In today's world, industrially developed countries attach great importance to the machine tool industry and are competing to develop mechatronics, high-precision, efficient, and highly automated advanced machine tools to accelerate the development of industry and the national economy. For a long time, Europe, the United States and Asia have competed fiercely with each other in the international market, forming an invisible front. Especially with the advancement of microelectronics and computer technology, the development of CNC machine tools has accelerated since the 1980s, and users from all sides have proposed new technologies. Multiple demands have long become the focus of machine tool manufacturers from various countries competing to display advanced technologies, compete for users, and expand the market at the four major international machine tool exhibitions. After China joined the WTO, it officially participated in the fierce competition in the world market. How to strengthen the strength of the machine tool industry and accelerate the development of the CNC machine tool industry in the future is an urgent and arduous task.
Technical characteristics and development conditions of CNC machine tools
In 1948, the U.S. Air Force provided equipment research funds for manufacturing miscellaneous aircraft parts. G&L Company and MIT collaborated on research for four years. In 1952, the world's first CNC milling machine was trial-produced and 100 units were immediately produced and delivered to the military industry. In terms of results, it shows that it is the crystallization of social needs, technological level, and personnel quality; in terms of technology, it shows a huge innovation in the control of mechatronic machine tools.
Technical characteristics of CNC machine tools
CNC machine tools have the following three outstanding characteristics:
Using binary mathematical input, the machining process can be programmed arbitrarily, and the spindle and The feed speed can be changed according to the needs of the processing technology, and multi-coordinate linkage can be realized, making it easy to process complex curved surfaces. The processing objects are "variable, changeable, and fickle" and can be easily adjusted during batch changes. It can realize flexible production of small and medium-sized batches of various miscellaneous parts and adapt to the society's demand for product diversification. However, the price is relatively expensive, and the economic rationality of its use needs to be correctly analyzed;
Using a combination of hardware and software, functions such as information feedback, compensation, and automatic acceleration and deceleration can be realized, which can further improve the processing accuracy of the machine tool. Efficiency and degree of automation;
It is a mechatronics machine tool mainly based on electronic control, which gives full play to the unique advantages of microelectronics and computer technology, and is easy to realize informatization, intelligence, and networking, and can be easily Various advanced manufacturing systems, such as FMS, FTL, FA, and even CIMS in the future, can be combined to maximize industrial productivity and labor productivity.
Conditions for the development of CNC machine tools
Everything has its own characteristics and development conditions, and only after people master them can they accelerate their development. The development conditions of CNC machine tools mainly include:
It is a comprehensive combination of various high technologies in the fields of mechanics, electricity, hydraulics, gas and light, especially based on modern advanced technologies such as electronics and computers. They must have a solid technical foundation, supporting each other, and each one is indispensable. If it is not complete, it will be difficult for CNC machine tools to develop smoothly;
CNC machine tools are composed of three parts: the host machine, various components (functional components) and the CNC system. It also requires the cooperation of advanced automated tools to achieve Processing, each link must pass the technical and quality standards to ensure reliable and stable work, in order to ensure the accuracy, efficiency and automation of CNC machine tool work, otherwise, it will be difficult to use in actual production;
It is The combination of social needs, technological level and personnel quality is indispensable. If the quality of personnel is poor and the level of science and technology is not up to par, it will be difficult to meet social needs. People are the main body of all activities, which requires various experts, talents and skilled workers who are proficient in business to cooperate with each other and complete the work simultaneously. Otherwise, it will be difficult for CNC machine tools to develop smoothly.
The main experience of developing CNC machine tools in industrially developed countries
In the 50 years since its emergence, CNC machine tools have continued to develop with the advancement of science and technology, especially microelectronics and computer technology. The United States, Germany, and Japan are the countries with the most advanced technology and the most experience in the scientific research, design, manufacturing, and use of CNC machine tools in the world today. Because of different social conditions, each has its own characteristics.
