822 3. CONCLUSIONS • The original Mine-to-Mill concept aimed to debottleneck SAG mills through more aggressive blasting to increase concentrator throughput; however, it is often misunderstood as simply increasing powder factors. In practice, more intensive blasting is only justified when the SAG mill is the constraint in the value chain, as was commonly the case when the concept first emerged. • SAG mills are the most capital-intensive assets in most concentrators and as such must be fully utilized. Achieving consistently high mill fillings and power draw is fundamental to maximizing throughput, energy efficiency, and downstream flotation performance. • Process control alone cannot compensate for geological variability. While operational adjustments (speed, density, feeders speed, ball load) provide limited flexibility, sustainable stability requires upstream control through blending and differential blasting. • Blast design needs to be tailored to ore hardness and focused on maximizing SAG mill power draw, ensuring the circuit’s most capital-intensive asset operates near its full potential. • Robust, routine ore characterisation is the common foundation of sustainable Mine-to-Mill integration. Reproducible, high-quality competency data are essential to define ore domains, guide blending and blasting strategies, and maintain benefits as conditions evolve. • The future of process integration lies in a continuous feedback loop between the orebody and the plant. High-resolution ore attribute databases linked to plant performance enable both short-term operational control and life-of-mine strategic planning, ensuring resilient performance, reduced risk, and sustained value creation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contributions of colleagues and industry partners who have supported the development and application of Mine-to-Mill and geometallurgical practices over the years. Their operational insights and collaborative spirit have been invaluable in shaping the perspectives presented in this paper. REFERENCES Morrell, S, 2008. A method for predicting the specific energy requirement of comminution circuits and assessing their energy utilisation efficiency, Minerals Engineering, 21(3). Napier-Munn, T J, Morrell, S, Morrison, R D and Kojovic, T, 1996. Mineral Comminution Circuits, their Operation and Optimization, pp 76, 166 (University of Queensland: Brisbane). David D. (2013). Is an 80th Percentile Design Point Logical?. Metallurgical Plant Design and Operating Strategies (MetPlant 2013) 15 – 17 July 2013, Perth WA. Weier M. (2019). 2018/19 Comparative Testing Program for JKDWT and SMC Testing, Implications of Test Variance (Procemin 2019) 20 – 22 November 2019, Santiago. Weier M. (2023). Insights Into Rock Breakage Experience for Over 30 Years. (SAG Conference 2023) 24 – 28 September 2023, Vancouver.
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