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SCMP Reporter

HD Engineering's one-of-a-kind HD400 hydraulic drilling machine has won the firm a CMA Machinery and Equipment Design Award.

  Designed for piling and foundation work, the machine features a folded mast which can be erected nearly 24 metres in 15 minutes.

   The mast's unique design minimises the number of drill extensions needed and saves time and money involved in set up.

  The machine was designed in a modular system to allow customers to have the use of attachments and options, enabling them to carry out a range of drilling duties.

  HD Engineering managing director Cheng Chor-shing said the company had spent 18 months developing the HD400 because of demand for larger machinery.

  He said the unit could be transported easily on a low-bed trailer and was one of the few machines available which was application-specific for large-diameter DTH (down-the-hole) drilling.

  'When we designed the HD400, we wanted it to be easy to transport and easy to set up at the site. A major disadvantage of mobile piling driving rigs is they have to be dismantled and transported in sections,' Mr Cheng said.

  'The HD400 has a self-erecting design and can be set up by two people in 15 minutes. Considering it weighs about 70 tonnes, this is quite a useful feature. It also conforms to road regulations and can safely pass under bridges and through tunnels to a height restriction of 4.6 metres.'   Mr Cheng said the machine, which could be rented, cost between $4.3 million and $4.5 million.

 'Because cost performance in the field of drilling is gauged in a cost-per-metre drilled, the range of applications and easy set up of the HD400 enables customers to reduce drilling costs significantly.'  As one of Hong Kong's premier hydraulic equipment manufactur ers, the Fanling-based company has built more than 500 industrial drilling machines since 1976 for use in foundation work on some of the SAR's most important buildings and infrastructure projects.

  The hydraulic drills, which range from small rigs for indoor work to the massive HD400, have been used in constructing various MTR projects, the former New World Hotel and the new airport.

  Foreseeing a slowdown in the lo cal construction market, HD Engineering has been steadily expanding its operation globally.

 In 1993, the company was recognised for its achievements in designing the HD120S-A drill (for large-diameter anchoring and micropiling) with the Chinese Manufacturers' Association (CMA) Design Award, under the Governor's Awards for Hong Kong Design, the forerunner of the Awards for Industry.



24-metre mast can be erected in 15 minutes