Technology-driven, intelligent manufacturing for the future - Enterprises lead the new wave of precision manufacturing of automotive parts

As the market penetration rate of new energy vehicles continues to rise, the demand for lightweight, integrated and highly complex components is increasing day by day. This has brought higher requirements to the mold industry: it is not only necessary to achieve higher dimensional accuracy and structural strength, but also to adapt to the forming processes of new materials (such as high-strength steel, aluminum alloys, and composite materials), and meet the demands of large-scale and efficient production.

Under this trend, a group of domestic mold enterprises that have been deeply engaged in precision manufacturing are emerging. They take high precision, long service life and rapid response as their core competitiveness and have made remarkable progress in the following key areas:

Breakthrough in core technology

In areas such as large-scale integrated die-casting molds, high-precision gear molds, microstructured optical component molds (such as automotive lamp lenses), and new energy battery structural component molds, many enterprises have significantly enhanced the forming stability and service life of the molds through technologies like simulation and optimization, application of special steel, multi-axis precision processing, and ultra-precision surface treatment. For instance, the "Ultra-low-speed high-pressure injection molding technology" developed by a certain enterprise has successfully solved the industry's problems of easy deformation and insufficient filling in thin-walled complex structural parts during molding.

The integration of intelligence and digitalization

Leading enterprises have introduced a full-process digital management system, starting from mold flow analysis and stress simulation at the design end, to the use of five-axis linkage machining centers and online inspection at the manufacturing end, and then to data traceability and intelligent parameter adjustment in the mold trial and mass production stages. This has achieved a reduction of over 30% in the mold development cycle and a significant increase in the success rate of one-time mold trials.

Collaborative R&D and customer binding

More and more mold enterprises have established synchronous development mechanisms with vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, getting involved from the conceptual design stage to jointly optimize the part structure and mold solutions. This deep binding not only accelerates the process of product launch but also promotes the transformation of mold enterprises into "technical solution providers".

Challenges and opportunities coexist in the industry

Despite significant progress, the industry still faces challenges such as reliance on imported high-end materials, a shortage of compound technical talents, and intensified international competition. Meanwhile, the policy support for high-end equipment manufacturing, the rise of domestic new energy vehicle brands, and the window of domestic substitution brought about by the reshaping of the global supply chain have all provided broad growth space for local mold enterprises.

Expert Opinion

Experts from the China Mould Industry Association pointed out: "Automotive moulds are rapidly developing in the directions of integration, intelligence and greenness." The key to future competition lies in whether enterprises possess the ability to continuously innovate, rapidly iterate and provide full life-cycle services. Encouraging the in-depth integration of industry, academia and research to break through key common technologies is the inevitable path for the overall upgrading of the industry.

Conclusion

From "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing", China's automotive parts mold industry is steadily advancing on the path of precision and innovation. Driven by technology and guided by the market, domestic enterprises are expected to play an increasingly important role in the global high-end mold supply chain, providing a solid and reliable technological foundation for "Made in China" automobiles to go global.