Wang Changlu, Vice President and Secretary General of the Gear Branch of China Machinery General Parts Industry Association: Let China's gears become stronger and stronger as they rotate
2017-09-07
Gears are a fundamental element of industry, and their importance is self-evident. As a symbol of industry, they were designed into the national emblem by the founder of the Republic, expressing the determination to build the ancient Chinese nation into a modern industrial country. After several generations of struggle, China has become a major manufacturing country in the world today. Gears, this quietly rotating and ubiquitous key basic component, are undergoing continuous innovation and development. Currently, China is in an important period of technological innovation and industrial transformation and upgrading. What is the current situation of China's gear industry? What challenges and opportunities does it face?

With many questions and expectations, recently reporters from the "Machine Tool Business News" magazine and "Tianxia Machinery Network" conducted a special interview with Wang Changlu, Vice President and Secretary General of the Gear Branch of the China General Machinery Parts Industry Association (CGMA), to gain a deep understanding of the relevant situation in the gear industry. As an industry leader and senior expert, Secretary General Wang made insightful analysis and detailed answers.

Reporter: Secretary General Wang, as an industry leader and senior expert, please briefly describe the current development status of the gear industry and relevant national industrial policies.

Secretary General Wang: There are over 1000 large-scale manufacturing enterprises and more than 300 backbone enterprises in China's gear industry. In 2016, the sales revenue of gear products reached 220.5 billion yuan, accounting for about 61% of the total sales revenue of general mechanical components. The industry scale has been ranked first in the world for several consecutive years. China's gear products are shifting from the mid to low end to the high end, and some high-end products have reached the international advanced level. However, China still heavily relies on imports for high-end gear products such as automatic transmissions for automobiles, RV reducers for industrial robots, and gear transmission devices for high-speed trains with a speed of ≥ 350km/h, resulting in a huge foreign trade deficit. In 2016, the import value of gear products in China reached 14.203 billion US dollars, the export value was 5.481 billion US dollars, and the trade deficit was as high as 8.722 billion US dollars.

The National Medium - and Long Term Science and Technology Development Plan Outline (2006-2020) released by the state clearly states that key basic components and general components are the priority technology themes for the development of the manufacturing industry. It is necessary to focus on researching and developing key technologies for the design, manufacturing, and mass production of key basic components and general components required for major equipment. The national "Plan for Adjustment and Revitalization of Equipment Manufacturing Industry" proposes to combine the development of complete machines with the improvement of basic supporting levels, strive to achieve the self-reliance of major technical equipment, drive the development of basic supporting products, and make the key development of high-precision gear transmission devices one of the main tasks of industrial adjustment and revitalization. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released the "12th Five Year Plan for the Development of Mechanical Basic Components, Basic Manufacturing Processes, and Basic Materials Industry", which specifies the key development of 11 types of mechanical basic components, including ultra large and high parameter gears and transmission devices. The Industrial Strong Foundation Project is the cornerstone of the five major projects of "Made in China 2025", which determines the success or failure of the strategy of building a strong manufacturing country and is the foundation for supporting the innovative development of the ten major industries in the planning outline. The Implementation Guidelines for Industrial Strong Foundation Projects (2016-2020) specify the "one-stop" application plan for high-precision reducers.

Reporter: What are the main problems currently facing the gear industry? According to the 13th Five Year Plan for the development of the gear industry, what are the key tasks to be done by the Gear Branch?

Secretary General Wang: In 2015, I was responsible for compiling the "Outline of the 13th Five Year Plan for the Development of China's Gear Industry", analyzing the situation and main problems faced by the gear industry, proposing development ideas and goals for the gear industry, and clarifying key tasks and measures.

