Construction machines are now an integral part of human life.
From the construction of buildings and roads to the restoration of disaster-stricken areas, hydraulic excavators are being utilized across the world for improving and building the social infrastructure that supports people's lives.
The Bulldozer, one of the best known types of construction equipment and commonly referred to as a ' land-leveling machine' , used to be the mainstream construction machine used at construction sites. However, land leveling is just one element of the diverse types of work performed at construction sites today, including excavation, loading sand and gravel into dump trucks and lifting heavy construction materials. Hydraulic excavators are becoming even more convenient because they can perform all these tasks on their own.
![[Image] Parts of a Hydraulic Excavator](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-01.jpg)
![[Image] Versatility and capability to person multiple tasks! Various attachments are available to be fitted to the tip portion of the arm for different purposes](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-c01.gif)
The front part of the machine stands out the most. The lower part is called the 'Boom', the middle part the 'Arm', and the tip portion, which is used for excavation work, is referred to as the 'Bucket'. This Bucket can be replaced with other attachments to perform a wide variety of tasks, ranging from civil engineering to building demolition work.
![[Image] Examples of Attachments](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-01-1.jpg)
Today, hydraulic excavators are extremely versatile and able to handle on their own almost all tasks required at construction sites. In fact, hydraulic excavators have become the mainstream of all construction machinery.
Hydraulic excavators can generate an enormous energy well beyond that of human capacity because of how 'oil pressure' works. Think of familiar items such as an injection syringe or a water pistol. If you block the end of the needle of the syringe or the nozzle of the water pistol, you cannot push the piston down, however hard you try. This is because the volume of water contained inside remains unchanged even when pressure is applied. The hydraulic pressure system takes advantage of this principle.
The basic structure of the hydraulic system is very simple, with oil supplied from the pump flowing in and out of the two openings, 'Bottom Side' and 'Rod Side'. Whether the oil flows into the Bottom Side or Rod Side determines whether the piston projects or retracts.
![[Image] Mechanism of Hydraulic Cylinders](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-02.gif)
![[Image] Mr.Tahara talking about tne mechanism of hydraulic excavators](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-03.jpg)
With Hitachi Construction Machinery's ZAXIS-3 series 20-ton class hydraulic excavators, the hydraulic cylinder is exposed to pressure of up to 350kgf/cm2. To give you a better idea, household water pressure is approximately 1kgf/cm2, which means that the machine's hydraulic cylinder is exposed to pressure 350 times the level of household tap water. Therefore, power harnessed is referred to as 'excavation power'. Surprisingly, the bucket part used for excavation work can lift objects up to approx. 15 ton.
![[Image] Generating 15 tons worth of power with a force of a mere 350kg! The hydraulic system can convert a small amount of power into a great force](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-c02.gif)
![[Image] Mechanism of Hydraulic Pressure](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-02-1.gif)
For over 50 years, Hitachi Construction Machinery has been engaged in the development of construction machinery.
Since its inception, the company has been pursuing safety, trust, durability and superb environmental performance, always with a view to satisfying global market requirements. Our achievement is now recognized throughout the world, as was evidenced by the fact that the 'Bouw Machines Magazine', the most prestigious industry magazine in the Netherlands specialized in construction machinery, ranked ZAXIS200-3 No.1 in its annual performance evaluation testing.
![[Image] 'Bouw Machines Magazine', a Netherlands industry magazine specialized in construction machinery](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-04.jpg)
'Bouw Machines Magazine', a Netherlands industry magazine specialized in construction machinery
![[Image] Awarded the 1st prize in performance testing! Boasts the best-in-class performance amongst the 20th class hydraulic excavators](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-c03.gif)
In this test, the performance of 20 ton class hydraulic excavators from 10 major construction machinery manufacturers operating in the Netherlands was evaluated. The machines underwent two types of testing; a 'productivity comparison test', which compared the amount of earth loaded to dump trucks in an hour, and a 'fuel efficiency test', which compared the amount of load lifted per liter of fuel.
Hitachi Construction Machinery's ZAXIS200-3 series hydraulic excavators received the highest rating both in terms of productivity and fuel efficiency. Clearly, this high rating by an independent testing organization is a testament to our outstanding technical expertise.
Since its launch, the ZAXIS200-3 series has earned a great reputation throughout the world. You can feel it most keenly when you see the fleet of machines waiting to be shipped at the Tsuchiura Works. This world-class international reputation can be attributed to our relentless efforts to elevate ourselves to further heights in the area of construction machinery.
![[Image] A row of ZAXIS Series hydraulic excavators](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-05.jpg)
Helping to prevent accidents with a rear view camera!
![[Image] a rear view camera and a monitor](/environment/showcase/speco_technique/zaxis/images/img_01-06.jpg)
With construction machinery, the needs for safety are just as high as those for environmental performance.
In order to avoid collisions with other workers/neighboring equipment not visible from the operator, a rear-view camera, which used to be optional, now comes as a built-in feature of the ZAXIS-3 series. With a 160-degree wide-angle view, the 'blind spot' towards the rear of the vehicle is minimized, and the operator can check safety around the vehicle through the monitor.