The characteristic of the United States is that the government attaches great importance to the machine tool industry. The U.S. Department of Defense and other departments constantly propose the development direction of machine tools, scientific research tasks and provide sufficient funds, and recruit talents from all over the world, paying special attention to "efficiency" and "innovation" ”, focusing on basic scientific research. Therefore, we continue to innovate in machine tool technology, such as developing the world's first CNC machine tool in 1952, creating a machining center in 1958, developing FMS in the early 1970s, and creating the first open CNC system in 1987. Because the United States first combined the needs of automobile and bearing production and fully developed a large number of automatic lines required for large-scale production automation, and is the world leader in electronics and computer technology, its CNC machine tool host design, manufacturing and CNC system have a solid foundation and have always attached great importance to Scientific research and innovation, so its high-performance CNC machine tool technology has always been a leader in the world. Today, the United States not only produces high-performance CNC machine tools used in aerospace and other industries, but also produces cheap and practical CNC machine tools for small and medium-sized enterprises (such as Haas, Fadal, etc.). The lesson from its existence is that it focused on basic scientific research and neglected applied technology. In the 1980s, the government once relaxed its guidance, resulting in a slow increase in the output of CNC machine tools. In 1982, it was overtaken by Japan, a backward country, and imported in large quantities. Since the 1990s, the past bias has been corrected, CNC machine tools have become technically practical, and output has gradually increased.
The German government has always attached great importance to the important strategic position of the machine tool industry and vigorously supported it in many aspects. We pay special attention to "practicality" and "effectiveness", adhere to "people-oriented", pass on from master to apprentice, and constantly improve the quality of personnel. On the basis of developing large-scale production automation, after developing the first CNC machine tool in 1956, it has always insisted on seeking truth from facts and scientific spirit, and has continued to make steady progress. Germany pays special attention to scientific experiments, combines theory with practice, and pays equal attention to basic scientific research and applied technology research. The company cooperates closely with the scientific research department of the university to conduct in-depth research on the user products, processing technology, machine tool layout structure, and the accuracy and characteristics of CNC machine tools, and strives for excellence in quality. German CNC machine tools are of good quality and performance, advanced and practical, genuine and affordable, and are exported all over the world. Especially large, heavy, precision CNC machine tools. Germany attaches special importance to the advanced and practical CNC machine tool hosts and accessories. Its mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, gas, optical, cutting tools, measurement, CNC systems, and various functional components are among the best in the world in terms of quality and performance. For example, Siemens' CNC system and Heidenhain's precision grating are world-famous and are being adopted by many.
The Japanese government attaches great importance to the development of the machine tool industry and guides development through planning and regulations (such as the "Machine Vibration Law", "Electromechanical Law", "Machine Information Law", etc.). Learn from Germany when it comes to focusing on talents and matching machine tool components, learn from the United States when it comes to quality management and CNC machine tool technology, and even outperform others. Japan is also similar to the United States and Germany in fully developing large-scale production automation, and then fully developing CNC machine tools for small and medium-sized batch flexible production automation. Since the first CNC machine tool was developed in 1958, its output (7,342 units) surpassed that of the United States (5,688 units) in 1978. To date, its output and export volume have always ranked first in the world (in 2001, the output was 46,604 units, exports were 27,409 units, accounting for 59%) . Strategically imitating first and creating later, he produces a large number of mid-range CNC machine tools and exports them in large quantities, occupying a vast market in the world. In the 1980s, we began to further strengthen scientific research and develop towards high-performance CNC machine tools. In terms of strategy, we first learn from American Total Quality Management (TQC) and turn it into a conscious group activity for employees to ensure product quality. Then accelerate the development of electronics and computer technology, enter the forefront of the world, and pave the way for the development of mechatronics integrated CNC machine tools. In the process of developing CNC machine tools, Japan pays close attention to the key points and highlights the development of CNC systems. Japan's FANUC company has a correct strategy, combining imitation and innovation, and targeted development of various low, medium and high-end CNC systems required by the market. It is technologically leading and ranks first in the world in terms of output. The company currently has 3,674 employees, more than 600 scientific researchers, and a monthly production capacity of 7,000 sets. Its sales account for 50% of the world market and about 70% of the domestic market. It has played a major role in accelerating the development of CNC machine tools in Japan and the world. effect.
The current situation of CNC machine tools in China and the main problems in its development
The current situation of CNC machine tools
At present, China's machine tool industry has many factories. In 2000, there were approximately 358 metal cutting machine tool manufacturers (206,000 people), 191 forming machine tool manufacturers (about 65,000 people), and a total of 549 companies (271,000 people). Among them, there are about 150 companies that produce CNC metal cutting machine tools, and about 30 companies that produce CNC forming machine tools. A total of about 180 companies, accounting for 1/3 of the total number of manufacturers. In 2001, the output of metal cutting machine tools was 192,000 units. 17,521 units, accounting for about 9%.
