Mining and Metallurgy
Components and Hydraulics from One Supplier
Hydroforce makes hydraulic cylinders, motors and pumps, machined shafts and gears, die-cast housings, sintered parts and carbide inserts for roadheaders, drilling jumbos, underground loaders, haul trucks, crushers, mills and steel-mill equipment.
Why Mining Machinery Wears Parts Differently
On a rock drill every blow of the hammer goes through the feed cylinder, the rotation motor and the carbide button at the front of the bit, and quartz dust with drilling water settles on the rods and pins around it. On a roadheader the cutting boom stalls against the face and restarts many times a shift; each restart is a shock load on the boom cylinders and the cutter-head gearing. Fine rock dust reaches the seals as well. Underground machines are hosed down at the end of every shift, water and grit are dragged past the wiper into the gland, and from then on the rod surface and the seal decide how long the cylinder holds pressure.
Surface equipment has a different problem. A crusher or a conveyor drive runs around the clock, and its life is counted in operating hours between planned shutdowns. If a conveyor motor or a pinion in a mill reducer fails between two shutdowns, the whole plant stops and everything upstream of it fills up while it stands. Underground a failure costs even more time, because the worn cylinder has to travel up the decline and the replacement down it. The spare therefore has to fit the same envelope, with the same ports and the same mounting, otherwise the machine stays where it is.
In a steel mill the main load is heat. Cylinders on furnace tilting drives, ladle handling and manipulators work in radiant heat, with scale and cooling water on the rod. The oil runs hot, a standard seal hardens, and scale attacks a thin chrome layer on every stroke. For these positions we choose the seal material, the chrome thickness and the rod steel according to where the cylinder sits, and we ask for the operating temperature in the specification together with bore and pressure.
By Type of Equipment
Built for Every Machine Underground and in the Plant
Roadheaders and tunnelling machines
boom lift and slew cylinders, cutter-head drive gears and pinion shafts, carbide cutting inserts and roller cone inserts, wear tiles and plates for the loading apron.
Drilling jumbos and rock drill rigs
boom positioning and feed cylinders, rotation motors, carbide buttons and dome inserts for the drill bits, guide bushings and sleeves.
Underground loaders (LHD and mucking machines)
lift, tilt and steering cylinders that run in grit and wash-down water, planetary travel motors, bucket pins and hardened bushings.
Mining haul trucks and tipping bodies
telescopic tipping cylinders with up to 9 stages, steering cylinders, chrome-plated rods for the hoist.
Crushers, mills and conveyors
crusher components and mill parts, case-hardened gears and pinion shafts for crusher and mill reducers, conveyor drive motors and sprockets.
Furnace and steel-mill equipment (tilting drives, manipulators, ladle handling)
heavy-duty cylinders for tilting drives and manipulators, synchronised multi-point lifting systems, radial-piston motors for winches, large machined shafts and flanges.
What We Make for Mining and Metallurgy
Six Technologies for Mining OEMs and Rebuilders
Hydraulic Cylinders
Bore 20–1000 mm, working pressure up to 500 bar, stroke 6 000 mm and beyond, telescopic designs with up to 9 stages, operating temperature from -50 °C to +200 °C. For mining and lifting cylinders we make the rod from 42CrMo4 or C45, induction harden it, plate it with 60–80 µm of hard chrome and grind it after plating to Ra ≤ 0.2 µm. If the rod runs in abrasive slurry, we put a ceramic HVOF WC-Co layer of 150–250 µm on it in place of the chrome. Every cylinder is pressure tested at 1.5× working pressure for at least five minutes.
Typical parts
- Boom and feed cylinders for drilling jumbos and roadheaders
- Lift, tilt and steering cylinders for underground loaders
- Telescopic tipping cylinders for mining haul trucks
- Tilting and manipulator cylinders for furnace and ladle handling
Hydraulic Motors and Pumps
Gear, planetary, axial-piston and radial-piston motors with displacement from 0.25 to 8000 cc/rev, working pressure up to 450 bar and speeds from 0.5 to 12000 rpm. Radial-piston units give high torque at low speed and are the usual choice for winches and heavy drives. Dimensions follow the common equipment platforms, so a motor of ours fits the original mount on a conveyor or a drill rig without modification. Each unit gets a functional and a pressure test before dispatch. Motors already in service can be sent in for refurbishment.
