The 8th Annual Cutting Edge Tunnelling Conference took place in Miami, Florida earlier this month, bringing North America’s tunnelling industry together to examine the latest innovations in technology, and safety equipment and practises.

From 18-20 November, the conference hosted a number of presentations from industry leaders, including keynote sessions on pressurised TBM tunnelling.

Other presentations examined cutterhead interventions, new developments in tunnel lining design, testing and manufacturing, as well as turning attendee’s attention to the role of big data in the industry.

Showcased products at this year’s conference

In addition to the presentations, the conference’s sponsor companies displayed their products and services in the exhibition hall. Among the exhibitors was Carroll Technologies, a provider of mining safety, communications and power solutions across North America.

According to Josh Johnson, Carroll Technologies’ sales account manager: “There was a lot of interest in the Northern Lights Technologies Polaris cap light. It lasts an entire shift, with personnel working in some very dark and tight situations.”

“This conference is something we would do again as we continue to build our relationship with tunnelling clientele.”

The NLT Polaris cap light is an MSHA, ATEX, and IECEx approved cordless hard hat lamp with a typical output of 6,500 LUX. It is specifically designed to be robust for adverse underground mining and tunnelling operations.

Also garnering attention at this year’s conference was the Illumagear Halo, a battery-powered, lightweight hard hat light.

“This is a very specific light that attaches to any hard hat – it slides right down over the top of it,” Johnson explains. “It gives 360 degrees of light at all times, so it not only allows the worker to see, it also gives light all around them so they are seen from every angle.”

Just like the mining industry, tunnel operators require underground communication. To meet this need, Carroll Technologies discussed with attendees the latest products from the Pyott-Boone Electronics (PBE) range, including the 112 Gen 2, a two-way mine radio telephone designed for clear and reliable communication underground.

“We want customers to know that we are an authorised repair centre. We not only sell these lines, but these phones also get sent in to us,” Johnson adds. “Carroll’s factory-authorised repair centres provide expert services in line with MSHA specifications as part of our 24/7 MineCare support.”

Following this successful event, Carroll Technologies intends to return to future Cutting Edge conferences. “This conference is something we would do again as we continue to build our relationship with tunnelling clientele,” Johnson concludes.