38mm Taper Button Bit Boosts Mining Productivity by 35% for a South American Underground Mine

For underground mining operations, choosing the right drill bit directly impacts operational efficiency, downtime, and overall cost. A mid - sized underground coal mining contractor in Peru faced recurring challenges with drill bit wear, inconsistent hole quality, and frequent tool replacements when using standard 38mm taper bits. These issues were slowing down their production drilling cycles and increasing maintenance costs. Our Yanggu Henglong’s 38mm taper button bit with premium tungsten carbide inserts was selected as a solution to address these pain points.

The client operates a medium hard rock coal mine in the Andes region, using pneumatic rock drills (YT28 model) for blast hole drilling. Their previous setup with generic 38mm taper bits showed the following issues:

• Short average service life (150 – 180 meters per bit in hard granite layers)
• High rate of insert breakage due to impact loads
• Slow drilling penetration rate (0.3 – 0.4 meters per minute)
• Frequent bit changes leading to 10 – 15% downtime per shift

We provided the client with our high performance 38mm taper button bit, engineered with these key features tailored to their conditions:

• Standard 7/11° taper fit : Compatible with their existing YT28 rock drills, requiring no equipment modification
• premium spherical tungsten carbide inserts : Hot pressed and precision brazed for maximum impact resistance
• Multi - stage heat - treated alloy steel body : Enhances wear resistance and structural integrity in abrasive rock
• Optimized flushing holes design : Improves debris removal, reducing bit clogging and heat buildup

• Reduced Operational Costs : Longer bit life cut tool consumption by over 30%, while fewer replacements saved 8+ hours of downtime weekly.
• Improved Hole Quality : The consistent, round holes ensured better blast fragmentation, reducing secondary rock handling work.
• Increased Productivity : Higher penetration rates allowed the crew to complete 15 – 20 more blast holes per day, directly boosting ore extraction volume.
• Lower Maintenance Burden : Reduced insert breakage and wear minimized post - drill maintenance work for the maintenance team.

“The Yanggu Henglong 38mm taper button bit exceeded our expectations. In the hard granite zones, we no longer have to stop drilling every few hours to change bits. The faster drilling speed and longer service life have made a noticeable difference in our daily production targets.”

— Mining Operations Manager, Peru