Visible, China domestic CNC machine tools, especially high-end CNC machine tools, still lack market competitiveness. The main reasons are that the research and development depth of domestic CNC machine tools is not enough, the manufacturing level is still backward, the service consciousness and ability are lacking, the production and application of CNC and systems are not promoted effectively, and the CNC talents are lacking. We should see the situation clearly, fully understand the shortcomings of domestic CNC machine tools, strive to develop advanced technology, increase technical innovation and training services, and shorten the gap with developed countries.
The United States, Germany and Japan are the most advanced and experienced countries in the research, design, manufacture and use of CNC machine tools. Due to different social and historical conditions and government development strategies, each has its own characteristics.
Development of CNC machine tools in the United States
Successive American governments have attached great importance to the machine tool industry. Because of its military needs, the U.S. Department of Defense and other departments constantly put forward the development direction and scientific research tasks of machine tools and provided sufficient funds. At the same time, they recruit talents from all over the world, and pay special attention to "efficiency" and "innovation" and basic scientific research in their development. Machine tool technology is constantly innovating, such as 1952, the development of the world's first CNC machine tool, 1958 machining center, the development of FMS in the early 1970s, and 1987 open CNC system. Because the United States first developed a large number of automated production lines to automate mass production in combination with the production requirements of automobiles and bearings, and its electronics and computer technology are world-leading, its CNC machine tool host design, manufacturing and CNC system are solid, and it has always attached importance to scientific research and innovation, so its high-performance CNC machine tool technology has always been in the leading position in the world. But its disadvantage lies in emphasizing basic scientific research and ignoring applied technology. In addition, the relaxation guided by the government slowed down the output growth of CNC machine tools in the 1980s, and 1982 was overtaken by the rising star Japan and imported in large quantities. Since the 1990s, the government has corrected the past bias, and the numerical control machine tools have changed from technical to practical, and the output has gradually picked up.
American machine tool industry started 50 years later than Britain, but soon surpassed Britain in manufacturing technology, ranking first in the world. Ford built the first car in 1896. In order to cooperate with the mass production of automobiles, Gleason Company has developed a set of gear processing and measuring equipment and tools, and other companies have also developed many new and efficient automatic machine tools. 1934, the world's first automatic line for modular machine tools was developed. 1948 established the world's first automatic production line with an annual output of 30 million sets of bearings, which made the automobile output increase rapidly, reaching 8 million in 1950 (2.07 million in China in 2000). Since then, the machine tool industry in the United States has developed rapidly, and the advanced machine tool technology, output and production scale have long ranked first in the world. Although in the mid-1980s, the American economy declined, and the machine tool industry once declined, which was overtaken by Japan and Germany, the government quickly took measures to reverse the situation.
At present, American machine tool manufacturing industry is still in the leading position in the world in machine tool technology and industrial production, such as high-efficiency automated machine tools, automated production lines, CNC machine tools and FMS. Mainly distributed in the midwest and northeastern States, the main consumers are automobile manufacturing, aviation, construction and medical equipment manufacturing.
The reason why American machine tool technology can keep ahead in the world for a long time is that the government has played a vital role in guiding and strengthening R&D and continuous innovation. Mainly manifested in:
First of all, make plans and measures to provide sufficient funds for major scientific research projects. For example, it provides a lot of funds for the research and development of CNC machine tools. It provided $654.38 billion for the research and development of a new generation of CNC systems.
Secondly, organize and guide the scientific research cooperation between relevant scientific research units and enterprises. For example, the research and development of a new generation of CNC system is jointly developed by the National Manufacturing Science Center and the US Air Force; The government organized General Motors, Boeing Aircraft Company and relevant machine tool industry companies to jointly develop CIM.
Thirdly, after the completion of new product development, organize ordering and promotion, and accelerate the further deepening of scientific research. For example, after MIT developed the first CNC milling machine in 1952, it immediately organized the military department to order 100 for production and made continuous improvement, thus accelerating the continuous improvement of CNC machine tool technology. Another example is: American G&L Company developed the world's first VARLA4 parallel mechanism machine tool in 1994, and organized relevant universities to conduct research and analysis in time, and used it in enterprises to further improve the technology.
Due to the shortage of skilled workers in the United States and the relatively high wages of workers, machine tool users require machine tool manufacturers to have more flexible machine tool performance and repeat programming to reduce the demand for skilled workers. Due to the increasingly fierce competition in the automobile industry, the renewal cycle of automobile models is getting shorter and shorter. The automobile industry requires machine tools with flexible performance, wide application range and short debugging period to meet the requirements of small batch production and rapid update. The demand for high-speed machine tools is increasing in American aviation industry, automobile industry and mold manufacturing industry. For environmental reasons, many customers require machine tools to reduce the amount of coolant. All of the above shows that scientific and technological progress is the main factor affecting the development of American machine tool industry.
