On July 1, the super-sized earth pressure balance shield tunneling machine (STM) “CREC R303” rolled off the assembly line in Tianjin. The shield machine, manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group under China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Co., Ltd., would be used in the tunneling operation of the railway in Fortezza, Italy. It is also China’s first “remanufactured” shield machine exported to Europe.

　　The CREC R303 STM rolls off the production line in Tianjin.

　　The CREC R303 STM was originally a super-sized earth pressure balance shield machine exported by China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Co., Ltd., to Dubai of United Arab Emirates. The company later repurchased the shield machine, and changed its diameter to 11.05 meters to meet the Italian customer’s requirements. Meanwhile, considering that the rock strength of the tunnel in Fortezza is high, the engineers upgraded the machine’s cutter head by improving the paths of its hob cutters so as to enhance its rock-breaking capacity and increase the drilling efficiency.

　　Shield machine remanufacturing is not simply maintenance, but a comprehensive upgrade targeting the requirements and conditions of operation in which it is about to be applied. The engineers would take into consideration of the soil quality, the operation performance of the machine, and the component replacement of the machine’s critical part, and upgrade the machine to the level of the newest generation of drilling machines. Statistics show that while guaranteeing the performance of or even outplaying the newest shield machines, remanufactured products can save energy by 60 percent, production materials by 70 percent, and costs by 50 percent.