In general: the output of CNC machine tools continues to grow, and in 2001 it was 3.6 times that of 1991; the import volume increased rapidly, reaching 29 times, and the export volume increased, but the number was smaller, at 4.8 times; CNC machine tool consumption increased rapidly, reaching 7.9 times. Production cannot meet the needs of social development.
In terms of value, in 2001, 17,679 CNC machine tools were imported, totaling US$1.41 billion, and 2,509 CNC machine tools were exported, totaling US$44 million. The import value was 32 times the export value. Imports are large and exports are small.
Main problems in the development of CNC machine tools in China
China developed the first CNC machine tool in 1958. The development process can be roughly divided into two major stages. The period from 1958 to 1979 was the first stage, and the period from 1979 to the present is the second stage. In the first stage, there was a lack of understanding of the characteristics and development conditions of CNC machine tools. Under the circumstances of poor personnel quality, weak foundation, and substandard supporting equipment, they were rushed up and down again. There were three ups and downs, and finally due to poor performance Excellent, unable to be used for production and stopped. The main problems are blindness and lack of scientific spirit of seeking truth from facts. In the second stage, CNC system technology was introduced from Japan, Germany, the United States, and Spain, and from 11 countries (regions) including Japan, the United States, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, South Korea, and Taiwan Province. The advanced technology of CNC machine tools and cooperation and joint venture production have solved the problems of reliability and stability. CNC machine tools have begun to be officially produced and used, and are gradually moving forward.
In more than 20 years, the design and manufacturing technology of CNC machine tools has been greatly improved, mainly in three major aspects: training a group of talents in design, manufacturing, use and maintenance; producing advanced CNC machine tools through cooperation , which has greatly improved the level of design, manufacturing and use, narrowing the gap with the world's advanced technology; by using foreign advanced components and CNC systems, we can begin to design and manufacture high-speed, high-performance, five-sided or five-axis linkage processing machines on our own. CNC machine tools supply the needs of the domestic market, but the testing, digestion, mastery and innovation of key technologies are poor. So far, many important functional components, automated tools, and CNC systems rely on foreign technical support and cannot develop independently. They are basically in the stage of moving from imitation to self-development, and there is a big gap between the level of Japanese CNC machine tools. The main existing problems include: lack of guidance like Japan's "Electromechanical Law" and "Mechanical Information Law"; serious lack of experts and skilled workers in various fields; lack of in-depth and systematic scientific research work; components and CNC systems are not matched; enterprises There is a lack of cooperation among professionals and they basically work alone. Although there are many people in the factory, there is no synergy.
China’s road to accelerating the development of the CNC machine tool industry
China must accelerate the development of the CNC machine tool industry in the future. It must not only deeply summarize past experiences and lessons, effectively improve existing problems, but also study hard. We will use advanced foreign experience to move forward on the right path. It is recommended that the following points be done effectively:
China’s many manufacturers urgently need correct guidelines and policies to provide strong guidance for the development of CNC machine tools. We should learn from the experience of the United States, Germany, and Japan. The government attaches great importance to it, makes correct decisions, and vigorously supports it. In terms of principles and policies, we should pay attention to scientific spirit and economic effectiveness, and in order to effectively improve productivity and labor productivity. In terms of methods, we should go deep into users, be proficient in craftsmanship, develop both low, medium and high-end products, learn from Japan, first solve the large and wide range of mid-range CNC machine tools, mass produce, occupy the market, reduce imports and expand exports. In terms of steps and measures, we must make domestic CNC systems advanced and reliable, pay close attention to product quality and accessories, and lay a solid technical foundation. In the short term, the focus is on laying the foundation, establishing credibility, expanding the domestic market share of domestic CNC machine tools, and in the long term, seeking to catch up with the world's advanced level and stride into the world market;
We must pay close attention to the fundamentals, adhere to "people-oriented", Accelerate the improvement of personnel quality, cultivate various experts and talents, and fundamentally change the current inefficient and backward state. People are the basis for the success or failure of any career. All levels must pay attention to "training, selecting and utilizing talents", establish a learning enterprise, establish corporate culture, accelerate the cultivation of new employees, train on-the-job personnel, establish a system of mentoring and apprenticeship, and organize various Technical lectures, training classes and symposiums, and even hiring foreign experts, consultants, etc., to try their best to improve numerical control. 300 machinery factories have high demand for technologically improved CNC machine tools
The Investment Research Institute of the State Planning Commission predicts: During the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, my country's total investment in fixed assets will reach 22 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 37 %. Based on the past interactive relationship between fixed asset investment and machinery market consumption, it is estimated that during the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period, the business opportunities created by my country's machinery market were as high as 32 to 40 billion yuan.
