The rapid development of China’s automotive industry has promoted the development of the die-casting industry. Ningbo Beilun enjoys the reputation of “the hometown of die casting molds in China”. In addition to supplying domestic Volkswagen, FAW, Chang’an, Chery, Geely, Great Wall, Chunlan, Midea and other enterprises, its products also supply molds to Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Siemens, Ford, General Motors, Mazda and other world famous enterprises. The design and manufacturing level, production capacity and manufacturing enterprise density of die casting molds are in the leading position in China.
In 2007, the production value of Beilun molds reached 2.8 billion yuan, with exports reaching 300 million yuan. The sales revenue of die-casting parts was 2.6 billion yuan, with exports reaching 420 million yuan.
1. The position of Beilun die-casting molds in the country
The Beilun mold industry started in the 1960s and developed rapidly in the 1990s, focusing on die-casting molds. After more than 20 years of development, it has formed a number of advantageous enterprises with distinctive characteristics, and built seven municipal high-tech enterprises and two provincial Enterprise engineering engineering technology centers in the mold industry. There are 34 die-casting mold enterprises with a mold output value of over 10 million yuan.
1.1 Key die-casting mold enterprises
From January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008, the state implemented a method of first collecting value-added tax according to regulations on the mold products produced and sold by 230 key mold enterprises, and then refunding 50% of the actual value-added tax paid. The refunded tax was specifically used for the technical transformation, environmental protection, energy conservation and consumption reduction of enterprises, and the research and development of mold products. Among the 70 companies in Zhejiang Province, Ningbo accounts for 50, while Beilun has 15 (14 mainly focus on die-casting molds).
1.2 Beilun Die Casting Industry Chain
Due to the close relationship between the mold design and manufacturing process and the upstream mold material supply, heat treatment, forging supply, mold standard parts, and downstream mold processing parts/products (plastic parts, die-casting parts, etc.), many mold enterprises have both molds and products. Therefore, the mold industry chain is divided into three parts: “upstream supporting enterprises”, “mold design and manufacturing enterprises”, and “downstream extension enterprises”.
1.2.1 Upstream supporting enterprises
There are over 150 mold material supply, heat treatment, forging supply, and other supporting enterprises related to mold design and manufacturing, with over 5000 employees.
1.2.2 Mold design and manufacturing enterprises
There are a total of 1372 mold enterprises in Beilun, directly engaged in mold and mold parts processing, with over 16000 employees.
(1) Statistics of mold enterprises based on regional distribution
About 70% of the regional distribution of mold enterprises in Beilun is concentrated in Daqi, followed by Xiapu accounting for 11.37%. Regional concentration “is a characteristic of Beilun mold enterprises.
(2) Classification based on the nature of enterprise registration
According to the statistics of Beilun Mold Enterprises by enterprise type, among the 372 mold enterprises, domestic enterprises account for 96%. Private enterprises play the leading role “is another characteristic of Beilun mold enterprises.
(3) Classification by mold type
The main types of molds in Beilun are die-casting molds and plastic molds, with some enterprises having both. Die-casting molds account for 75% to 80%, plastic molds account for 15% to 20%, and other molds account for 5% to 8%.
1.2.3 Downstream extension enterprises
Adapted to the type of mold, downstream extension enterprises mainly focus on die castings, plastic parts, rubber parts, and stamping parts. For example, in Beilun Daqi, where the production of die-casting is concentrated, the die-casting manufacturing industry has developed from the mold manufacturing industry. Daqi has more than 60 die-casting production enterprises, over 400 die-casting machines of various types, with specifications ranging from 1250 kN to 25000 kN. There are over 150 downstream extension enterprises in Beilun.
1.3 The proportion of Beilun die-casting mold production value in the country
According to national standards, molds are divided into ten categories, with stamping molds and plastic molds being the main products in China. With the development of the automotive and motorcycle industries in recent years, the share of plastic molds and die-casting molds has been increasing year by year. According to the statistics of the China Mold Association, in 2001, stamping molds accounted for about 50% of China’s mold product structure, plastic molds accounted for about 34%, die-casting molds accounted for about 6%, and other types of molds accounted for about 10%; With the rapid development of the motorcycle, automobile, and home appliance industries, the die-casting industry has developed rapidly, and the output value of die-casting molds has increased. According to statistics in 2003, die-casting molds are second only to punch molds and plastic molds in terms of production and quantity, accounting for about 8% of the total production of various types of molds; With the automotive industry becoming one of the pillar industries in China and the development trend of lightweight, green, and energy-saving products, the production of non-ferrous metal die-casting parts and molds has significantly increased. According to sampling statistics of national die-casting factories in 2006, the output value of die-casting molds in China has accounted for 10% of the total output value of the mold industry.
One quarter of the total output value of national die-casting molds comes from Beilun die-casting mold enterprises, which also highlights the important position of the Beilun mold industry in the country.
2. Current status of Beilun die-casting mold technology
At present, the backbone mold enterprises in Beilun have applied CAD/CAM technology in the design and manufacturing process, and some of them are also supplemented by CAE for forming simulation analysis. During the processing process, high-quality heat-resistant steel H13 has become the main choice of steel. Vacuum quenching, precision machining after quenching, assembly and debugging on the mold closing machine, and testing on a three coordinate measuring instrument have become common key processes and means. In terms of enterprise technical personnel, there are over 500 senior engineers, and some companies have also introduced foreign experts from Germany, Japan, and South Korea to guide mold design and production. At the same time, supporting industries such as heat treatment and forging processing in Beilun have also achieved certain development.
2.1 Design Technology
Mold CAD/CAE/CAM is a key technology for transforming traditional mold design and manufacturing methods, enabling engineering technicians to use computers to design and optimize product performance, mold structure, forming process, and CNC machining. This can significantly shorten the mold design and manufacturing cycle, reduce production costs, and improve product quality.
Most enterprises in Beilun have widely applied CAD/CAM technology in the mold manufacturing process, and have gradually transitioned from two-dimensional design to three-dimensional design. The integrated manufacturing technology combining three-dimensional modeling design and CNC machine tools has gradually been promoted, and the digitization process of mold manufacturing is relatively high. Mold manufacturing enterprises above designated size have established dedicated 2D and 3D mold design departments and purchased
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Post time: Oct-17-2023