On August 8, Sunward's largest rotary drilling rig, the SWDM600, completed assembly at the base of a cross-sea bridge construction project in the Philippines, making its debut in the "Belt and Road" circle of China's high-end equipment manufacturing and soon to be put into operation.

It is understood that this super equipment exported to the Philippines is another fruit of Sunward's "pilot-style" innovation philosophy. It is used for ultra-deep, ultra-large, and ultra-hard pile foundation drilling construction, with a maximum drilling diameter of 3.5 meters and a maximum drilling depth of 145 meters. It features numerous original innovative technologies in terms of ease of disassembly and transportation, drilling stability when penetrating rock, and intelligent operation.

So how did it travel across mountains and seas to the Philippines and make its brilliant appearance?

Rewind to June 11, when the SWDM600 rotary drilling rig departed from Sunward Industrial City in Changsha. After more than a month of long-distance travel across the ocean, it arrived in Manila, the Philippines, on July 20.

This coincided with the rainy season in the Philippines, and days of high temperatures and heavy rain hindered the equipment assembly process. At the same time, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Manila was about to enter its third lockdown. The situation was severe and the schedule tight.

To ensure this super-large equipment could "report for duty" on time, Sunward's International After-Sales Service Department quickly set up a working group and established a communication group. Relevant heads from multiple departments, including the Technology Center, after-sales technical support, quality control, commissioning, and production, provided strong support, promptly answering questions and offering help for various equipment issues.

On July 28, the Sunward after-sales service team went to the site to inspect the equipment. On the premise of ensuring that all parts were intact and complete, they planned to carry out assembly quickly after the rain stopped.

On August 3, under the guidance of after-sales service engineers, the assembly team began the installation work. After just six days of intensive effort, the SWDM600 rotary drilling rig once again "stood" before everyone.

"When heavy rain suddenly fell, the workers would immediately find somewhere to take shelter. They have already gotten used to this rainy-season work rhythm. In addition, we also involved the customer in maintenance and assembly so they could learn about operating the company's equipment and strictly follow maintenance intervals, which greatly reduced failures. This not only created value for the customer but also built a good reputation for the company in the local market," said after-sales service engineer Liu Wenhan frankly. He has been abroad for nearly 600 days without returning to China. Since arriving in the Philippines, he has taken on the installation, maintenance, repair, parts replacement, technical support, and dealer training for new equipment such as rotary drilling rigs, cranes, static pile presses, wheeled excavators, skid-steer loaders, and excavators.

According to the introduction, unlike previously installed rotary drilling rigs, this SWDM600 rotary drilling rig has a forward-tilting overall design, a base frame equipped with four outrigger cylinders, a centralized grease lubrication system, and a mast that is raised directly by two extra-long mast cylinders. For the installation workers, this was both a challenge and an opportunity to broaden their knowledge.

Next, Sunward will, as always, actively respond to the national "Belt and Road" initiative, adhere to the pilot-style innovation philosophy, continue to make breakthroughs in core technologies and manufacturing processes, strive to create maximum value for customers, and continuously launch engineering equipment products with global influence.

Further Reading: Technical Highlights

1. Solving the challenge of long-distance transportation

With clever mechanical devices, the SWDM600 rotary drilling rig features a self-loading and self-unloading crawler chassis, allowing the huge upper and lower structures to be quickly separated and assembled. During machine transfer, no large crane is needed for assistance; the chassis telescopic outrigger mechanism enables convenient self-loading. This reduces the time and cost of relocating super-large equipment while also solving the problems of excess width, weight, and height during transportation of super-large equipment.

2. Solving the challenges of stability and safety during operation

Because the construction environment is changeable and working conditions are complex, safety is always the bottom line in construction. The SWDM600 rotary drilling rig relies on its proprietary patented slewing brake device and control technology. The original stabilizing device connects the upper and lower structures into one unit, which not only effectively enhances drilling stability but also prevents damage to the slewing mechanism from severe vibration during drilling. It effectively solves the problems of poor machine stability and low construction quality caused by large slewing impact when the machine operates with high torque in complex strata. In terms of safety assurance, multi-directional cameras provide 360-degree full-view monitoring, combined with audible and visual alarms and emergency stop buttons, comprehensively ensuring construction safety.

3. Upgraded construction efficiency and diverse functions for various working environments

To increase construction efficiency and diversify functions, the SWDM600, based on the construction and management characteristics of super-large rotary drilling rigs, offers multiple drilling modes. Different gears can be selected according to different strata and pile diameters to improve construction efficiency. Its main winch has high lifting force and a long pressurized stroke, allowing one machine to be used for multiple purposes such as installing large-diameter long casings. It is also equipped with a centralized lubrication system, making routine maintenance simple and convenient, saving time and effort.

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