For example, at present, electronization, high speed and precision have become the mainstream of the development of the machine tool industry in the United States: for example, American enterprises effectively integrate the procurement and inventory systems of suppliers and customers through online B2B services; Large automobile companies (GM, Ford, Daimler/Chrysler) and aerospace companies (Boeing, Lockheed) all design and develop synchronously with related systems on a global scale through this network service; Manufacturing process management, remote monitoring, troubleshooting and after-sales service in machine tool industry are becoming more and more popular; The spindle of milling machine adopts hydraulic bearing die, and uses non-contact instead of ball bearing; Linear motors get rid of application restrictions and enter commercialization.
Looking ahead, the American machine tool manufacturing industry has the following obvious development trends:
First, the pursuit of machine tools with higher processing efficiency. Because improving the efficiency of machine tools is equivalent to shortening the processing cycle of parts, there are two ways to shorten the processing cycle. One way is to increase the cutting speed, that is, increase the spindle speed. At present, the spindle speed of lathe and turning center is above 8000r/min, and the machining center is generally 15000~20000r/min, with 40000r/min and 60000r/min. Similarly, the feed speed has been greatly improved, reaching 20m/min or even 60m/min. With the increase of cutting speed, the structural stiffness and dynamic characteristics of machine tools are obviously improved, and the dynamic balance design of high-speed spindle and tool system is also improved accordingly. Another method is to reduce the non-processing time. Because a lot of useless time is spent on workpiece handling, loading and unloading, installation and adjustment, tool changing and spindle lifting speed, the research and development of compound machine tools has developed rapidly recently, and its core is to complete various operating procedures such as turning, milling, drilling, boring, tapping, reaming and reaming on one machine tool. The main trend of lathe technology development is multi-functional machine tools, and the current multi-functional compound machine tools are actually machining centers with turning functions. In grinding, the current technical focus is to develop a grinding control system based on PC. A grinder can grind inner circle, outer circle and stepped shaft, or give machine tools different cycles to speed up production progress, which can not only grind quickly but also ensure dimensional accuracy and surface roughness.
Second, the pursuit of safer, more reliable and more environmentally friendly machine tools. Due to the improvement of machine tool running speed, the safety and health of operators have also been given priority. At present, almost all the high-end machine tools developed in the United States have installed safety warning devices in places where people may be injured. Dry cutting and micro-lubrication cutting methods are widely used, because they can greatly reduce the volatilization of lubricants, and almost the whole machine tool is closed, and some machine tools can't even see chips, so even if there is excessive oil mist and smoke, it is easy to collect. At the same time, the environment and position of machine tool operators at work will be considered very comfortable. In addition, pollution-free clean processing technology has also received great attention.
Three, the rapid development of machine tool parts industry. Machine tool accessories have developed rapidly with complete varieties. The main products are ball screw pairs, precision bearings, various turntables, tool changing devices, various pneumatic and hydraulic devices, linear guides and spindle components. The development of these accessory industries has strongly promoted the development of machine tool mainframes, which not only helps to improve the speed and performance of machine tools, but also greatly shortens the production cycle of mainframes and reduces production costs.
Fourth, pursue a more perfect control system. Higher-speed processors and more accurate control equipment make the functions and performance of machine tools more perfect and powerful. Technology-intensive has entered the stage of rapid development, and the key to integration is open structure. The application of PCC technology began to change the working mode of machine tools, pushing CNC into the control center rather than the range of machine tool controllers. The control software develops faster and even improves several times a year. CNC manufacturers provide some CNC systems with open structure. At present, CNC controllers with open structure account for 10%~20% in machinery factories. The part program can be developed off-line, then transmitted to the programming system of the production workshop and run on the CNC controller. The operator can observe and inspect the tool operation and machining process, and can also make necessary corrections to the machining process. 30% of the controllers sold by GEFANUC Company in the United States are open, which realizes the real integration of CAM/CNC, tends to intelligent control, and can also access the Internet. The technical foundation of virtual manufacturing and paperless production has been established. With the help of information technology, the application of this kind of software will develop at a faster speed.
Fifth, pursue higher appearance quality of machine tools. Nowadays, machine tool manufacturers pay more attention to the aesthetic feeling of machine tool modeling and the harmony and softness of tone, and fine machine tools are developing in the direction of handicrafts.
