Drilling ahead

Ulterra’s PDC drill bits are high-tech, durable and fiercely efficient.

When it comes to equipment expenditure, it is often said you get what you pay for and it pays for itself over time, particularly when it comes to quality.

This is especially true for mining industry operators, whose safety, reputation and prosperity swing on the calibre of the equipment they use.

That is the ethos of Ulterra Drilling Technologies, a designer and builder of premium-quality PDC drill bits that focuses on operator success.

“Our competitors typically look for high volume and low cost. We’re the complete opposite,” Ulterra director Asia Pacific Joey Mos told Australian Mining.

“We’re a small, specialised company offering the best drill bits on the market. We’re a Ferrari.

“The average roller cone drill bit will last around 3000m before needing to be thrown away, but our PDC drill bits often last in excess of 30,000m on a single run.”

Ulterra’s drill bits are engineered to meet sustainability targets and can be rebuilt, resulting in incredible mileage with no degradation. And the company can refurbish a customer’s bit within 48 hours at its newly commissioned facility in Mackay (Queensland).

“We’ve drilled millions of metres globally using PDC drill bits. With that history, we’ve really learned to understand and develop our technology to create the fastest and the most durable bit,” Mos said.

Ulterra’s PDC drill bits deliver superior hole quality and reduced hole deviation, as well as significant reduction in redrill. The PDC bits also deliver an increased penetration rate, roughly 30–50 per cent faster than roller cones.

And when coupled with Ulterra’s patented SoftDrive drilling system, bit changes are further reduced to potentially every 30,000m. Each SoftDrive unit has the potential to outlast several bits prior it needing a service.

“To go alongside our PDC drill bits we use the SoftDrive system, which eliminates rod rattle while drilling,” Ulterra’s mining manager in Australia, and the original SoftDrive patent holder, Nathan Brooks told Australian Mining.

“SoftDrive is filled with proprietary elastomer compound which gives a little bit of lateral movement to the drill. When the bit takes an aggressive bite of a formation and wants to stall out, rather than all of that impact being placed onto the critical cutting structure, that lateral movement soaks up the impact, preserving the bit.”

With an investment in Ulterra’s product, customers can realise true cost savings.

“Our bits drill for longer and they drill easier,” Brooks said. “Rigs are running more optimally, consuming less fuel and spending less time on bit changes, which is significantly reducing operating costs.

“You’re also saving on repair and maintenance costs because you’re not running your rigs at their limit all the time .Our end goal is overall cost reduction.”

Fewer drill bit changes mean operators spend less time in contact with heavy machinery, helping keep them safe.

And Ulterra’s control over manufacturing and design, as well as better fuel efficiency for rigs, helps mine sites cut carbon emissions.

The company also prides itself on its responsive and tailored customer experience.

“Most of our customers have similar problems which can be solved by the PDC drill bits we already offer,” Brooks said. “We can usually sort out those cases within 48 hours.”

For more unique situations, Ulterra’s engineers can deliver custom-designed drill bits, including bits designed for philanthropic water bores in north Africa, or a range designed specifically for autonomous drilling.

In addition, all of Ulterra’s PDC manufacturing is undertaken in its North American facilities.

“If we go down the design route, we can have a prototype drill bit from North America in the ground within three weeks,” Brooks said.

Powering this rapid turnaround is the fact that Ulterra has stock points across the country, a refurbishment facility in Mackay, and offices and personnel in Mackay, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. This also enables Ulterra to hire the best in local talent to help support its growing footprint in the Australian mining industry.

Putting all these pieces together, it’s easy to see why Mos calls Ulterra the Ferrari of the drilling industry.

“The market in the last couple of decades has been focusing on cheaper and cheaper drill bits,” Mos said.

“You talk to a lot of the drillers that have been out in the field for a long time, and they’ll tell you they used to get higher metres with their drill bits than what they do now.

“It’s about more than just the upfront cost. It’s the cost of drilling, it’s the cost of damages, it’s the cost of maintenance, and so much more.

“We’ve proven that if you flip that on its head and pay a bit more, you get a product that’s not just a bit better, but quite simply the best that’s out there and multiple times worth it’s cost.”

This feature appeared in the August 2023 issue of Australian Mining.

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