World’s first “excavation and blasting machine” rolls off the line in Wuhan - IT Home

The world’s first excavation-blasting machine, ‘Xianglong,’ has rolled off the line at a Zhongtie Construction base in Wuhan.

Jointly developed by Tsinghua University, Zhongtie Construction, and others, it can switch between hollow and ring cutterhead modes.

The machine integrates tunneling and blasting for hard and ultra-hard rock formations, making it suited to complex geology.

Its tunneling efficiency is about 30% higher than conventional hard-rock TBMs, with potential uses in long tunnels, hydropower, mining, and transport infrastructure.