Poclain And Chuangyan High-Tech Co-Develop Groundbreaking Intelligent Mining Equipment
With M. Wang, Chairman at Chuangyuan, M. Wang Feng, Vice-Président of Technology at Chuangyuan, and M. Yin Qianshen, Dean of the Research Institut
On the map of China's intelligent mining equipment sector, Hunan Chuangyuan High-Tech Co., Ltd. has established itself as a recognized leader, investing heavily in research and development and selling overseas. Chuangyuan High-Tech recently launched a blasthole drill specifically designed for intelligent mining. Achieving a 50% efficiency increase at an altitude of over 5,000 meters on a snowy plateau, it has reached a new milestone in China's mining equipment market.
Beyond providing the components to drive Chuangyuan High-Tech’s intelligent blasthole drill, Poclain took part in the machine’s cutting-edge design and enabled it to soar above the competition.
Their collaboration began in 2015 with a raise boring machine project and has moved on to overcoming the technical challenges of the blasthole drill. A decade of common projects has fostered trust and enabled both companies to build on each other’s technical expertise. Together they have set new standards for Chinese mining equipment in terms of reliability, intelligence, and adaptability to extreme working conditions.
A Decade Of Joint Development
In 2015, addressing the stringent requirements of raise boring machines with high-torque motors, Poclain provided a solution involving customized hydraulic motors and freewheeling valves. This solution was successfully applied across Chuangyuan's full range of raise-boring machines, with diameters from 1 to 8 meters. The motors have proven to be extremely reliable over the years. Thus, Poclain evolved from an international brand into a trusted engineering partner for Chuangyuan's technical team.
Strategic Breakthrough: Co-creating The Benchmark Blasthole Drill For Intelligent Mining
When Chuangyuan, drawing on its extensive retrofit experience, resolved to develop a new generation of blasthole drills, working with Poclain motors was a given.
For the key rotary drive, reliability and technical synergy capability were our primary considerations... but more importantly, the Poclain engineering team engaged in deep collaboration with us...
"For the key rotary drive, reliability and technical synergy capability were our primary considerations," states Wang Feng, Vice‑President of Technology at Chuangyuan. Poclain's motors not only have a high-performance baseline, but more importantly, their engineering team engaged in deep collaboration with us to maximize efficiency, reviewing and optimizing the solution from the design phase," Wang Feng, Vice-President of Technology at Chuangyuan explains.
Poclain hydraulic motors offer significant advantages in structural design. Their high power density and compact design provide greater flexibility in equipment layout, enabling the rotary system to deliver high power output in a compact envelope. Simultaneously, the motor employs a direct drive solution without a gearbox, which not only offers higher transmission efficiency but also achieves maintenance-free operation, significantly reducing the total lifecycle maintenance costs. Its unique cam lobe structure can handle demanding conditions such as rapid change of rotation direction and high-impact loads.
The sustained reliability of Poclain motors under extreme conditions, along with flexible designs like modularity and hollow shafts, provided strong support for our rapid machine iteration, truly achieving seamless integration of technological innovation.
The co-creation yielded remarkable results: Poclain MS83 and MS50 motors are standard in the rotation systems of all Chuangyuan blasthole drills. From project launch in 2024 to series production, the two engineering teams collaborated closely, taking only eighteen months to successfully introduce the CY-IDR series, available in multiple power configurations including electric, diesel, and hybrid. The rotation system of the series delivers outstanding performance, with a maximum speed of 145 rpm, an output torque of up to 35,000 N.m, and a rated power of 220 kW.
With a machine weight range of 40 to 178 metric tons, the equipment operates in extreme temperatures from -40°C to 50°C and easily handles Protodyakonov rock hardness levels F4 to F20 (UCS 40 MPa to 200 MPa). This makes it a reliable and powerful solution for complex mining conditions in China and around the world.
A Milestone Achievement on the Roof of the World
The first benchmark project for Chuangyuan's blasthole drill was chosen at the Tibet Julong Copper Mine, situated over 5,000 meters above sea level. Here, the equipment faced multiple challenges: high-altitude hypoxia, extreme temperature variations, and complex geology. Relying on the stable hydraulic drive system co-developed with Poclain, along with core technologies such as the world's first hybrid infinite travel and AI intelligent drilling, the Chuangyuan drill not only operated reliably but also carried out unmanned high-altitude operations. The miners were able to remote control from the plains away from the mine’s extreme conditions, improving efficiency by 50% compared to traditional equipment.
It is because we have trustworthy partners like Poclain that we can operate our machines in extreme working conditions with full confidence in the reliability of our drive components.
"This is not only a victory for technology but also a victory for our operator-centric philosophy of moving miners from the plateau to the plains" said Mr. Wang, Chairman of Chuangyuan, "It is because we have trustworthy partners like Poclain that we can operate our machines in extreme working conditions with full confidence in the reliability of our drive components."
Beyond the Supply Chain: Strategic Alignment Centered on the Customer
The deeply ingrained customer-first philosophy is another crucial cornerstone of the partnership. Chuangyuan established a unique Chairman's Hotline to ensure the most urgent customer voices reach the decision-making level directly. This philosophy aligns with Poclain’s customer-centric vision.
In order to fulfill one of Chuangyuan's urgent orders, Poclain's China and France teams coordinated to optimize production and logistics, ensuring the critical motors arrived on time. This goes far beyond a simple buyer-seller relationship, highlighting Poclain’s supply chain resilience and rapid response.
From customized support to strategic co-creation, from product empowerment to ecosystem building, the collaboration between Poclain and Chuangyuan is a model of global technology and localized innovation. On the journey of Chinese mining equipment running on the world's highest peaks, Poclain always proceeds with product excellence as the engine and customer success as the coordinate, marching forward shoulder to shoulder with like-minded partners.
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