DA Smith provides expert core drillers, adaptable equipment, and the necessary repair and fabrication skills to complete the ordinary to the most challenging projects, large or small, conventional or specialized, and scalable to fulfill project needs. DA Smith services a wide range of valuable clients, chief among these being domestic and international mining companies, the U.S. federal government, U.S. national laboratories, domestic electrical power producers, dam operators, and prominent engineering and construction firms across North America.
DA Smith specializes in triple tube/split tube wireline, conventional, directional, and helicopter coring for mineral and geologic exploration, mining, heavy civil construction, dams, tunneling, environmental studies, remediation projects, and scientific experiments and testing.
DA Smith offers the specialized personnel and equipment required for achieving successful and reliable drilling results. In addition to coring, DA Smith performs rotary and downhole hammer drilling for non-coring applications or in conjunction with coring applications.
DA Smith performs directional core drilling using Devico DeviDrillTM tooling. The advanced DeviDrillTM system allows for continuous steerable wireline coring along a desired curvilinear trajectory or where natural deviation requires correction in a straight hole. The system maintains high 3D positional accuracy throughout the coring process.
The system can be used for continuous coring from collar to target or combined with spot coring between intervals of steerable destructive drilling.
The system drills an H-sized hole producing N-sized core. The system is suitable for both surface and underground drilling. Holes can be directionally drilled at any orientation, from vertical down to horizontal and sub-horizontal, to vertical up. Positional accuracy is maintained in magnetic environments. DA Smith routinely obtains target accuracies of 5 feet or better in 1,000 feet of hole.
In addition to our surface exploration rigs, DA Smith’s specialized drill fleet is designed to work in tight spaces and can be transported and assembled in difficult-to-access locations, including underground in mines and tunnels, atop dams, on steep hillsides, over water, inside dam galleries, and on scaffolding.
Our experienced crews have access to the equipment needed to mobilize under a wide array of challenging circumstances. This includes the use of cranes, hoists, tuggers, barges, boats, stair crawlers, heavy-duty carts, skids, skid steers, dozers, and high-flotation tracked crawlers.
Our drills are powered by either diesel, electric, or pneumatic motors for compatibility with available power sources. Select equipment can operate in MSHA 30 CFR Part 36/57/75 gassy mines. Our underground rigs are capable of drilling at any angle from vertical up to vertical down and in entries as low as 7 feet.
DA Smith is experienced with helicopter-access core and rotary drilling in remote locations for mining and civil projects. DA Smith possesses multiple heli-portable drill rigs capable of efficient transport and rapid assembly onsite.
We maintain strong relationships with prominent helicopter contractors who are able to service our projects across North America. DA Smith can subcontract helicopter transport services directly or work with helicopters contracted through the client.
Because we understand the complexities of helicopter drilling, we are able to maximize safety and economy on helicopter projects with strategic planning and optimized operations.
Our heli-portable equipment is also well suited to hoisting by crane where crane access is available.