Authored by Ralph SMITH, GEOVIA Sales Expert – Management Director, for Australian Mining
Technology is reshaping the world, and the mining industry is no exception, with virtual twin technology at the forefront.
As the industry faces challenges such as declining ore grades, rising costs, and stricter environmental regulations, technology like Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform is critical.
“Our platform connects all the data points across mining operations, ensuring that when something changes in one area, all other relevant processes are updated accordingly,” said Dassault Systèmes’ Global Sales Director, Ralph Smith. “This provides auditability, repeatability, traceability, and visibility, underpinned by governance tools to digitize the mining value chain.”
In mineral processing, virtual twins can be used to model equipment maintenance management software, simulate plant performance, and integrate data across the mining value chain.
“Whether it’s testing different processing parameters or predicting potential bottlenecks, the technology enables mining companies to make proactive decisions rather than reactive ones,” Smith said.
“We can model and simulate something before physically implementing it. For example, we can plan and simulate the mining production cycle and the beneficiation process. By connecting multiple disciplines, we can better understand our decisions to maximize value, extract more for less, and drive our sustainability and productivity ambitions.”
By simulating entire mining operations in a virtual environment, companies can optimize layouts, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact before a single shovel breaks ground.
More significantly, virtual twins allow mines to align key performance indicators (KPIs) across different operational areas.
“What tends to happen is that geoscience, mine planning, and processing teams often work in silos, leading to inefficiencies,” Smith said.
“There can be confusion at the end of the month regarding KPIs and who did what.”
“A virtual twin connects these disciplines so that when someone makes a change, you can actually see the impact down the value chain.”
At the core of Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology is data—accurate, real-time information that enhances decision-making.
Mining companies can integrate real-time data from sensors placed throughout their operations.
“For example, sensors in a copper deposit can scan material in a bucket as it’s being loaded, providing real-time analysis of its quality,” Smith said.
“That information is then integrated into the virtual twin, allowing operators to anticipate what’s going to the mill or stockpile.”
By feeding real-time data into the virtual twin, mining companies can better predict processing requirements, whether it’s adjusting crushing and grinding parameters or modifying reagent mixes for optimal recovery.
One of the biggest challenges in mining is ensuring alignment between blasting, material movement, and processing efficiency.
“A blasting engineer’s KPI is often to reduce costs, not necessarily to increase plant productivity,” Smith said.
“But if you spend 20 percent more on blasting and get a one percent improvement in plant throughput, the project value is far greater.”
Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology helps mine operators bridge these gaps, optimizing every step from ore extraction to final processing.
“We can simulate how material moves through the processing plant, identifying bottlenecks before they happen,” Smith said. “It’s about connecting the dots across disciplines rather than optimizing individual silos.”
Dassault Systèmes has also explored the reprocessing of old waste dumps and tailings, helping miners extract residual value while mitigating long-term environmental risks.
“There are more projects revisiting old tailings because what wasn’t valuable 20 years ago is now economic at today’s commodity prices,” Smith said. “It’s not just about recovering more material; it’s also about reducing environmental liabilities.”
Dassault Systèmes is also integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its virtual twin platform, further enhancing predictive capabilities.
Aura, an AI-powered virtual co-pilot, was unveiled by the company at the 3DEXPERIENCE World event in Houston, Texas, in February.
“It’s an intelligent conversational chatbot for mining operations, where you can ask questions, and it provides responses based on the available data,” Smith said.
“It can summarize information quickly and allows you to dive deep into data across the entire operation by learning, teaching, and performing tasks for you.”
By embedding AI into the system, Dassault Systèmes enables mining companies to continuously learn from past performance, refining their processes over time.
“The advantage of AI is that it can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, summarizing key insights while providing links to source information for deeper analysis,” Smith said.
Dassault Systèmes’ Virtual Twin Experience offers innovative solutions for the mining industry, enabling companies to rethink models, processes, and business strategies to drive sustainable innovation. These cutting-edge tools allow users to develop and maintain cross-disciplinary virtual twins, transforming the future footprint of mining operations.
By integrating Virtual Twin technology, the mining industry can achieve greater efficiency, sustainability, and strategic foresight, setting new standards for operational excellence and environmental responsibility.
Source: Australian Mining, May 2025
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