Charging & Explosives
BlastCAD's Charging Module lets engineers design complex multi-deck explosive columns with real-time 3D visualization, automatic mass calculations, rule-based primer placement, and a production-grade charge plan printout — all inside the browser.
Overview
A charge design defines how the explosive column is structured inside each drill hole. BlastCAD represents this as an ordered list of segments — each segment has a type (explosive, stemming, or air deck), a length, and a material assignment.
The 3D viewer renders each segment as a distinct, colour-coded cylinder inside the hole body, giving engineers immediate visual confirmation of the charge pattern.
Charge Wizard (Charge Mode)
The Charge Wizard is a full-screen view focused on the explosive design for individual holes or entire blast patterns. Access it from the Ribbon Bar (🔥 Charge) or by clicking Charge Design in the Canvas Toolbar.
The Charge Wizard shows:
- A 3D cross-section of the selected hole (or holes) from the side
- All charge segments as stacked, colour-coded cylinders
- A segment editing panel on the left (add, remove, reorder, resize segments)
- A summary panel showing total explosive mass, column length, and stemming lengths
Production Charge Plan
The Production Charge Plan is a standalone report tool that generates a formatted charge plan document — suitable for printing, sign-off, and handover to charge crews.
Opening the Charge Plan
Click Charge Plan in the Ribbon Bar or Top Bar. The Charge Plan opens in a full-screen panel using an embedded web document (an iframe). BlastCAD automatically sends the current hole and charge data to the charge plan document via a secure in-page message.
Sync Status
The header of the Charge Plan panel shows a sync indicator:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ● Syncing… (amber) | Data is being sent to the charge plan document |
| ● Synced — N holes (green) | Data loaded successfully |
| ● Sync failed (red) | The charge plan document did not respond within 8 seconds — click Reload |
Charge Plan Controls
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| ↺ Reload | Reloads the charge plan iframe and re-sends hole data |
| ⚙ Settings | Opens the charge plan column and layout settings (inside the charge plan document) |
| Triggers the charge plan print dialog (browser print to PDF or physical printer) |
Delay Sync
If you adjust a delay in the charge plan document (e.g., modify a firing number), the updated delay is sent back to BlastCAD and the hole's delay is updated in real time — no need to re-export.
Sections in this Chapter
- Charge Design — Activating Charge Mode, building segments, mass calculations, and proximity analysis.
- Primer Rules — Automatic and manual primer placement, rule logic, and batch application.