Typical applications
- Conveyor drive motors and crusher feeder drives
- Rotation and feed motors for drilling equipment
- Travel drive motors for underground loaders and roadheaders
- Radial-piston motors for winches and hoists
Machining and Gears
Our lathes take shafts up to 2 m in diameter and 16 m long, and we hold ±0.05 mm and IT6–IT7 fits on crusher components, mill parts and heavy-duty drive shafts. Gears up to 2000 mm are cut and ground to ISO 1328; grade 7 is the usual requirement for loaded reducer stages. Crusher and mill drives put shock straight into the tooth root, so these gears are carburised to a case depth of 1 to 3 mm at 56–62 HRC over a core of 240–300 HB. When no drawing exists we measure the worn wheel and make the replacement from that.
Typical parts
- Case-hardened gears and pinion shafts for crusher and mill reducers
- Sprockets and splined shafts for conveyor drives
- Cutter-head and travel drive gearing for roadheaders
- Cylinder bodies, large flanges and housings
Aluminium Die Casting
We cast housings for valves, sensors and controls on a mining machine in aluminium at ±0.1–0.3 mm with Ra 1.6–6.3 µm, so most surfaces need no machining. Wall thickness can go down to 0.5–1.5 mm. T6 heat treatment is available, and castings that have to hold pressure are X-rayed for internal defects.
Typical applications
- Valve and pump housings
- Enclosures for sensors and controllers on the cab and the boom
- Brackets and covers for mounted equipment
Powder Metallurgy and MIM
When a gear, a lever or a small piston is needed in thousands, sintering comes out cheaper than cutting it from bar and saves up to 30% of the material. Compaction pressure goes up to 800 MPa and density up to 97%; tolerance is ±0.05 mm as sintered and ±0.02 mm for MIM parts. We check each lot for density, hardness and dimensions.
Typical applications
- Sintered gears and sprockets for pump and reducer drives
- Structural PM parts: levers, latches, small pistons
- MIM components for valve blocks and control units
Cemented Carbides
The working surface in rock drilling is cemented carbide. We sinter tungsten carbide (WC-Co) in-house at 1 350–1 500 °C to 1 400–2 000 HV, grade it to ISO 513, HIP it where the part is critical, and diamond grind it to ±0.01 mm with Ra 0.1–0.4 µm. Percussion needs fracture toughness more than hardness, so buttons and DTH inserts are made in higher-cobalt, coarser-grained grades such as K40 with 12–16% cobalt. A nozzle bushing in drilling mud wears by erosion. That calls for a fine-grained low-cobalt grade, and the bushing is replaced on the measured bore diameter. Parts run from 0.001 to 300 kg and from Ø 3 to 500 mm. We specify the braze alloy and the press-fit interference together with the insert, because the joint usually fails before the carbide does.
Typical applications
- DTH drill bit inserts, carbide buttons and dome inserts for rock drilling
- PDC cutter substrates and blanks
- Nozzle bushings for drilling mud systems
- Roller cone inserts, wear tiles and plates for tunnelling machines
Cost Logic
Where the Budget Goes, and How We Keep the Price Down
A cylinder for a mining loader or a carbide button for a drill bit competes on price with a catalogue part, and the plant buyer compares unit prices. We put the money into what decides the operating hours between shutdowns and keep the rest of the design plain.
| We invest in | How we keep the price down |
|---|---|
| Rod in 42CrMo4 with 60–80 µm hard chrome, ground after plating | One setup for a batch of the same cylinder for a whole fleet of loaders or trucks |
| Solid forged rod ends on boom, tilt and tipping cylinders; other welds to certified procedures (MIG, TIG, laser) | Standard mounting types where the machine allows: clevis, flange, trunnion |
| Double-lip wipers and seals chosen for grit, wash-down water and temperature | Carbide only at the wear edge, brazed or pressed into a steel body |
| Carbide grade matched to the duty: K40 for percussion, fine-grained low-cobalt for erosion | Seal kits by serial number for rebuilds between shutdowns |
Aftermarket
Replacement and Repair
Many mining enquiries come to us as a worn part without a drawing: a loader cylinder that has already been rebuilt twice, or a pinion from a mill reducer the maker no longer supports. On a cylinder we measure bore, rod, stroke and mounting geometry; on a gear, tooth count, module, pressure angle and helix angle. Then we quote a rebuild or a new part in the same envelope. If the original failed early, we say so and propose a different rod steel, chrome thickness or case depth so the new part lasts longer than the old one.
