Getting to the point in China 17 Dec 2020

No matter how good an underground drill rig or hand held drills, if the right tools and bits are not of the right quality, designed and tough enough for the right rock, then any tunnel excavation will face problems. Often perceived by many western companies as cheap and low quality and only suited to the requirements of the domestic market, Chinese manufacturers of construction equipment have come along in leaps and bounds, and improved their manufacturing and raw materials over recent years to boost the quality of the end product. Some manufacturing companies are importing special steels and other components to be competitive on the international market and at the highest level. This has been achieved through incorporating the latest technology, to provide customers with products that are fast approaching, and matching, the quality levels of those of leading international manufacturers.

Selection of GW carbide drill bits

The company Grewin is located in Zhuzhou, what it claims is the home of Chinese carbide manufacturing. With more than 20 years of experience, the company designs, manufactures and sells various carbide products, including carbide end mills, carbide rods, drills, rotary burrs, carbide saw blades and tips, brazed inserts, carbide tapes, and mining buttons. These are said to be highly affordable with an extensive range to fit most underground applications.

Dating from the 1970s the Henan Qianrui group of Chinese companies produces a wide range of rock tools including PDC (polycrystalline diamond compacts) bits, PDC cutters, diamond core bits, TC (tungsten carbide) bits, oil bits and tri-cone bits. Of interest are its down-the-hole (DTH) drilling tools which are divided into a high-pressure and low-pressure series. By using high quality raw materials and through advanced production technology, the company states that it is able to produce DTH drilling and rock tools of the highest quality. Recently the company has produced rock tools and drills that transmit the drilling energy produced by the rock drill directly to the rock.

Prodrill now uses steel supplied by Boat Longyear

Prodrill Equipment positions itself as a high technology engineering group, manufacturing and supplying various rock drills and tools. Among its extensive product lines are its tungsten carbide drill bits that include button bits, chisel bits and cross bits that are designed to match its own rock drills and those of other manuracturers. These are made from high quality 45CrNiMoV steel and cemented carbide grade YK05 or T6 imported from Boart Longyear. The company states that its tungsten carbide buttons are made with superior wear resistance and impact toughness delivering higher drilling penetration rates, when compared with similar rock drilling tools.

The main focus of JSI International is production of rock drilling tools for the tunnelling and mining industries. The company states that some recent developments enable its products to stand out. These include its top hammer drilling tools which are of four parts, bit, rod, shank and sleeve. Its DTH drilling tools produce a large diameter through extending the impacting power to the bottom of the hole. With high levels of drilling straightness, a clean hole wall, rigidity of drill pipe, hammer without high axial thrust and no restriction of drilling depth, its DTH rock tools are being widely used in all forms of drilling operations.

Drill bits for larger diameter DTH drilling

An Atlas Copco Boomer using Maxdrill tools and bits

LHS is now using technology imported under license from Europe

The wide variety of drilling and anchor tools offered by Maxdrill Rock Tools includes top hammer drilling tools, DTH tools, rock anchors, tophole and quarry drilling tools, all aimed at drill and blasting. As with many Chinese manufacturers, the company products are said to be manufactured using an advanced and strong metal alloy ensuring their strength and reliability, meaning that they are widely used in slope anchor and tunnel excavation drilling. Stressing the quality of its manufacturing, the company places emphasis on advanced testing of equipment being used to ensure its drilling tools meet the increasingly stringent demands of its customers who are domestic as well as increasingly globally.

LHS Rock Tools (HULUDAO) manufactures a full range of rock drilling tools including a selection of specialist top-hammer drilling and rock bolt anchoring tools. The full range includes hydraulic drilling tools, DTH drilling tools, tapered equipment and drilling tools for underground long hole drill rigs. This includes drill rods, drill bits, TDS (top drive system) guide tubes, reaming bits, pilot adaptors, couplings, shank adaptors and hydraulic drifters. The offering is slightly different to many of its local competitors, as it is not all a Chinese domestic product. Some of its hydraulic drifters are manufactured under license using technology imported from Secoma of France.

Jinquan-Golden Spring Rock Drilling Tools states that it has the largest manufacturing facilities in China for producing rock drilling tools and associated equipment. This includes top hammer rock tools comprising chisel and cross bits, tapered button bits, and thread button bits. Its DTH product range includes drill bits, hammers, taper drill rods, integral drill steels, M-F (male-female) rod, extension rods, shank adapters, coupling sleeves, tools, screw air compressors, piston compressors, and drill rigs. It now manufactures an extensive range of more than 500 types of equipment and tools that have proven themselves in underground civil engineering projects.

Wooke Rock Drill Equipment positions itself as a specialist in the manufacture of high air pressure DTH rock drilling tools, with its high pressure offering said to be the most advanced produced in China. The company products now include a range of high, medium and low air pressure DTH rock drilling tools and hydraulic top hammer drilling tools, covering 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 tube, drill tube, drill pipe, shank adapters and hammer adapters. Interestingly, the company states plainly that its offering is specifically designed to be compatible with the drilling equipment manufactured by Atlas Copco, Ingersoll-Rand and Sandvik.

Wooke positions itself as a high-end manufacturer of rock drilling tools

With a particular specialism in natural dimensional stone excavation, the products of Superdrill Equipment now 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 electro hydraulic forging hammers for the forging process, an Italian made atmosphere-controllable sealed quench furnace for heat treatment and CNC (computer numerical control) machines for accurate finishing. Illustrating the advanced nature of its manufacturing, its thread button drill bits are made of high-quality alloy steel bar and tungsten carbides. One of the latest company developments is its ST58 reaming bit for use with its own drill rod.

Heat treatment is used throughout manufacturing by Superdrill

With an emphasis on explaining how its manufacturing process has advanced, Superdrill stresses that through heat treatment, its drilling tools are of a high strength construction and are tough enough to meet the demands of rock drilling throughout the world, producing low levels of energy loss during the drilling process. The company also states that it possesses the ability to design and manufacture customized thread button bits according to differing applications and to customise its drill bits for soft rock, loose-medium rock and hard rock. As with many Chinese manufacturers, the company is keen to point out that its products are a perfect match for the drilling equipment manufactured by Atlas Copco, Sandvik, Ingersoll-Rand and other established jumbo and drill rig manufacturers.

Superdrill manufactures bits and tools to fit Sandvik and Atlas Copco

Many Luoyang products are marketed directly for Sandvik or Atlas Copco drilling rigs

Located in Henan Province, Luoyang Tuoyan offers users of Sandvik and Atlas Copco equipment the option to use its tools and drill bits, marketing its products specifically as Atlas Copco or Sandvik compatible.

Only tunnellers and drillers in the field will know for sure if the quality of the products of these Chinese manufacturers now matches that of the more established western manuracturers. There is little doubt however, that the offering of many Chinese suppliers has gained a foothold outside the protective wall of China, but as to whether this has been achieved through competitive pricing or high quality is yet to be seen. That said, these products are here to stay and offer tunnellers more choice when equipping their underground drilling operations. Whether the proud and bold statements of the Chinese rock drilling tool manufacturers are fact or hyperbole will depend on time and experience.