much more sophisticated, able to reach deep into the earth’s core.

All mining operations are one of two categories; surface or sub-surface. Surface mines include strip and open-pit mines, as well as quarrying and mountaintop removal; sub-surface mines are slope, hard rock, shaft and borehole mines. Equipment most commonly used in the mining industry includes hardhats, trucks, fork-lifts, water-jet pumps and cutting machines, among other things.

Boring is the process of”hollowing out” a hole in the ground in order to place something else in it. An auger is a common piece of equipment used in the boring process; they can range in size from a hand-held tool to a giant machine able to penetrate the earth’s surface and result in holes ranging in size from small enough for a television cable to large enough for semi-trucks to drive through.

Drilling is the third process that people have developed in order to get below the earth’s surface. Drills operate either by moving a rapidly turning bit into the ground or by moving it up and down and a high rate of speed.

Because of the risks involved in these industries, it is imperative that the drilling, boring and mining equipment used is of the highest quality.