Recently, good news came from Yubang Mining in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia: the ATM-1000L Cut Raise borer Machine, primarily developed by Yier Technology, has successfully completed the precise breakthrough operation of a 70° inclined blind raise borehole thanks to its outstanding performance and high construction efficiency.

One of the shafts has a depth of 20 meters, while the other is 16 meters deep. Construction efficiency has been consistently maintained at 30–40 minutes per meter, delivering high-efficiency, safe, and precise operations that lay a solid foundation for subsequent mining activities.

I. Escalating Challenges: Technical Difficulties in Constructing a 70° Blind Shaft

The construction of blind shafts, particularly inclined blind shafts, has long been a critical and challenging issue in underground mining. In this project, Yubang Mining is confronted with multiple challenges: steep inclination and stringent precision requirements. An inclination of 70° far exceeds that of conventional vertical shafts, placing extremely demanding requirements on drill rig attitude control, borehole accuracy, and shaft completion quality; even the slightest deviation can adversely affect subsequent mining operations. Moreover, the working environment is highly complex: underground mine spaces are confined, and geological conditions are variable, making it difficult for traditional manual blasting or standard drilling rigs to operate effectively, while also posing significant safety risks and low operational efficiency.

Dual demands of efficiency and safety: the roof strata contain abundant loose floating rock, and the surrounding rock mass is highly fragmented; moreover, anchor bolts cannot be visually inspected after shotcrete application, necessitating thorough verification to ensure they have not been damaged by roller-cone drill bits, thereby guaranteeing the safety of the support system.

II. Core Strength: The Breakthrough of the ATM-1000L Cutting Raise borer Machine

Facing the challenge, Yier Technology’s ATM-1000L cutting Raise borer Machine has become the “trump card” for this project thanks to its multiple core technological advantages:

Precise multi-orientation control for incline drilling: The drill rig’s main unit features robust attitude-adjustment capabilities, enabling longitudinal fore-and-aft tilt of 80°–90° and rearward tilt of 60°–90°, as well as lateral swing of ±30°, perfectly accommodating drilling operations at a 70° incline.
Under inclined-drilling conditions, the drilling rig experiences unfavorable loading, making it prone to malfunctions such as overpressure at the top and underpressure at the bottom. During project construction, after-sales engineer Guo Yi maintained on-site presence throughout the entire period, closely monitoring field conditions and flexibly implementing a dual-control strategy that combines manual and automatic pressure compensation. By continuously tracking pressure gauge readings and dynamically adjusting equipment parameters, he promptly addressed pressure instability issues, ensuring continuous and stable rig operation and providing robust support for the efficient and orderly breakthrough of the raise.

Efficient drilling with breakthrough rates of 30–40 minutes per meter: Equipped with a high-power hydraulic system and an efficient rock-breaking cutterhead, reaming operations advance rapidly, achieving 9 meters in an 8-hour shift with consistent cycle times of 30–40 minutes per meter—representing a 3–5 fold increase in efficiency compared with traditional manual blasting. Eliminating the need for time-consuming concrete foundation pouring simplifies preliminary preparations and significantly shortens the overall construction schedule.

Fully mechanized + remote control, building a robust safety barrier

During construction, monitor the opening condition of the roller-cone drill bit and observe the cuttings removal process in real time. If any abnormal signs are detected—such as metal chips or debris, or damage to anchor bolts—immediately halt operations and implement corrective measures to ensure the structural integrity and soundness of the anchor bolts.

At the same time, a fully mechanized construction approach is employed, coupled with remote wireless control operations, enabling operators to perform construction control from a safe zone without entering high-risk work areas. This effectively mitigates safety risks such as rockfalls and collapses at the source, thereby comprehensively enhancing the overall construction safety factor.

In the Yubang Mining Project, the ATM-1000L Cut Raise borer Machine efficiently completed the construction of two 70° blind raises, achieving precise breakthrough and one-time well completion with a stable rate of 30–40 minutes per meter. The well walls are smooth and regular, with minimal disturbance to the surrounding rock, and the well quality far exceeds expectations.

This successful breakthrough has effectively resolved the technical challenges associated with constructing inclined blind shafts in mining operations. Moreover, with its advantages of high efficiency, safety, and low cost, it has helped the mine shorten the construction schedule, reduce construction expenses, and enhance overall mining productivity and economic returns.

In the future, Yier Technology will continue to focus on mining equipment, leveraging more advanced technologies and more reliable products to help more mining companies overcome construction challenges and promote the upgrade of mining operations toward efficiency, safety, and intelligence.