Wantong Hydraulics: Innovative Technology Empowers Coal Mine Machinery, Achieving Another Breakthrough in Shield Support Cylinder Field

Recently, Shandong Wantong Hydraulic Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Wantong Hydraulic") has achieved another technological breakthrough in the core component of coal mining machinery—the shield hydraulic support cylinder, further consolidating its leading position in the domestic medium and high-pressure cylinder market. As a national-level specialized and new "little giant" enterprise and an important supplier in the hydraulic field, Wantong Hydraulic relies on its independently developed core technology to provide efficient and reliable hydraulic solutions for intelligent coal mining.

Technology Cultivation: Full-Chain Breakthrough from R&D to Mass Production

The shield hydraulic support is a key component of coal mine comprehensive mining equipment, and its cylinder performance directly affects the safety and stability of the equipment. Since its establishment in 2004, Wantong Hydraulic has been deeply involved in the field of hydraulic cylinders for more than 20 years, and has overcome a number of technical problems through continuous investment in research and development. The core technologies such as cold drawing technology, piston rod heat treatment and surface treatment technology, and mirror polishing roughness control technology enable its cylinder products to have high wear resistance, corrosion resistance and long life characteristics.

In response to the special needs of shield supports, Wantong Hydraulic has developed a high and low pressure two-stage air chamber air-oil spring matching design technology under large-span load changes, which solves the technical bottleneck of height leveling of the support in no-load and full-load conditions. In addition, the company's latest invention patent "A variable damping variable stiffness air-oil spring device for heavy vehicles" (announcement date: February 14, 2025) further improves the adaptability and stability of hydraulic supports under complex road conditions, providing key support for the intelligent upgrade of coal mining equipment.

Market Expansion: From Core Supporting to Industry Benchmark

Wantong Hydraulic's shield support cylinder products have achieved full coverage from 63 mm to 630 mm in cylinder diameter, which can meet the mainstream model needs of the domestic coal mining machinery industry. At present, the company has become a "core supporting supplier" of Zheng Coal Machinery and an "excellent supporting supplier" of Yankuang Donghua, and its products are widely used in comprehensive mining hydraulic supports, mining construction machinery and other fields. In 2024, the company's cylinder business revenue for mechanical equipment accounted for 62.43%, becoming the core driving force for its performance growth.

In terms of high-end market layout, Wantong Hydraulic continues to optimize its product structure through the "2+1" core product line strategy (dump truck special cylinders, mechanical equipment cylinders, and air-oil springs). In 2023, the gross profit margin of its air-oil spring products remained stable above 60%, far higher than the industry average. The company also cooperates with well-known companies such as Taian Aerospace Special Vehicle and China National Heavy Duty Truck to expand air-oil spring technology to the field of special transport vehicles, further broadening the market boundary.

Industry Contribution: Helping the Intelligent and Green Transformation of Coal Mines

With the coal mining industry's increasing demand for efficient and safe mining, Wantong Hydraulic's technological innovation is promoting the industry's transformation to intelligence and greening. The company's multi-stage rapid double-acting lifting cylinder, through the end buffer structure design, significantly improves the stability and safety of the rigid mining vehicle hydraulic system; and the application of wide temperature range high-pressure combined dynamic sealing technology solves the sealing failure problem in the high temperature and high humidity environment in coal mines, extending the service life of the equipment.

Company Actively responding to the "dual carbon" goal, the company reduces raw material consumption through lightweight technology. In 2024, the proportion of overseas income from the dump truck special cylinder business continued to grow, providing low-carbon solutions for the global commercial vehicle and construction machinery fields. Wang Wanfa, chairman of the company, said: "Technological innovation is the core of high-quality development. We will continue to deepen research and development around the hydraulic main business and promote the domestic substitution of more high-end hydraulic products."