Large-Scale Automation Factory for Hydraulic Support Manufacturing

Client Profile

The client is a leading Chinese manufacturer in the mining equipment industry, specializing in hydraulic supports and other heavy-duty welded structures used in underground mining operations.

Since 2022, the client has been systematically building an automation-oriented manufacturing factory, aiming to improve safety, production stability, and large-scale consistency across its hydraulic support production lines through intelligent and automated manufacturing technologies.

The Challenge

The production of hydraulic supports involves large, heavy structural components and high-volume welding operations, presenting several long-standing challenges:

• Many repetitive and high-risk tasks, including precision welding and heavy assembly, relied heavily on manual labor
• Welding large structural components often required operators to work in physically demanding and unsafe positions
• Manual and semi-automated processes became bottlenecks in overall production flow, limiting capacity expansion
• Ensuring consistent weld quality and process stability across different product types and production lines was increasingly difficult

As production demand continued to grow, incremental equipment upgrades were no longer sufficient. A factory-level automation strategy was required.

Our Solution

Aixsen supported the development of a large-scale automation factory integrating cutting, welding, material handling, and process control across multiple production lines.

Key automation systems include:

• Automated Bevel Cutting Production Lines
  Fully automated lines covering bevel preparation, loading, cutting, grinding, and transfer operations, enabling continuous and unmanned processing of incoming materials.
• Intelligent Welding Zones for Large Structures
  Robotic welding systems combined with heavy-duty positioners capable of handling workpieces weighing tens of tons, significantly increasing welding coverage and improving access to complex weld joints.
• Laser Cutting Machine Clusters
  Large-scale deployment of laser cutting systems to improve blanking accuracy and ensure dimensional consistency for downstream assembly and welding processes.
• Robotic Welding Integrated with Process Control
  Welding cells linked with temperature control and preheating systems to ensure process conditions meet welding requirements, improving weld quality stability for critical components.

All robotic systems are based on leading Chinese industrial robot platforms, selected to balance performance, reliability, and long-term maintainability at factory scale.

Implementation

The automation factory was implemented across more than twenty intelligent production lines, with nearly two hundred industrial robots deployed throughout cutting, welding, and material handling processes.

Key implementation highlights include:

• Robots assigned to repetitive, high-risk, and labor-intensive operations such as precision welding and heavy assembly
• Large-positioner systems enabling structural components weighing up to 20 tons to be rotated freely, significantly improving welding accessibility and ergonomics
• Coordinated operation between cutting, welding, and material flow systems to reduce manual intervention and production interruptions

By reorganizing production around automation rather than individual workstations, the factory established a scalable and standardized manufacturing framework.

The Outcome

The automation upgrade delivered clear and sustained improvements:

• Significantly reduced manual involvement in heavy structural welding and assembly
• Improved welding consistency and process stability across multiple production lines
• Removal of long-standing bottlenecks related to heavy-duty welding operations
• Overall production capacity continued to increase, with output rising in 2024 by approximately 40% compared to the previous year

Through factory-wide automation, the client established a solid foundation for long-term intelligent manufacturing and future capacity expansion.

About Aixsen

At Aixsen, we deliver end-to-end industrial automation systems designed for demanding manufacturing environments.

We deliver precision laser cutting, robotic arc welding, and intelligent material handling solutions—designed as standalone systems or integrated lines, fully engineered around your specific process, quality requirements, and output targets.