Appin North Colliery - Drift Winder DC Drive Upgrade

Customer: GM-3, Appin North Colliery, Appin NSW

Project type: Electrical Installation and Commissioning

Control System: Rockwell Automation DC PowerFlex Drive

Touchstone Systems supported the upgrade of the Drift Winder DC drives at Appin North Colliery, working alongside Rockwell Automation to deliver the full electrical installation and commissioning scope. As safety-critical mine infrastructure, the works required careful planning, strict permit and isolation management, and close coordination with the GM-3 site team throughout.

Pre-works included a full review of Rockwell documentation, a site scoping visit, and creation of inspection test records for the new encoder cables ahead of installation.

Key deliverables included:

• Removal of redundant equipment and relocation of existing components within the switchboard to accommodate new hardware
• Supply and installation of new backing panels, backplanes, and equipment as specified by Rockwell Automation
• Wiring modifications throughout the switchboard in accordance with Rockwell schematics
• Installation of new encoder cables, DC drive cabling to motor, and control wiring
• Installation of new PLC cards and fusing, including new feeds from DCA bus bars
• Point-to-point testing of both drives and all associated components, with commissioning support provided to Rockwell Automation
• Completion of all documentation including redlined schematics and commissioning records, uploaded for site record keeping

Works were executed by a team of Touchstone electricians and engineers over a compressed on-site programme, meeting all permit, isolation, and safety requirements. The upgraded Drift Winder DC system was successfully commissioned and handed over to GM-3 in full compliance with site requirements.