The main problems in the gear industry are: firstly, the lack of basic research and data, which leads to a lack of data support for product design and manufacturing; Secondly, there is a lack of innovative platforms for the research and development of common and cutting-edge gear technologies for the entire industry, as well as the transformation of important scientific and technological achievements and engineering application research. There is also a lack of testing and evaluation service systems to guide the design, manufacturing improvement, and reliability enhancement of gears and their transmission devices; Thirdly, the weak independent innovation capability of the gear industry has led to a heavy reliance on imports for high-end gear products, and core technologies are subject to others' control; Fourthly, there is a lack of research and manufacturing capabilities for high-end products, severe overcapacity in mid to low end products, and intensified homogenization competition; The fifth issue is the poor quality and stability of gear products, with a high early failure rate, short service life, and low reliability, which cannot meet the requirements of the main engine; Sixth, there is a general lack of high-level R&D and high skilled talents, and the overall quality of personnel urgently needs to be improved; Seventh, many small and medium-sized enterprises in the gear industry are facing difficulties in financing, heavy tax and fee burdens, and weak risk resistance.

The Gear Branch will focus on organizing and carrying out the following tasks: first, to overcome a number of core technologies such as gear transmission vibration reduction and noise reduction technology, lightweight design and manufacturing technology of gear transmission devices, gear surface modification technology, and green manufacturing technology of gear near net forming; second, to break through a number of key products such as precision reducers for industrial robots, gear transmission devices for high-speed locomotives with a speed of ≥ 350km/h, heavy-duty reducers for shield machines and TBMs, and automatic transmissions for automobiles; third, to continue to promote the integration and upgrading of industrialization and technology; fourth, to gradually establish a relatively complete gear research and development service platform; fifth, to implement quality and brand strategies; sixth, to implement gear standardization strategies; seventh, to implement special projects for improving the quality of gear steel; eighth, to assist in solving the financing difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Reporter: China is a major producer and seller of gears, but there is still a significant gap between gear products and international advanced levels in terms of service life and reliability. It is said that the application of gear anti fatigue manufacturing technology can change this situation. Please briefly introduce the main content and application effects of gear anti fatigue manufacturing technology.

Secretary General Wang: Compared with the international advanced level, there is indeed a significant gap in power density, service life, and reliability of China's gear products. We can solve this problem by implementing gear anti fatigue manufacturing. The main content and application effects of anti fatigue manufacturing technology are: firstly, material metallurgy quality control technology, which is used to improve the purity, uniformity, and stability of materials, increase the fatigue limit stress, reduce the influence of material defects from the source, and reduce the sensitivity of material stress concentration; The second is anti fatigue design technology, which is used to solve the problem of stress concentration in parts from a design perspective; The third is anti fatigue machining technology, which is used to change the microstructure, micro mechanical properties, and surface integrity of the metamorphic layer; The fourth is precision heat treatment technology, which is used to refine the grain size and microstructure of materials, obtain high-quality intrinsic quality and high surface hardness, and reduce heat treatment deformation; The fifth is surface hardening, shot peening, rolling strengthening, laser shock strengthening, and composite strengthening technologies used for surface strengthening and modification; The sixth is anti fatigue assembly, fatigue life evaluation, and testing technology. In summary, the application of anti fatigue manufacturing technology can significantly improve the reliability, lifespan, and power density of gears, achieving lightweighting. The team led by Academician Zhao Zhenye from the Aerospace Materials Research Institute has developed and applied anti fatigue manufacturing technology, which can increase the service life of gears and bearings by more than 10 times.

Reporter: What are the main gear testing equipment? What are the general non-destructive testing methods for gears?

