China taking the bit by the teeth 08 Nov 2018

European manufacturers of drills, bits, threads and tools have long dominated the market, while Chinese construction equipment has often been perceived as only suited to the requirements of the domestic market. Recently, though, Chinese manufacturers have improved their products and incorporated the latest technology to provide products that reach or are fast approaching the level of leading European and North American manufacturers.

The market for Chinese products now extends to the developed markets of North America and Europe, with Russia proving especially receptive. With lower manufacturing cost distribution channels, Chinese companies are gaining on more established rivals. TunnelTalk offers a look at some of these Chinese companies.

Jining Bafang Mining Machinery develops mining and stone-processing equipment, with its main product lines being rock drills, integral drill rods, plug hole drill rods, tapered/threaded drill rods, and tapered/threaded drill bits.

It exports products to more than 20 countries. Recent developments include a series of pneumatic rock drills for wet or dry drilling and a fully hydraulic core-drilling rig for tunnelling.

Henan Qianrui Machine Equipment supplies rock tools including PDC bits, PDC cutters, diamond core bits, TC bits, oil bits and tri-cone bits using high-quality raw materials and advanced production technology to customers around the world.

Its down-the-hole (DTH) drilling tools are divided into a high-pressure and low-pressure series. Its button bits utilize a taper-joint hard alloy, with a full offering of straight bits, cross-shaped bits, three-blade bits and spherical tooth-type bits. It produces a rock drill that transmits the drilling energy it produces directly to the rock.

JSI International claims fast, stable and economical solutions for rock drilling to reduce costs. It integrates its R&D and production capabilities, thereby delivering a cost-effective and all-encompassing solution.

Its top hammer drilling tools include four parts: bit, rod, shank and sleeve. The piston of the drill rig directly impacts the shank, enabling the impact power to reach the bit through the rod by stress wave to maximize the breakage of the rock. The primary breaking also impacts the secondary cutting. Its DTH drilling tools produce a large diameter by extending the impacting power to the bottom of the hole. Drilling straightness, a clean hole wall, excellent rigidity of the drill pipe and hammer without high axial thrust and no restriction of drilling depth have led to the wide use of these DTH rock tools in drilling operations.

The Maxdrill Rock Tools Company provides top hammer drilling tools, DTH tools, rock anchors, top-hole and quarry drilling tools. The company’s products are said to be manufactured using an advanced metal alloy for strength and reliability and are widely used in slope anchor, tunnel excavation and mine exploration drilling.

The company focuses on developing and producing high-quality tools utilizing a strict quality-control system for each production process. Advanced testing equipment ensures drilling tools meet the stringent demands of customers, some of whom are located throughout the US, Canada, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Products developed to match those of established European companies are now exported worldwide

LHS Rock Tools (HULUDAO) Sales manufactures a full range of rock-drilling tools including specialist top-hammer tunnel drilling and rock bolt anchoring tools. This includes hydraulic drilling tools, DTH drilling tools, tapered equipment and drilling tools for underground long-hole drill rigs such as drill rods, drill bits, TDS guide tubes, reaming bits, pilot adaptors, couplings, shank adaptors and hydraulic drifters. Some of its hydraulic drifters are manufactured under license using technology imported from the Secoma Company in France.

The DTH offering includes hammers, bits and drill pipes of high-pressure, middle-pressure and low-pressure designs. The tapered equipment includes button bits, chisel bits, cross bits, rods and integral rods. The company now markets its products to more than 20 countries.

Jinquan (Golden Spring) Rock Drilling Tools boasts the largest production and manufacturing facilities in China, producing rock-drilling tools and associated equipment including top hammer rock tools, comprising of chisel/cross bits, tapered button bits, and thread button bits. Its DTH offering includes drill bits, hammers, taper drill rods, integral drill steels, M-F rods, extension rods, shank adapters, coupling sleeves, tools, screw air compressors, piston compressors and tunnel-drilling rigs.

It manufactures over 500 products that are designed and manufactured to the quality standard IS09001:2008, which has enabled it to develop customer bases in over 50 countries worldwide.

Wooke Rock Drill Equipment claims the most advanced high-air-pressure DTH rock-drilling tools in China. It has recently invested in a 15,000m2 multi-million dollar advance manufacturing plant featuring forging, metal-processing, heat-treatment and numerical control facilities.

It offers a range of high, medium and low air pressure DTH rock-drilling tools and hydraulic top hammer drilling tools including bits, button bits, hammer bits, rock bits, drilling core bits, tapered button bits, coupling sleeves, DTH hammers and symmetric drilling tools. Additionally it produces eccentric drill tools with casing tubes, drill tubes, drill pipes, shank adapters and hammer adapters.

Products have found a direct application in tunnelling, mining, construction, well digging, and the drilling of blasting holes all over the world and have been specifically designed to be compatible with Atlas Copco, Ingersoll-Rand and Sandvik drilling equipment.

Superdrill Equipment specialises in natural dimensional stone quarrying, mining and construction. Its products include top hammer drilling tools including extension rods, coupling and shank adaptors. It also produces a series of drilling pipes, as well as high, medium and low air pressure DTH hammers and bits.

The company uses an advanced integrated manufacturing plant with electro-hydraulic forging hammers, an Italian-made atmosphere-controllable sealed quench furnace for heat treatment and CNC machines for accurate finishing. Its thread button drill bits are made of high-quality alloy steel bar and tungsten carbides.

Its high-strength drilling tools produce low levels of energy loss while drilling. The company designs thread button drill bits according to differing drilling applications and for soft rock, loose-medium rock and hard rock. Its DTH button bits are produced from premium quality nickel-alloy steel for increased durability, with heat treatment 'stress relief' processes ensuring consistent performance.

Its products match the drilling equipment manufactured by Atlas Copco, Sandvik, Ingersoll-Rand and other established manufacturers.