Spencer Dormer
Let us throw back the question to you: What do you need out of your core tray?
The best core tray is the one that meets your every need and expectation on what a core tray should do.
Let’s look at your options from the Discoverer Range of Recycled Plastic Core Trays.
A Quick Background on Discoverer
Discoverer was the pioneer of the plastic core tray, launched in 1993 and acquired by Dynamics in 2015.
It’s manufactured on both the East and West Coasts of Australia, due to the increasing popularity and volumes sold across the country.
It’s stocked locally through the Dynamics warehouse network of Perth, Mt. Isa, Kalgoorlie, Dubbo, Adelaide, Gympie and Melbourne.
The original design, Discoverer S1, is a basic core tray with a simplistic design, known for being robust and outlasting the elements in the field. We have clients in Mt. Isa that still have this original core tray in pristine condition, protecting their core for over 25 years and counting.
Then came S2, which is designed for the export market. Its unique ‘nest and stack’ feature meant that the trays can nest neatly inside each other when empty, which gives significant savings in freight.
The Discoverer Range has seen its fair amount of upgrades and tweaks over the years. Let us now focus on the more recent models.
Discoverer S3, S4 and S5: Which is the best core tray for you?
From left to right: Discoverer S3, S4, and S5 Recycled Plastic Core Trays
Discoverer saw the need to manufacture a tray with a flat bottom, to address challenges with core tray handling along roller racking.
This was how S3 came about.
S3 also came with extra channel height to better suit fragment or protrusive core, which usually needed clearance for stacking, so there’s enough space between the core and the tray on top.
February 2020 saw the launch of the core tray for serious drill core photographers, the S4.
Using smart technology, S4 incorporates a stencil, known as Tru Identiti™, to write Tray #, and From and To Depth, completely eliminating issues involving faded markings or poor handwriting.
Paired with a compatible software app like Imago, the tray’s stenciled information can be identified as it is being photographed, and can be automatically assigned to the image and the corresponding database. Truly time efficient!
And just recently, Discoverer came out with its latest core tray model, the S5.
S5 shares the forward-thinking features of S4, but it’s made shorter with an overall length of 1m. Dynamics recognises some Geos and Explorers prefer a shorter length in order to reach the far end when logging over the length of the tray. This eliminates any need for turning the tray on the racking.
Here is a feature-for-feature comparison of the three Discoverer Core Trays:
S3 |
S4 |
S5 |
|
Flat bottom for smooth movement on roller racking |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Extra channel height, perfect for fragmented core |
✔️ |
||
Ergonomic grip bar for easier handling |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Stable stacking |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Patented interlocking bracing for integral strength |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Drainage holes at both ends of the tray to keep core dry |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Start indicator to avoid unnecessary mistakes |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
RFID tags for more permanent markings |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Tru Identiti™ stencil technology |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Can be bundled with Imago geo photography software |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Available in NQ size |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Available in HQ size |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
Available in PQ size |
✔️ |
✔️ |
A Discoverer First! Protect Every Tray from the Elements
The Discoverer S5 Core Tray Lid is made from a single-piece molded recycled plastic with integrated clips that hold it firmly on the tray. The design allows every core tray to be sealed with its own individual lid, and then stacked on top of each other stably. Previous models only allowed a lid to be clipped on the tray at the top of the stack.
The Easiest Win For Your ESG Strategy
Since late 2020, Discoverer has been manufacturing the entire Core Tray Range from recycled kerbside plastic. To date, it remains the only Plastic Core Tray made out of environmentally-friendly recycled polymer.
According to Australia’s 2020 National Waste Report, only 13% of plastic is being recycled and remade into useful products. Guess what happens to the remaining 87%? They still end up in landfill, where they take years and years to disintegrate, or worse - end up in our oceans.
This is not an absurd and unfeasible environmental movement. It’s a logical, long-term solution to make good use of all the plastic that every Australian citizen takes time to put into their designated bins.
Miners and Explorers who have been using Discoverer Recycled Plastic Core Trays have saved over 4,000 tonnes of plastic to date.
Join the movement. Give your ESG a much needed boost.
Conclusion
“What is the best core tray for me?”, you ask.
The best core tray will always be the one that meets your needs.
The Discoverer Range has several options to make sure the varying requirements of Explorers and Fieldies are addressed.
Now if the core tray of your choice also turns out to be eco-friendly? Consider it a bonus, not just for your ESG efforts but for the planet as well.
What features would you like to see in a future Discoverer S6 Recycled Plastic Core Tray? Let us know in the comments section!