Development of CNC machine tools in Germany
The German government has always attached importance to the important strategic position of the machine tool industry and given strong support in many aspects. Although Germany's machine tool industry developed later than that of the United States, it developed very rapidly because it was good at learning advanced technologies from the United States and Britain and strengthened scientific experiments and research and analysis, especially the research on advanced technologies. First of all, pay attention to "reality" and "effect". Germany pays special attention to scientific experiments, combining theory with practice, and paying equal attention to basic scientific research and applied technology research. Secondly, adhere to "people-oriented" and constantly improve the quality of personnel. Enterprises cooperate closely with scientific research departments in universities to conduct in-depth research on user products, processing technology, machine tool layout and characteristics of CNC machine tools, and strive for perfection in quality. German CNC machine tools have good quality and performance, advanced and practical, and are exported all over the world. Especially large, heavy and precise CNC machine tools. Finally, Germany attaches great importance to advanced and practical CNC machine tools and accessories, and its mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, optical, tools, measuring, CNC system and various functional components are among the best in the world. For example, Siemens' numerical control system is world-famous and has become the best choice for most users.
Similarly, the German Machine Tool Association (VDW) provides all possible market support for German enterprises, from market information and statistics to reports on various products and speculation on key areas such as the automobile industry. With the help of China Machine Tool Association, VDW provides direct contact opportunities for German companies interested in seeking partners in China. Provide trade information such as import certification for all kinds of equipment and services; Organize relevant Chinese personnel to carry out technical training activities in Germany as needed; Organize a German business delegation to participate in the large-scale metalworking exhibition in China, and contact the German government to provide official support.
Development of CNC machine tools in Japan
The Japanese government attaches great importance to the development of machine tool industry. On the one hand, it guides the development of the industry by planning and formulating laws and regulations (such as Mechanical Vibration Law, Electromechanical Law and Mechanical Information Law), on the other hand, it provides sufficient research and development funds to encourage scientific research institutions and enterprises to vigorously develop CNC machine tools. Learn from Germany in attaching importance to talents and machine tool parts, learn from the United States in quality management and CNC machine tool technology, combine the experience of the two countries, form their own development characteristics, and come from behind.
Since the first CNC machine tool was developed in 1958, Japan's output in 1978 (7342 sets) has surpassed that of the United States (5688 sets), and it has been the first in the world for a long time (46604 sets were produced in 200/kloc-0 and 27400 sets were exported). Strategically, a large number of medium-grade CNC machine tools with large output and wide range were exported, occupying most of the world market share. In the 1980s, scientific research was further strengthened and high-performance CNC machine tools were developed. It is this strategy that FANUC Company of Japan, under the guidance and encouragement of the Japanese government, has developed various low-,medium-and high-grade CNC systems needed by the market in a targeted manner, and has become the world's largest supplier of CNC systems for machine tools. The company has 3674 employees, more than 600 scientific researchers and a monthly production capacity of 7000 units. Its sales account for 50% in the world market and 80% in Japan, which greatly promotes the development of CNC machine tools in Japan and even the world.
Besides FANUC, there are many other mechanical parts companies. Under the guidance of the government, these Japanese enterprises attach great importance to the development of key technologies and core products. This division of labor and cooperation has improved the efficiency of Japanese CNC machine tool industry, and avoided the internal struggle of American CNC machine tool industry because all manufacturers want to become industry standards, thus preserving their external competitiveness. In addition, the Japanese government also encourages some small CNC machine tools and automation equipment manufacturers with their own unique technological advantages to develop their own patented technologies.
Taiwan Province Province, China
The development of modern CNC machine tool enterprises depends more and more on supply chain, which has been confirmed by the development experience of machine tool industry in various countries and regions of the world. For example, the machine tool industry in Taiwan Province Province of China is a good example.
The machine tool industry in Taiwan Province Province of China belongs to assembly type. Except for the spindle and other precision parts, machine tool manufacturers basically do no other machining. Casting, sheet metal, heat treatment, painting and other processes are all completed by cooperative factories. For example, Youjia Company has about 70 cooperative factories in Taichung.
It can be seen that the development advantage of Taiwan Province machine tool industry lies in the formation of a complete machine tool parts industry. These parts manufacturers are concentrated in the range of less than 100 km around the machine tool plant, and the supply of parts is timely and complete. More than 90% of the machine tool manufacturers in Taiwan Province Province, China are concentrated in Taichung, and the distance is not long, almost one after another. This can not only achieve accurate supply, but also reduce inventory, and even achieve zero inventory in some manufacturers or some links. Developed machine tool parts industry and convenient and perfect supply chain are the advantages and pride of machine tool industry in Taiwan Province Province, even superior to Japanese and German in the convenience of obtaining parts.
In addition, with the intensification of market competition, machine tool enterprises in Taiwan Province, China generally attach importance to R&D, and the annual R&D investment is above 4% of the turnover. Companies with good foundation and strong financial strength can invest more than 5% of their turnover in R&D every year.