Chinese companies have managed to make breakthroughs in laser cutting machines, as part of the country's efforts to expedite the achievement of high-level sci-tech self-reliance.
A 3D 5-axis laser cutting machine is capable of rotating 360 degrees and cutting materials continuously, making it the top machine tool in the world's laser industry.
Twelve years ago, the production technology of such machines was monopolized by foreign countries, and there were few application scenarios.
At the end of 2012, Huagong Technology, which is headquartered in Wuhan City, central China's Hubei Province, and specializes in developing, manufacturing and distributing laser equipment, became keenly aware of the importance of self-dependency of 3D 5-axis laser cutting machines, as new energy vehicles emerged on the horizon.
"A key bottleneck facing new energy vehicles is that they must be lightened because they are electric. To reduce weight, high-strength steel plates must be used. High-strength steel plates cannot be processed by traditional stamping presses. Later, we launched a project. Only 3D 5-axis laser cutting machine can meet customers' requirements," said Ma Xinqiang, chairman of Huagong Tech.
Once starting research and development, Huagong Tech found quite a few bottlenecks in technologies.
With the help of the government, Huagong Tech, which was expert in laser cutting head technology, joined hands with counterparts HuazhongCNC and Raycus, which were proficient at CNC system and laser technologies respectively, to work on 3D 5-axis laser cutting machines.
"If Huagong Tech did not put forward such high requirements for product technology and the uniqueness of the industry, we might not have sought to make breakthroughs from underlying technologies. At first, a machine with power ranging from tens of watts to 500 watts and 1000 watts, was considered to be incredible. But later with technological breakthroughs, the machine's power could reach several kilowatts, tens of thousands of watts, and even hundreds of thousands of watts," said Li Jie, deputy general manager of Raycus.
With the continuous advancement of the research and development of 3D 5-axis laser cutting machines, the government supported the three companies to take the lead and organize more than 100 enterprises and scientific institutions to jointly tackle challenges.
After several years of hard work, in 2022, a wholly domestically-produced 3D 5-axis laser cutting machine made a debut, with features superior to that of foreign brands in many aspects. For example, the B-pillar cutting of a car is typically completed in 42 seconds, while the Chinese-made machine can shorten the time to 38 seconds.
The machine broken down market monopolies and won wide recognition.
"We have had a domestic market share of about 70 percent, and our total sales should rank the first worldwide," said Ma.
China makes breakthrough in developing laser cutting technology
China makes breakthrough in developing laser cutting technology
