A multitude of aspects must be considered when building a tunnel, especially the ground conditions. This is what dictates which machine type is to be used. There are many different types available, such as mixed shield, gripper or EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) shields. These full-face cutting machines all have a cutter head which creates the hole through permanent rotational movements. This allows for the entire tunnel cross section to be removed in one step.

thyssenkrupp rothe erde supports the main bearing of the cutter head with specially manufactured roller bearing slewing rings. We have been working in this area since the early days of tunneling technology (see also lighthouse projects).

Roadheaders, which are mainly used in mining, do not have a cutter head in contrast to the full-face cutting machines. Instead, they carry out their function with one or several pivoted and flexible rotating arms. These machines also use rothe erde^® roller bearings that have been designed for extreme loads.

Vertical boring machines are used to extract raw materials from great depths and to create shafts. There are different vertical boring machines to suit different usage scenarios. They work with roller slewing rings which are specially made to meet these demands.