The biographies of five graduates of the Mining Institute in the 19th-20th centuries are considered: N.P. Vollendorf, A.G. Redko, A.F. Hartman, V.P. Smirnov and P.V. Latyshev. All of them worked at the St. Petersburg Mint, improving their theoretical and practical skills and left a noticeable trace in the annals of the factory. Three of them were the heads of the Mint
Modern means of complex mechanization of mining operations are effectively used only under favorable conditions. For this reason, the forced restructuring of the coal industries in many countries, which is accompanied by the closure of mines and entire basins, is not possible. We are searching for new alternative means of integrated mechanization of mining operations. Developed modular complexes of selective action are promising for the development of coal seams in difficult mining and geological conditions.