Ausroad Blast Technology has been awarded a grant from the Queensland Government’s METS Collaborative Project Fund to support the commercialisation of its groundbreaking Metron technology, an innovative solution that is set to transform drill and blast operations worldwide.
Ausroad Blast Technology (ABT), a subsidiary of The Ausroad Group, is an Australian business with a local plant maintenance workshop in Moranbah. They also supply Stemming and other services to mines in the area.
Director Stefan Dunlop said they are proud to have contributed to the development of a technology with the potential to deliver clear benefits for the resources sector.
“The Metron is a system for measuring and logging blast hole depth and temperature and is designed to replace the manual dipping procedure currently used on blast patterns.
“A small disposable unit is dropped into the Blast Hole and a reading device is then placed above the hole to record the data delivered from the bottom of the hole. The data is transferred via a communication protocol that does not require any of the commonly used communications methods, like radio frequency, Bluetooth or WIFI.
“The key benefits are accuracy, reduced manual handling, and data feeding directly into site systems,” said Stefan.
In a significant milestone, ABT conducted a successful live trial of Metron in January 2025, in partnership with a major mining company. The trial, which took place in a blast environment, deployed multiple units and yielded readings that exceeded key performance indicators (KPIs), underscoring the effectiveness of Metron in real-world applications.
Stefan said the idea to work on Metron came from ABT’s role as a stemming services contractor.
“We have spent many hours on the blast bench observing current practices and came to the obvious conclusion that ‘there has to be a better way’.
“The project was kicked off via a research grant with the University of Queensland four years ago and from there a company was formed.
“To get to the current position has taken a lot of hard work on a ‘shoestring’ budget. Developing new technology is always difficult and there are many ups and downs during the process, but the results are worth the effort.
“The industry needs a product like Metron to achieve better blast results. The money spent to access a coal seam is extraordinary and it makes no sense to have inaccurate data feeding into blast models when so much is at stake. We see it as a ‘garbage in garbage out’ issue in relation to engineering accurate blast patterns.
“By introducing advanced technology into this traditionally low-tech task, we’re also addressing safety concerns and operational inefficiencies, providing mining teams with reliable, actionable data. This has the potential to transform drill and blast operations, reducing manual labour, improving safety, and providing accurate data to inform blast design. On top of that, a more efficient use of explosives is better for the environment.”
Innovation is nothing new to ABT, the team has also developed a system that integrates Ausroad Stemming Truck Control Systems into the Blast Design Software used on site.
“This product is in use by many of our mining partners in the area. It ‘closes the loop’ between what is put into the ground and what is recorded into the Blast Design Software and provides the blast engineers with real time and exact information as to what is being physically loaded into the pattern compared to the loading plan.”
For now, ABT will be focusing on refining and commercialising the technology and seeking suitable partners to bring Metron to market within a one to two year timeframe, and in doing so, help to cement Australia as a global leader in mining innovation.
