"We Had No Blueprint to Follow": Zoomlion Engineer on the Breakthrough Behind the World's Tallest 82.3-Meter Straight-Boom Aerial Work Platform

CHANGSHA, China, June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Seventh Science and Technology Innovation Conference hosted by Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. ("Zoomlion"), the ZT82J straight-boom aerial work platform received an Outstanding Flagship Product Award. With a maximum working height of 82.3 meters, it is the world's tallest model in its category, addressing demand for aerial work equipment capable of operating above 80 meters and meeting the stringent safety demands of major infrastructure projects worldwide.

Behind this achievement is the persistent effort of product manager He Jipeng and his team at the Aerial Work Platform R&D Center, who drove the ZT82J from concept to mass production through design, testing, process implementation, and cross‑departmental coordination.

The core challenge from the outset was balancing two hard constraints, overall dimensions and total weight, while completing the structural layout. The R&D scope covered an ultra‑long, specially shaped lightweight boom, a box‑type turntable, and a high‑capacity chassis, aiming to reduce weight while significantly improving structural rigidity to ensure bending and torsional resistance under 82.3‑meter lifting conditions and suppress platform sway.

With no mature industry example and benchmark to follow, the team encountered bottlenecks including insufficient layout space, excessive weight, and inadequate rigidity. Weight reduction, overall dimensions and structural rigidity involved competing requirements, making it extremely difficult to find the optimal balance.

After over ten rounds of simulation, the team developed and refined a proprietary multi-edge boom cross-section and evaluated multiple telescoping configurations to optimize the overall structure. This ensured vertical and lateral stiffness while balancing weight-reduction targets with structural capacity within fixed limits.

Building on the lightweight boom, He Jipeng and the team integrated turntable and chassis optimization. Simulation identified weak stress points, precisely optimized plate cross‑sections, and reduced redundant steel while maintaining safety margins, achieving a lightweight upgrade, enhancing anti‑fatigue and anti‑overturning performance, and completing a structural breakthrough for ultra‑high working height equipment.

To support the project, Zoomlion assembled a task force of structural, hydraulic, and electronic control experts, backed by a simulation team and dedicated testing facilities, ensuring seamless coordination from design to production.

"This award recognizes our team's progress in developing ultra-high-reach aerial work platforms and demonstrates the capabilities of Zoomlion's high-end construction machinery," He Jipeng said. "It has also greatly boosted our confidence to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and breaking through technical barriers."