According to predictions, by 2010:
The automobile market will reach 44-80 million units, of which for every 1% increase in sedan production, the machinery market will grow by 0.54%;
In terms of transportation, 100 billion yuan will be invested in the development of the western railway during the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" period. In the next 10 years, 700 to 800 billion yuan will be invested in western transportation, including wheel lathes, tongue milling machines, 2m large sawing machines, and spiral welded pipes. Special equipment such as diameter expansion machinery is of great use;
In the next five years, 530 billion yuan will be invested in water conservancy projects, 188.8 billion yuan will be invested in the first phase of environmental protection, and 260 billion yuan will be invested in the second phase. There is a huge demand for corresponding machinery and equipment;
300 machinery manufacturers will carry out technical transformation, and the number of CNC machine tools they want to purchase is considerable;
Currently, there are 17,000 domestic mold factories with an annual output value of about 22 billion yuan. It is expected that by 2005 The annual output value will reach 46 billion yuan, and the machinery required tends to be high-precision, high-efficiency, high-speed milling equipment, virtual axis machine tools, composite processing machines and slow wire cutting machines. The declining market share of domestic CNC machine tools is about to turn around.
With the advancement of science and technology in the world and the development of the machine tool industry, CNC machine tools, as the mainstream products of the machine tool industry, have become key equipment for realizing the modernization of the equipment manufacturing industry and strategic materials for the development of national defense military equipment. The ownership and performance level of CNC machine tools are important indicators of a country's comprehensive strength. Accelerating the development of the CNC machine tool industry is also a realistic requirement for the development of my country's equipment manufacturing industry.
According to a user survey organized by the China Machine Tool Industry Association, the aerospace, defense and military manufacturing industries require large, high-speed, precision, multi-axis, and efficient CNC machine tools; the automobile, motorcycle, and home appliance manufacturing industries require efficient, Highly reliable and highly automated CNC machine tools and complete sets of flexible production lines; power station equipment, shipbuilding, metallurgical and petrochemical equipment, and rail transit equipment manufacturing industries require high-precision and heavy-duty CNC machine tools; IT industry, bioengineering and other high-tech industries require nanometers Sub-micron ultra-precision machining CNC machine tools; industrial upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries such as engineering machinery and agricultural machinery, especially the vigorous development of private enterprises, require a large number of CNC machine tools for equipment.
At present, the quantity and variety of CNC machine tools in our country cannot fully meet the domestic market demand. According to Wu Bolin (pictured right), director-general of the China Machine Tool Industry Association, the draft of the "National Special Plan for the Development of CNC Machine Tool Industry" has been completed and is currently being revised by the National Development and Reform Commission. After the revision is completed, it will be submitted to the leaders of the State Council for review and approval. Then it will be officially implemented. It is understood that after the implementation of the "Plan", the problems of low industrialization and independent development capabilities of CNC machine tools that have plagued the development of my country's machine tool industry will be solved to a certain extent, and the decline in the domestic market share of domestic CNC machine tools will be reversed.
National policies support the construction of CNC machine tool industrialization bases
According to the "Plan", the machine tool industry will build 20 CNC machine tool industrialization bases and 10 supporting them in the next five years As a basic functional parts and components industrial base, base enterprises will enjoy national policy and financial support. The "Plan" clearly states that new products and high-end CNC machine tool products developed and produced by CNC machine tool industrialization base enterprises will be subject to a value-added tax refund policy. When asked whether companies in Dalian and Shenyang that have implemented consumption-based value-added tax during the renovation of the old industrial bases in Northeast China will enjoy double tax benefits, Wu Bolin gave an affirmative answer. After the value-added tax reform in the Northeast region, other regions across the country, especially the central and western regions, have a strong voice for VAT transformation. After the implementation of the "Plan", CNC machine tool industrialization base enterprises outside Northeast China are likely to be the first to implement consumption-based value-added tax, thereby also receiving double tax benefits.