Secretary General Wang: Gear testing equipment is mainly divided into five categories: CNC gear measuring center, gear meshing measuring instrument, gear online measurement sorting machine, ultra precision coordinate measuring machine, and laser gear measuring instrument. At present, CNC gear testing centers are the main gear testing instruments in China, while precision coordinate measuring machines are the main ones for large modulus gear testing. Gear meshing measuring instruments are rarely used, and gear online measurement and sorting machines are also rarely used. At present, precision CNC measurement centers are mainly imported products, with fewer domestically produced CNC measurement centers. Gear meshing measuring instruments are divided into two categories: single meshing instruments and double meshing instruments, with double meshing instruments being more commonly used. The gear double-sided meshing measuring instruments that are widely used in China are the 3100 and 3101 series products of Hailiang Group, the JS series products of Harbin Jingda, and the SNY-3 type products of Chengdu Measuring and Cutting Tool Factory. The gear online measuring and sorting machine is mainly used for the detection of mass-produced gears. Such detection equipment abroad includes the Osaka Seiki AG series gear sorting and measuring system from Japan, the Hommel gear sorting and measuring machine from the United States, and the ITW4900 gear online rapid sorting machine from the United States. Harbin Institute of Technology and Beijing Institute of Technology have collaborated to develop the 3510 gear online measuring machine. Precision three coordinate measuring machines mainly include Hexagon three coordinate measuring machine, Zeiss MMZ T three coordinate measuring machine suitable for large gear measurement, Wenzel's flagship product LH series bridge three coordinate measuring machine, Xi'an Edward three coordinate measuring machine, etc.

Gear non-destructive testing can be divided into three categories: ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, and dye penetrant testing. Ultrasonic testing of gears is mainly aimed at detecting internal defects in large gear castings and forgings. Gear magnetic particle inspection is used to detect surface defects such as cracks and inclusions on the tooth surface and near tooth surface. Gear dye penetrant testing is also a non-destructive testing method for detecting surface defects on gears.

Reporter: In recent years, what breakthroughs have been made in China's key gear technology and high-end gear products? What are the development goals of the future gear industry?

Secretary General Wang: In recent years, China has made breakthroughs in some key gear manufacturing technologies and high-end gear products, many of which have reached the international advanced level. For example, significant breakthroughs have been made in the key manufacturing technology of casting gears for the Three Gorges ship lift, solving the global problem of cracking at the root of large cast steel gears induced by quenching; We have overcome multiple key technologies for large planetary gearboxes in nuclear power plant circulation pumps and achieved mass production of such gearboxes; The key manufacturing technologies for multi megawatt wind power speed increasing gearboxes, large marine gearboxes, and large module gear racks for marine equipment have reached the international advanced level. At present, the gearbox of the circulating pump in China's nuclear power plants has replaced imports and can meet the supporting needs of China's nuclear power equipment; The megawatt level wind power growth box not only meets the requirements of China's wind power industry, but also achieves mass export. From 2014 to 2017, three gear projects won the National Science and Technology Progress Award, namely the "Key Technology and Industrialization of High end Heavy duty Gear Transmission Device" project, which won the second prize of the 2014 National Science and Technology Progress Award, the "Research and Industrialization of Front wheel Drive 8-speed Automatic Transmission (8AT)" project, which won the first prize of the 2016 National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the "High reliability Gear Transmission System for High speed Railway Trains" project, which won the second prize of the 2017 National Science and Technology Progress Award. At the same time, it must be noted that there are still many high-end gear products in China that rely heavily on imports, such as industrial machinery precision reducers, shield machine main reducers, large aircraft gear products, and heavy-duty helicopter main rotor reducers. In the next 5-10 years, China's gear industry will achieve the following: Goal. Firstly, the innovation capability has been significantly enhanced. The gear industry has established a technology innovation system with sustained innovation capability, breaking through a number of core technologies, forming some internationally renowned brands and patents, standards and certification systems that are in line with international standards, and creating several multinational enterprises with international competitiveness. The innovation capability and international competitiveness are at the international advanced level; Secondly, the supporting and export capabilities of gear products have been comprehensively improved, with a significant increase in the manufacturing capacity of high-end gear products. The overall performance and quality of products have reached the international advanced level, with some reaching the international leading level. Gear products basically meet the needs of domestic key equipment and large-scale engineering support, and import and export trade has changed from a huge deficit to a surplus or basically flat; Thirdly, 2-3 gear companies have entered the world's top 10 gear companies, and a group of "specialized, refined, unique, and new" enterprises have steadily developed; The fourth is to increase industrial concentration and form several internationally competitive gear industry accumulation areas; Fifth, outstanding energy-saving and material saving effects have been achieved. Advanced technologies such as gear near net forming, dry cutting, superhard machining, and ultra precision machining have been widely promoted and applied. The utilization rate of gear materials has increased by 35%, production efficiency has increased by 50%, energy consumption has been significantly reduced, and gear transmission power loss has been reduced by more than 30%.