Every cylinder ships with a spare seal kit; further kits are ordered by the serial number engraved on the body. Repair shops that rebuild cylinders themselves can buy rods and tubes separately. If a fleet uses up the same cylinder, motor or carbide button between two shutdowns, it pays to order the whole batch for the next shutdown at once. The unit price is lower and the parts are on the shelf at the mine before the machines come up the decline.
By drawing
By worn sample
Batches timed to season
Seal kits in stock
Documentation
Standards and Documentation
We deliver components with material certificates, dimensional records and test protocols, referenced to the standards your design office works to.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| ISO 6020 / ISO 6022 | Mounting dimensions for hydraulic cylinders, 160 bar and 250 bar series |
| ISO 4413 | Safety requirements for hydraulic systems and components |
| ISO 10100 | Acceptance tests for hydraulic cylinders |
| EN 10204 3.1 | Material certificate with traceable test results, on request |
| ISO 1328 / DIN 3960 | Accuracy classes for gear tooth geometry |
| EN 1706 | Chemical composition and mechanical properties of cast aluminium alloys |
| ISO 5755 / ISO 22068 | Specification for sintered PM and MIM materials |
| ISO 513 | Classification of cemented carbide grades |
Machine-level directives and standards for mining and tunnelling machinery apply to the complete machine and are the OEM's responsibility. We supply the component documentation you need to fit our part into a machine built to them.
Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. More on inspection stages and equipment: Quality.
Quality
Quality Control
Every order goes through three inspection stages. Incoming material is checked against its certificate, and where the grade matters, as with a 42CrMo4 rod or a gear steel, we run a spectrochemical analysis. During machining we measure parts with Renishaw probes on the machine and on a Zeiss Contura CMM with an error under 3 µm; a scheduled check runs every 45 machine hours. At final acceptance, before packing, we verify dimensions, function and surface.
For a cylinder that means a pressure test at 1.5× working pressure, a leak check at every dynamic and static seal, a full stroke with no stick-slip, and chrome thickness measured with a gauge. On carbide parts we test Rockwell hardness on the finished part, check grain size and binder distribution under the microscope, and X-ray critical components for internal porosity. Gears are measured for profile, lead, pitch and runout against their ISO 1328 grade. Third-party inspection can be arranged on request.
More detail: Quality.
From Hydroforce
From Our Workshop
Tungsten Carbide Nozzles and Wear Consumables: Why Service Life Beats Purchase Price
how a carbide bore wears in service, when to replace it against a measured diameter, and how to pick the grade for erosion, percussion or acidic media.
Read more → Machining and GearsGears for Industrial Reducers and Heavy-Duty Drives
spur and helical gears up to 2000 mm, pinion shafts and worm pairs, carburised for crusher and mill drives and inspected to ISO 1328.
Read more → ManufacturingHydraulic Piston Rods: The Machining Chain That Defines Cylinder Life
turning, induction hardening, 60–80 µm chrome for mining cylinders and grinding to Ra ≤ 0.1 µm, rods up to 16 m.
Read more →Procurement FAQ
FAQ
What is the minimum order quantity?
A single cylinder is fine, with the same certificates and tests as a series batch. For motors and gears, tell us the quantity and we will quote. We make carbide inserts from prototypes up to repeat series. Die-cast and sintered parts need tooling, so they only pay off in volume. Send us the part and the quantity and we will tell you whether it makes sense.
Can you rebuild a cylinder or a gear from a worn sample without a drawing?
Yes. Ship us the part, or send photos with the bore, rod, stroke and pin dimensions for a cylinder, or the tooth count, module and bore for a gear. We take the geometry off the sample and send you a quote before we cut any metal.
What is the lead time for a shutdown batch?
Lead time depends on size and design, and we state it in the quote. Heavy and telescopic cylinders take longer than standard mobile sizes. Tell us the shutdown date and we will plan the production slot so the parts are on site before the machines stop.
How do you select a carbide grade, and what should I send?
Send the drawing or a sample with the bore and the critical surfaces marked, and tell us the medium the part works in (rock or mud type, particle size, chemistry), pressure and temperature, whether the duty is continuous or percussive, how the insert mounts (press fit, braze, threaded body), what the current material is and how long it lasts. From that we propose an ISO 513 grade, a geometry and a finish.
Related capabilities:
Get a Quote
Send us a drawing, a specification or a photo of the worn part with its measurements. We will quote the cylinder, motor, gear or carbide insert you need, made to tolerance, tested before dispatch and delivered in time for the next shutdown.