In August 2026, Hefei Chunhua Hoisting Machinery commissioned the JXS-6000 — a 6,000 kg, 7-axis liner exchange manipulator — at a major porphyry copper operation in northern Chile. The unit was ready for its first production reline 28 hours after arrival, and that reline finished in 34 hours against a 36-hour planned window.
The operator chose the JXS-6000 after an 18-month evaluation. Two things decided it: a track record already proven in Asia-Pacific, and a control architecture that sat cleanly on the site’s existing Rockwell Automation PLC. This is our first machine at this producer, and the first 7-axis unit to work a 40-foot SAG in South America.
What the mill asked for
Liners up to 6,000 kg, placed in positions a fixed-reach boom cannot reach. The JXS-6000 answers with full 7-axis articulation, a 9.2 m reach from mill centreline, 360° slew on the primary boom, and onboard load monitoring that warns the operator before a liner approaches rated capacity. Position and load both report back to the existing control room — no parallel HMI, no extra desk.
“Our team had the JXS-6000 ready for its first production reline within 28 hours of arrival. Chunhua’s commissioning engineers were thorough and collaborative — this was a genuinely smooth handover.”
Maintenance manager, site operations
Shutdown performance
Two things shortened the first reline. Cycle time on pick-and-place dropped by about 18% against the previous equipment. And the 7-axis configuration removed a set of manual liner-pushing steps that used to sit on the critical path. The relining supervisor also reported lower crew fatigue at the end of the window — a quieter benefit of the remote pendant and the work that no longer happens by hand inside the shell.
Safety systems stayed live throughout: redundant interlocks, load threshold alarms, and operators outside the mill for the liner path from pick-up to bolt-in.
What follows
South American copper — mill size, shutdown frequency, and liner mass — is a market we are building for. We are in dialogue with two further producers in Chile and Peru on JXS-series units planned for 2027. For selection guidance on the JXS-6000 or the rest of the relining range, contact the team.
