ICE® Reintroduces Partner and Rig Training
Editor: Debbie Reaney 

Within a world of many choices, ICE® has developed a rigorous process to identify client necessity. Since 1974, the team has implemented small batch theory into our production facilitating client guided innovation and technologically advanced equipment. Choosing the right partner to enhance a one stop foundation and ground improvement service, sales and rentals team is key to staying on track with the International Construction Equipment, Inc. vision. 

In foundation and ground improvement it is important to have the added benefit of both multiuse rigid and articulated hydraulic crawler drilling rigs. Knowing this, ICE® prioritized finding a drilling product line with suitability for several types of specialized work, such as ground consolidation, anchor drilling, geotechnical works, water well drilling and geothermal energy. With almost 40 models to offer, ICE® chose to represent the Comacchio drilling rigs to offer the industry's most comprehensive line of deep foundation equipment available. Each rig can be used for rotary and rotary-percussive drilling, for single head or double head applications and much more.  

ICE® customers have suggested the MC-22A is a diverse and highly adaptable duplexing drill rig. Nicholson Construction has been able to utilize this unit and take advantage of many of its features in recent years. For instance, while at the Prairie du Sac dam in mid-state Wisconsin, MC-22A was part of fleet of four rigs that completed a rigorous schedule on time and with great accuracy. "The ability to articulate the mast 90-degrees to the drill body while also maintaining a 45-degree batter with no bleed off during the drilling process was key to maintaining accuracy. In addition, utilizing the innovative hydraulic rod and casing carousel, we were able to eliminate an additional piece of equipment reducing the weight impacting the structure of the over 100-year-old dam." explains Daniel Mirt, Nicholson Operations Manager. During the third year of this project, Nicholson improved the process by mounting a Moyno® water pump across the body. Doing so allowed them to eliminate another piece of equipment and the time it took to move it. This also increased efficiency and helped reduce costs. The MC-22A is a fully remote-controlled drill, which permits the operator to safely move about the deck to see all aspects of the drilling process.  

The MC Line offers ranges from compact units weighing just over 3-tons, designed for operation in low headroom and restricted access sites, to large drilling rigs weighing up to 30-tons and providing over 200 kW of power, designed for the most demanding jobs and heavy-duty drilling methodologies, including double head applications. ICE® demands products they represent to have a focus on productivity and safety. Comacchio MC line rigs can offer an array of automated rods and case handling solutions eliminating the risk of injury. "While at the dam it was required to hold more casing and rods than the standard carousel, this posed no issue for the MC-22A as we were able to remove and increase the quantity by changing the pods that hold the casing and rods easily." expressed Mirt. On the upstream side of the dam, it was determined the drill would be fed by an excavator mounted casing and rod manipulator due to the intricacies of working from a barge. The moderate size of the MC-22A allowed for both pieces of equipment to share the restricted footprint of the barges and overcome the complexities. The drill was able to maintain good reach over the operator deck handrail and complete the drilling of micro-piles through multiple levels of the dam. This adaptability allowed Nicholson to be efficient and on schedule. 

The MC-22A can be configured as a single or double rotary head and is a small-diameter drill rig used particularly for making small-diameter bored piles and rock anchors. Available for sale and rent with a wide selection of rotary heads, hydraulic hammers, water and mud pumps, and rod carousels, the MC-22A is suitable for any type of rotary and rotary-percussive drilling. The MC-22A with rod and casing carousel is capable of handling drill rods inside of casing and has the unique ability to drill cased holes with only one operator. This setup can provide advantages over other rigs in that others often require 3 personnel to do the same work when utilizing casing. In addition to the operator advantages, the rig can achieve production levels up to 1,200 ft (about 365.76 m). drill depth per day, which is critical for large-scale jobs. 

Like all drill rigs that ICE® carries, the MC-22A is designed, primarily, with a driller's perspective. The engines comply with the current European and American (EPA and CARB) legislation regarding emissions. All MC drilling rigs can be equipped with a series of innovative systems that focus on operator safety while simplifying the automation processes of drilling. "Not only do the Comacchio rigs enhance safety standards, but these designs also enable efficient maintenance and repair platforms for drilling mechanics." explains Scott Crews, ICE® Drilling Division Director. 

ICE (International Construction Equipment,) ® will be highlighting a few drill rigs like this piece of equipment at the 2023 Con-Expo event in Las Vegas, NV this March. It will be shown demonstrating proper safety procedures while placing tiebacks. ICE® Trainers will be presenting on-site training modules during the expo with PDH credits available. ICE® will be partnering with engineering firms and other suppliers to host a comprehensive training session. Educational sign-ups are available on the ICE® website. Additional deep foundation equipment to be spotlighted includes the ICE® Zero Resonance Vibratory Hammer, Comacchio CH-150 mini-caisson rig & the MC-8D, a low-headroom drill and further training opportunities like sessions on pile driving on a batter.