Reporter: Premier Li Keqiang has repeatedly emphasized the need for innovative thinking and brand awareness. Please introduce the situation of the gear industry in these two aspects.

Secretary General Wang: Innovative thinking refers to the thinking process of solving problems with novel methods. Through this thinking, one can break through the boundaries of conventional thinking, think about problems with unconventional or even unconventional methods and perspectives, propose unique solutions, and produce innovative and unique thinking results. In recent years, in the face of rapid technological development and social change, the Gear Branch has vigorously advocated innovative thinking and improved the innovative thinking ability of entrepreneurs through training, entrepreneur forums, and other means. For example, in the context of the continuous development of Internet plus, big data, cloud computing and other technologies, I have repeatedly explained the opportunities and challenges brought about by Internet plus at industry conferences and entrepreneur forums, emphasizing that entrepreneurs should have Internet thinking, have a vision for development, dare to change and seek innovation, and be able to constantly seize new opportunities.

Brand means high quality, high reputation, high efficiency, and low cost. Brand is not only an intangible asset of a company, but also a representative of its image and a huge wealth. Brand awareness is the basic concept of a company's brand and brand building, which is the company's conscious awareness of maintaining and creating a famous brand for its products. The Gear Association focuses on cultivating corporate brands and brand awareness, promoting quality benchmarks and leading enterprise demonstration activities in the industry, advancing the application of advanced production management models such as excellent performance, Six Sigma, and lean production, and striving to create a cultural atmosphere of building a strong country with quality and promoting brand development. It aims to cultivate top brands that cross national borders and have broad popularity and reputation,

We also need to cultivate domestic famous brands and move towards "one factory, one brand, one product, one innovation". A number of famous brands have emerged in the gear industry, such as "Nangao Gear", "Fast" and "Double Ring Transmission", which have become well-known brands for global wind power gearboxes, heavy-duty vehicle transmissions, and automotive and construction machinery gears, respectively.

Reporter: In response to General Secretary Xi's strategic deployment of "the Belt and Road", various domestic industries have gone abroad to seize this unprecedented development opportunity. What are the main actions of the gear industry?

Secretary General Wang: The "the Belt and Road" strategy is a major initiative put forward by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to build a more comprehensive, in-depth and diversified pattern of opening up. It is of great significance for China to accelerate the formation of a mechanism and environment advocating innovation, focusing on coordination, advocating green, planting openness, and promoting sharing. The gear industry has taken the following actions in response to this unprecedented opportunity. The first is to analyze and study the market opportunities brought by the "the Belt and Road" by organizing inspection and special meetings, focusing on the market opportunities of engineering machinery, nuclear power, transportation, building materials and other industries; The second is to study relevant international and domestic standards, conduct standard training, and lay the foundation for "going global"; The third is to establish a national "Gear Strength and Reliability Testing Technology Basic Public Service Platform", complete the construction of the gear key common manufacturing technology basic database and testing technology service system, and support gear technology and product innovation; Fourth, promote the application of modern advanced manufacturing technology and intelligent manufacturing technology in the gear industry, establish automated and intelligent manufacturing systems and online monitoring systems with stable product quality, improve the quality and stability of gear products, and meet the demand of the "the Belt and Road" for high-end gear products and services; The fifth is to encourage enterprises to go abroad and expand their territory, such as Foster's establishment of factories in Thailand and Nanchang's layout in Duiste, Germany.