Against the backdrop of accelerating tunnel construction and the widespread adoption of intelligent construction technologies, traditional secondary lining trolley operations—such as formwork grinding, cleaning, and release-agent application—have long been plagued by low efficiency, high labor intensity, difficult quality control, and significant safety risks. To overcome these operational bottlenecks in confined spaces under high-risk conditions, the industry has introduced Kadia Wall-Climbing Intelligent Industrial Robot By replacing manual labor with intelligent equipment, we provide a new solution for enhancing quality and efficiency as well as strengthening safety management in infrastructure construction.

Directly Addressing Construction Pain Points and Filling the Gap in Intelligent Operations

The formwork operation for the secondary lining of tunnel linings is a critical stage in tunnel construction. The conventional operational approach relies entirely on manual labor, requiring 6 to 7 workers two full days to complete the processing of a single set of formwork—a productivity level that struggles to keep pace with project schedules. Moreover, the working space inside the tunnel is only 20 to 50 centimeters wide, making it impossible for large equipment to operate and rendering manual grinding and cleaning extremely physically demanding. In addition, the dim lighting, the risks associated with working at height, and the harsh conditions of high temperature, high humidity, and heavy dust not only increase the likelihood of incomplete or uneven formwork cleaning but also pose serious health and safety hazards to the workers.

With rising labor costs and ongoing optimization of the workforce structure, the infrastructure sector is increasingly demanding intelligent replacement equipment. Kadia’s wall-climbing smart industrial robot addresses the core pain points of tunnel construction by being specifically designed for operations on ferromagnetic metal surfaces. It enables integrated, intelligent grinding, cleaning, and coating in confined spaces, effectively overcoming many of the challenges associated with manual work.

Backed by cutting-edge technology, we’ve developed a versatile wall-climbing work platform.

The Kadia wall-climbing intelligent industrial robot features a magnetic-track locomotion system paired with an adaptive suspension mechanism, enabling it to firmly adhere to ferromagnetic metal surfaces and move flexibly on both flat and curved surfaces at positive and negative angles. This makes it ideally suited for working with the curved formwork of secondary lining trolleys. The entire unit boasts a lightweight, ultra-thin design, with overall dimensions of 730 mm in length, 650 mm in width, and 180 mm in height, and a self-weight of approximately 55 kg, allowing it to easily navigate tight working spaces and overcome site constraints.

This robot is equipped with a dual system for high-pressure cleaning and mold-release-agent spraying, with a maximum spray pump pressure of up to 800 bar (customizable). Its theoretical cleaning efficiency is approximately 145 square meters per hour. During operation, it employs high-pressure water blasting for surface preparation, eliminating dust pollution while effectively suppressing dust generation, thereby balancing operational efficiency with environmental protection requirements. The equipment supports three control modes—wireless remote manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic—and comes standard with a lift-and-conveyor platform and route-planning assistance, resulting in a low operational learning curve and enabling on-site personnel to quickly master its use.

In terms of safety and stability, the robot boasts an ultra-strong 120 kg suction force, is equipped with edge-detection sensors to effectively mitigate fall risks, and can automatically shut down and cut power in the event of a malfunction, thereby ensuring the safety of both the equipment and the work site. Meanwhile, the robot has a maximum payload of 60 kg and strong scalability, allowing for the interchangeability of operational tools to accommodate diverse applications such as non-destructive testing, welding, and spray coating. Its core components are fully domestically produced, with independently developed and controllable chips, drives, motors, and other critical parts, ensuring a stable and reliable supply chain.

Multidimensional Benefits Emerge, Empowering High-Quality Project Construction

After being put into practical construction applications, the Kadia wall-climbing intelligent industrial robot has demonstrated significant comprehensive benefits, helping engineering projects reduce costs, improve efficiency, enhance quality, and ensure safety.

Considerable economic benefits : This can significantly reduce the number of on-site workers required; using a single formwork system can save substantial labor costs, effectively compress construction expenses, and alleviate pressure on project staffing.

Significant efficiency improvement : The robot can operate continuously without interruption, allowing construction to commence immediately after demolding without the need to wait for workstation relocation. This significantly reduces the cycle time per mold and markedly improves overall operational efficiency compared with traditional manual methods, thereby accelerating the pace of project execution.

Stable and controllable quality By standardizing the routing, maintaining a consistent operating speed, and implementing visual monitoring, we ensure that formwork grinding and cleaning are thorough and uniform, with no blind spots, thereby preventing damage to the trolley surface caused by manual grinding. Meanwhile, the wet-grinding process also serves as concrete curing, helping to enhance the quality of secondary lining construction.

Security safeguards are in place. : Enable contactless operations for workers, completely eliminating safety and health risks such as falls from heights and dust exposure, thereby strengthening the safety safeguards at construction sites.

Adaptation to Diverse Scenarios: Real-World Cases Demonstrate Our Strength

In addition to tunnel secondary lining carriage formwork operations, Kadia’s wall-climbing intelligent industrial robot, thanks to its exceptional adaptability, can be widely deployed in numerous heavy-industry applications, including internal and external surface treatment of large steel storage tanks, inspection and maintenance of steel truss bridges, cleaning of precast concrete steel molds, wind-turbine tower upkeep, and hull work on large vessels. It meets a wide range of operational needs, such as facade grinding, rust removal, coating application, and non-destructive testing.

Currently, this robotic system has been successfully deployed in several key engineering projects. It has collaborated with leading enterprises such as China Railway Group and China State Construction Iron & Steel Investment, carrying out formwork cleaning and coating operations for secondary lining trolleys at construction sites including the Weining Tunnel on the Chongqing–Kunming High-Speed Railway, the Wulei Mountain Tunnel, and the Wumeng High-Speed Railway Tunnel. Meanwhile, it has also undergone trial applications on wind-turbine tower structures in Qinzhou. Thanks to its stable performance and reliable quality, the system has earned recognition and high praise from the construction contractors.

Looking ahead, Kadia’s wall-climbing intelligent industrial robots will continue to undergo continuous optimization and upgrades, with a steadfast focus on the specialized operations robotics sector. By leveraging technological innovation, these robots will empower infrastructure and heavy-industry construction, driving the industry’s transformation toward greater intelligence, sustainability, and safety, and delivering superior smart equipment solutions for a wide range of high-risk, complex operational environments.

Against the backdrop of accelerating tunnel construction and the widespread adoption of intelligent construction technologies, traditional secondary lining trolley operations—such as formwork grinding, cleaning, and release-agent application—have long been plagued by low efficiency, high physical exertion, difficult quality control, and significant safety risks. To address these bottlenecks in confined spaces and high-risk working conditions, the industry has introduced the Kadia wall-climbing intelligent industrial robot, which uses automated equipment to replace manual labor, thereby providing a new solution for enhancing construction quality and efficiency while strengthening safety management in infrastructure projects.

Future Prospects

Looking ahead, Kadia’s wall-climbing intelligent industrial robots will continue to undergo continuous optimization and upgrades, with a steadfast focus on the specialized operations robotics sector. By leveraging technological innovation, these robots will empower infrastructure and heavy-industry construction, driving the industry’s transformation toward greater intelligence, sustainability, and safety, and delivering superior smart equipment solutions for a wide range of high-risk, complex operational environments.