The Shova Roof Bolter is a semi-mechanised drilling system, specifically designed to operate in South Africa’s mining environment. The same rig is used both to drill the hole and insert the roof bolt, which is spun into the resin/grout. The jackhammer bracket rotates around a stable column, significantly increasing the ease of locating the hole when adding coupling steels or inserting longer fixed rods. The rig is stabilised between the hanging and foot walls and, as a result, holes are always drilled at 90 degrees to the rock strata. The Rock Drill Operator (RDO) can operate the unit remotely from up to 3 metres away. The Shova roof bolting rig gets the jackhammer much closer to the foot wall, increasing the drill stroke length. The in-line thrust of the jackhammer results in faster penetration rates, greater accuracy, better depth control and less bend in the drill steel.

The Shova Roof Bolter has a number of advantages with regards to safety. The RDO is not directly under the hole when adding or changing steels, reducing the risk of injury. One can expect to see a significant reduction in crush and pinch injuries, as there is no need for the RDO to try to guide the chuck of the rock drill towards the hanging wall. Remote operation also reduces the risk of injury to the RDO.