In the February/March 2018 issue of Canadian Mining Journal, journalist Janice Leuschen interviewed WipWare founder Tom Palangio about the challenges of bringing new technologies into the mining industry.
The article, WipWare Closes the Innovation Gap, appeared in the magazine’s section on innovation and commercialization in Sudbury.
Turning Innovation into Practical Technology
Mining operations have traditionally been cautious about introducing unfamiliar technologies, particularly when changes could affect production, reliability, or operating costs.
For technology developers, this creates a commercialization challenge: demonstrating that an innovation can deliver measurable value in an environment where proven methods are often preferred.
Palangio discussed how WipFrag helped address this challenge by providing quantitative measurements of blast fragmentation. Rather than relying exclusively on visual assessments, engineers could use particle size data to evaluate results and make more informed adjustments.
As automated fragmentation monitoring developed, those measurements could also become part of broader process-control strategies.
Building an International Market
During the mid-1990s, Palangio combined WipFrag technology with his explosives consulting work, demonstrating its capabilities through practical applications.
Early business restrictions prevented domestic software sales, so he pursued opportunities internationally, including projects in Panama, Peru, Chile, South Africa, and Australia.
WipWare expanded into the domestic market in 1998, building on the experience and relationships developed through those international projects.
Read the Original Interview
The interview appeared on pages 49–51 of the February/March 2018 issue of Canadian Mining Journal. Read the original article.
WipWare continues to develop technologies for practical material measurement and industrial process monitoring. Learn more about WipWare’s history and its current measurement technologies.
WipWare