Faster commissioning, frustration-free operation: How a new display transformed HDD rigs

03 April, 2025

With ambitious renewable energy targets, Europe is undertaking a massive energy infrastructure overhaul. The EU aims to generate at least 42.5% of its energy from renewables by 20301, but some countries are aiming much higher. Germany is targeting 80% of its power from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% by 20352.

The energy transition will require significant investments in both generation and transmission infrastructure. The SuedLink project, for example, will see the construction of a 700-kilometer transmission line delivering wind-generated electricity from northern to southern Germany.

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment will be crucial for laying this new underground transmission infrastructure, and manufacturers such as AT-Boretec are investing to ensure their equipment is ready to perform. The German manufacturer produces a complete range of HDD products, including drilling rigs, trucks, tools, and mixing and recycling systems. The MT60, the latest addition to AT-Boretec’s lineup, is the company’s largest horizontal drill rig with a drilling distance of up to 600 meters, depending on the type. With this launch, the company now offers HDD rigs in performance classes from 11 to 60 tonnes, with models for normal soils as well as rock.

Problems on display

Drilling rigs are among the more control-intensive machines in the off-highway industry. The operator must select and carefully monitor many machine functions, from rod handling to pressure, rotation, mud pump power, and much more. The displays on these machines are the primary human-machine interface, enabling the operator to control every aspect of the drilling process.

AT-Boretec wanted to upgrade its HDD rigs with larger displays to improve ease of use for the operator, and to better and more easily visualise the vast amount of information the machines generate. The company was also on the hunt for a new supplier due to hardware problems with the incumbent product. Operators in the field were frustrated with the display’s touch capabilities. The device’s poor responsiveness ultimately impacted productivity, as navigating through menus and making selections took an unnecessarily long time.

The incumbent display’s touch responsiveness also lengthened commissioning time, which was compounded by challenges with the control software. AT-Boretec uses multiple types of diesel engines, electric motors, pumps, and hydraulic components in its different models, and it was a struggle to consolidate all options into a single program. This made software customisation for different machine configurations a time-consuming ordeal. In essence, a new program had to be developed for every machine that left its production line.