Small PC's SC240ML computer proves reliable asset to Goldcorp's rugged gold mining efforts

Thursday, Dec 20, 2012

CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldcorp has selected Small PC's rugged computer model SC240ML for use in its fly-in/fly-out Musselwhite Mine, 480 km north of Thunder Bay.

Small PC's SC240ML computer is a key component of the control and monitoring system for a three story tall rock crushing machine, located 460 meters underground. Its reliable operation in this dirty and humid environment, 24/7, with no air filters or climate control, is crucial to the mines' successful daily operation. The heavy vibration of this machine combined with the harsh environment is destructive to most hardened computer systems. The sealed and fanless SC240ML system, from SmallPC.com, has been thoroughly tested and has proven highly reliable.

Jason Firth of Goldcorp states that unreliable industrial computers "were a safety hazard, a production risk and a maintenance problem. Losing as many as one industrial computer a month was costing the Company money, both in parts and manpower, but also in lost productivity."

After disappointing results testing a number of different "hardened industrial computers," Goldcorp selected Small PC's computer model SC240ML, a sealed, rugged computer with no moving parts, that uses a unique and specialized passive heat sink cooling system that is combined with waterproof I/O connections all packaged in a solid aluminum chassis. The SC240ML is available in configurations from Dual Core Atom to Quad Core Intel i7 CPU's. Software options include various MS-Windows and Linux operating systems.

Firth states, "It's now been a year since we installed the computer, and we literally haven't touched it again. Since installing the first new machine, we've added a second underground, and made it our policy to replace any machine that fails prematurely with a SC240ML to ensure our HMIs act like appliances that never miss a beat."

Goldcorp is one of the world's fastest growing senior gold producers, with operations and development projects located in safe jurisdictions throughout the Americas. A Canadian company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Goldcorp employs more than 14,000 people worldwide.

SOURCE Small PC