Kobelco Develops SK3500D Building Demolition Machine - 65-meter Working Range is World's Highest.

Tokyo, Japan, Oct 24, 2005 - (JCN Newswire) - Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. has developed a building demolition machine that has the world's highest working range of over 65 meters. Marketing of the machine, which will be sold only domestically, begins today.

Japan's largest demolition company, Watanabe Kaitai Kogyo has already placed an order for the first machine. With the machine completed, Kobelco has applied to Guinness World Records to register the SK3500D as the demolition machine with the highest reach in the world.

In recent years, Japan has been undergoing extensive urban redevelopment. Old buildings are being torn down and properties rebuilt to make effective use of urban spaces. Building demolition has become increasingly difficult, due to the height of buildings, the use of large concrete foundations, and the high strength of the concrete in buildings.

Building demolition equipment is commonly built on a 40-ton-class hydraulic excavator base machine and has a reach of about 25 meters, high enough to handle a seven- to nine-floor building. For jobs that require a higher reach, a crane is used to hoist the demolition equipment to the roof of the building to be demolished, and the building is dismantled from the top down. This invariably increases the amount of work and number of days required to complete the job. For these reasons, demolition companies have been seeking a high performance machine with a longer reach that can be operated from the ground.

To meet these needs, Kobelco developed the SK3500D, which has a working range of over 65 meters, about the height of a 21-story building. The SK3500D is built on a 200-ton crawler crane carrier. The wide span and low center of gravity contribute to the safe and efficient dismantling of high-rise buildings.

The SK3500D has a high-output power plant used in excavators, makes use of attachments from Kobelco's extensive menu, and is equipped with an ultra-long arm.

In addition to high-rise building demolition, the SK3500D can dismantle smaller buildings by changing the front attachment or crusher. Machine operating rates have been improved to more efficiently bring down low-rise and medium-height buildings.

Main Features

1. World's highest working range of 65.03 meters

A three-piece boom and 4-piece attachment gives the SK3500D the world's highest working range of 65.03 meters.

The SK3500D can directly dismantle a 21-story building from the ground.

2. Ultralarge 12-ton crusher can be attached

An ultra-large 12-ton crusher, with a maximum reach of 41 meters, can be used in place of the three-piece attachment.

Other attachments developed are the ultra-large concrete crusher KR1600TPR and steel beam cutter KS1300TPR.

These attachments, used with the SK3500D, can efficiently dismantle low-rise and medium-height buildings.

3. Attachment assembly & disassembly are easy and safe

Using a built-in hydraulic "quick-hitch" developed by Kobelco (and under patent application), the attachment can be taken apart into six components. Assembly and disassembly are easy and safe.

Quick couplers are used to efficiently connect the hoses.

4. Easy disassembly and transport at the work site

Disassembly and assembly of the base machine is made easy through a crawler frame disassembly system using hydraulic cylinders and translifters.

The swinging and tilting cab clears width limitations of the machine during transportation.

The base machine can be disassembled into over 17 components to fit the carrying capacity of the trailers.

5. Safety features for high-rise operations

Anti-drift Boom and Arm Holding Valves prevent the boom from suddenly dropping if the hydraulic lines malfunction. All cylinders are equipped with counterbalance valves. The Inclination Alarm alerts the operator when the base machine angles too steeply. The Tip-over Alarm automatically monitors the position of the arm to warn the operator before the machine tips over.

A camera on the boom enables the operator to view attachment operations. A rear-view camera on the back of the SK3500D enables the operator to monitor activity behind the machine. Both come as standard equipment.

6. Noise and dust reduction

In addition to low-noise design, the SK3500D has a water hose running from the base machine to the arm tip. Water is sprayed during dismantling operations to reduce dust.

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