RKX to premiere electric rock breaker at Hillhead

RKX Volt 100K electric breaker (Image: RKX Rock Extraction Ltd)

The company, which is based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, said the technology was born from industry frustration with the limitations of traditional techniques.

“It was long familiarity with those methods that led to the founding of RKX Rock Extraction Ltd in 2021, and to the conclusion that breaking by controlled and precise shock, produced electrically, offered a fundamentally better path,” it said in a statement.

According to RKX, the RKX-Volt 100k uses electrically generated shock energy rather than vibration-based breaking methods, delivering up to 100,000 joules per strike while remaining compact enough to operate on a 20-tonne class excavator.

The company has spent the five years since its foundation to develop and test the concept before bringing to market a tool that is able to replace or supplement explosives across a wide range of applications, including demolition, primary and secondary breaking and recycling.

The project included collaboration with YASA, a British electric motor manufacturer and wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, which supplied the electric motor technology for the system.

The 3-tonne RKX-Volt 100k breaker is compatible with any 20-tonne class excavator carrier.

It has been designed to deliver a strike every three to five seconds while giving operators adjustable impact power from 10% to 100%, meaning vibration levels can be controlled when working near buildings or environmentally sensitive locations.

The company also explained that using electric power makes telemetry for remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance possible, and that the modular design is intended to minimise downtime and simplify servicing.

Environmental considerations were central to the development programme, the company added.

The RKX-Volt 100k is designed to generate lower noise levels than conventional breaking methods, mainly through the lower sound of impact, and significantly reduce dust production during operation.

Another key design objective was protecting the carrier excavator from damaging shock loads.

RKX said the system includes engineering features that prevent impact forces from transferring back into the machine and excavator structure, as well as protecting the breaker itself.

Field trials have already been completed across demolition, primary extraction and recycling applications. During demolition testing, the breaker reportedly shattered concrete while separating rebar cleanly, improving recycling efficiency.

In quarrying trials, it demonstrated consistent performance in limestone extraction and showed the ability to isolate narrow ore seams without the contamination often associated with blasting.

The RKX-Volt 100k will be demonstrated live for the first time at Hillhead 2026, where visitors can see it in action at the quarry face demonstration site.