In response to the intensifying conflict between diminishing profits and rising costs in the auto parts market, Sichuan Danchi Automobile Parts Co., Ltd. has actively upgraded the traditional manufacturing of gear products to smart and green manufacturing and has produced certain effects. The smart turning process for both coarse and fine processing for the rear-axle main reduction gears for minicars is put into bulk use, upgrades the blank quality to a higher level, reduces the consumption of high-quality gear steel by 122,400 kg per year and saves the staff cost of RMB 594,000. It’s expected to recover all the capital input into the smart turning process production line in two years and has produced significant economic and social benefits.
To meet the new needs of clients for higher-quality gear transmission parts and high consistency and interchangeability of parts, the company has been active in introducing smart and green manufacturing and design, conducted the cost-effectiveness analysis and evaluation of the manufacturing chain based on configuration elements and process data in light of the high positioning precision and quick transposition of smart manufacturing, and vigorously promoted the trial manufacturing of fine forged blanks. Thanks to the fine forging process, the exterior geometric dimensioning of forged blanks has been optimized, and the location datum for follow-up manufacturing improved; the single-piece consumption of materials has reduced from 4.25kg to 3.91kg, and the consumption utilization rate has improved by 8% while the single-piece cost down by RMB 1.21, saving RMB 434,500 from the cost of materials per year. In designing the smart turning process, technicians learnt from the mature experience of traditional forging process, give full play to the characteristics of the forge forming process and the design of fixtures and tools, designed the turning process for both coarse and fine processing and put it into trial manufacturing, guaranteed the consistency and interchangeability of the parameters of gear blanks, cut eight workers and two links of the process, and improved the manufacturing efficiency by 50%.
The company’s smart unmanned manufacturing process is a successful attempt at upgrading its core manufacturing technology for dominant products under the guidance of smart and green manufacturing, and lays the foundation for advancing the shift from traditional manufacturing to high-end manufacturing of gear transmission parts and sharpening the company’s core competitiveness.
(Wan Yinghe)