In fact, the state has already provided value-added tax refund policies to some companies in the machine tool industry, but the intensity is too small. The new policy is expected to increase the intensity. However, Wu Bolin believes that refunds should be made in proportion to the company's sales of new products and high-end CNC machine tool products, and the refund ratio should be between 3% and 5%.
Wu Bolin also talked about the issue of import tariffs. "To make functional components, you need to import some parts and components. Currently, the import tariffs on parts and components are still very high, which increases the company's production costs. But on the other hand, the import tariffs on complete machines can be significantly reduced. , and can even be tax-free." He said, "Several tariff policies still need to be adjusted." It is also understood that the "Plan" will also provide financial support for enterprises entering the industrialization base. Certain risk subsidies will also be given to the initial construction of enterprise technology development centers and technology engineering research centers, as well as the first units and sets of new products.
Adjust the industrial structure and strengthen the development and manufacturing capabilities of functional components
The low degree of industrialization of mid-range CNC machine tools is one of the problems to be solved in the "Plan". "We can make mid-range CNC machine tools, but what we make lacks market competitiveness in terms of quality, delivery time, and after-sales service." Wu Bolin said, "Not to mention comparing with Europe and the United States, even we in Taiwan, China are now None can compare. He took the typical ordinary vertical machining center among mid-range CNC machine tools as an example: In 2004, the mainland consumed about 10,000 units, but all mainland enterprises combined produced about 2,000 units, and only eight or nine were produced. Taiwan's machining center factory actually sold 3,300 units to the mainland. This shows that our competitiveness is poor and the level of industrialization is low."
In terms of developing specialized production, Wu Bolin believes that improving the level of industrialization will help. From a government perspective, we still need to vigorously promote specialized production. "When it comes to machine tools, especially popular or economical machine tools, the production methods of large and comprehensive and small and comprehensive are not enough." He also specifically mentioned a problem in the structure of my country's machine tool industry, which is that there are many main engine factories and key functional components. Professional manufacturing plants are few and weak. Taking CNC systems as an example, more than 80% of our CNC systems are imported. Not only is the price high, but the import cycle cannot meet the requirements of the OEM. Moreover, the reliability and quality of machine tools assembled using imported materials will also be affected.
Wu Bolin therefore believes that to improve the level of industrialization, we must first adjust the industrial structure and strengthen the development and manufacturing capabilities of functional components. Secondly, the technological transformation of enterprises must also be strengthened. In the past, enterprises owed too much debt in this regard. "It is very difficult to manufacture high-precision machine tools with low-precision ordinary machine tools."
Improving the development capabilities of high-end CNC machine tools
If we talk about mid-range CNC machine tools, we still have It can be done, but if the level of industrialization is low, then the problem of insufficient development capabilities will be particularly prominent in high-end CNC machine tools. The "Plan" clarifies the policy of improving development capabilities with enterprises as the main body. Wu Bolin mentioned that companies that hope to enter the national CNC machine tool industrialization base, such as several companies in Dalian, Shenyang, Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, Qinchuan, and Qiqihar, all have a certain level and have developed very well in recent years. . "If the state provides more support, they may be able to come up soon."
However, improving development capabilities is not an easy task. Take CNC systems as an example. Large Western companies are now adopting a market strategy of blockade and dumping against us. The first is blockade. Blockade will not achieve dumping. Its CNC systems are sold at very expensive prices in the Chinese market and earn high profits. Once a Chinese company develops the same product, they immediately cut the price significantly, even below the cost price of the Chinese company. Under such circumstances, the state must provide support to domestic enterprises, just as the United States, Germany, and Japan supported their domestic enterprises.
On the other hand, Wu Bolin reminded enterprises to also pay subjective attention to development investment. "In the past few years, most domestic machine tool companies were in a state of loss and were unable to carry out scientific research and technology development. Now they are living a prosperous life. But you can't just produce those small machine tools that cost 10,000 yuan each. In that case, millions of You will never be able to develop a machine tool worth US$1 million or millions of euros.”
Experts point out that if machine tool companies want to enter the industrialization base, their investment in technology development must not be less than 5% of product sales revenue. . If this indicator is reached, you will be able to enjoy a certain level of subsidies from the state every year. According to the goals of the "Plan", by the end of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", the domestic market share of domestic CNC machine tools in terms of sales will increase to more than 50%. At the same time, the domestic market share of all domestic machine tool products will also increase to 60%. %above.