New requirements for special equipment brought by the high-quality development of the bearing industry

Time:2021-07-06     View:776

1. Development shortcomings that need to be filled

The core of the development of the new era is high-quality development. The important content of high-quality development is to solve the problem of unbalanced development. One of the important measures to solve the problem of unbalanced development is to make up for the shortcomings of development.

In accordance with the spirit of the "13th Five-Year Plan" of the bearing industry, there are three shortcomings and weaknesses that restrict the high-quality development of my country's bearing industry, namely, the quality of bearing steel, the technical quality of bearing technology and equipment, and the technical quality of bearing rollers. To make up for these three shortcomings is the top priority for realizing the high-quality development of my country's bearing industry. Among them, the improvement of bearing roller technology is also inseparable from bearing equipment. Therefore, bearing equipment bears the brunt of these three shortcomings and plays a decisive role. This task is placed in front of the entire industry. This is not only a new subject encountered in the field of special equipment during the high-quality development of the bearing industry, but also a new challenge faced by the professional development of bearing equipment.

2. The goal of bearing technology and equipment development

In accordance with the general requirements of providing strong technical support for the transformation and upgrading of my country's bearing industry, from large to strong, and achieving high-quality development, the national bearing industry’s "13th Five-Year" development plan has determined the development goals of my country's bearing special equipment:

(1) Precision and precision retention, performance and performance stability, service life and reliability, processing efficiency, and automation intelligence have reached the international advanced level.

(2) The main technical indicators meet the requirements of processing high-end bearings, major equipment bearings and high-precision and high-performance bearings.

(3) Based on independent innovation, the localization rate of key bearing special equipment reaches over 80%.

(4) Energy saving, emission reduction and consumption reduction, green and low-carbon manufacturing.

This goal is not only clear in the overall direction, but also in the priority of each content, and the progressive relationship is clear.

First of all, find the right focus: the three characteristics ("precision and accuracy retention", "performance and performance stability", "lifetime and reliability") and the two (automation and intelligence) have reached the international advanced level. This is both a macro requirement and a specific standard. That is, our products must be in line with international standards. For a device, it is not only necessary to pursue functions, but also to pay attention to performance. Without performance stability and reliability in use, users will not be trusted. They cannot take on the responsibility of high-quality development. To find this focus, we have grasped the key to solving the problem.

Secondly, we must grasp the goal: the fundamental task of bearing equipment is to meet the requirements of processing high-end bearings, major equipment bearings and high-precision and high-performance bearings. This is the purpose of our work. All measures must be carried out around this goal. To leave this goal is to seek the end, and everything loses its meaning.

Third, to solve the pain point: We often see a phenomenon. When some of our companies introduce their product advantages, they often say that the control system is Siemens, the guide rail is Japanese, etc., as a basis for demonstrating advanced equipment. As everyone knows, this is taking pain points as bright spots. Although due to well-known reasons, it may be difficult to fully localize key parts and components at present, but this is a direction and efforts must be made in this direction. Under the same conditions, it is necessary to give priority to the use of domestically produced parts and components to create a friendly environment for domestically-made parts.

Fourth, add bright spots: energy conservation, emission reduction and green manufacturing are inevitable requirements for high-quality development. It is a bright spot and a bonus item in the development of special equipment under the new situation, and it will also form a new economic growth point. Continuous attention and continuous exploration are required in the development process of special equipment to provide support for the transformation and upgrading of the industry and the conversion of new and old kinetic energy.

2. Opportunities and challenges faced by special bearing equipment

1. Opportunities and challenges brought about by major national strategic needs

(1) The need for military-civilian integration

Military-civilian integration is a national strategy to prosper the country and strengthen the military. With the implementation of the military-civilian integration strategy, it will become a norm for bearing companies to participate in the production of military bearings. The huge demand for military bearings will become an important force for the conversion of new and old kinetic energy in the bearing industry. Adapting to this demand in the bearing industry is one of the development opportunities faced by bearing equipment companies.


The production of military bearings requires a strict quality assurance system, and special bearing equipment is one of the important components of this assurance system. The stability and reliability of the equipment are the most basic requirements for military production equipment. In this application field, the requirements for machine tool accuracy and stability are significantly higher than the requirements for machine tool production efficiency. Due to the characteristics of multiple varieties and small batches of military bearings, the requirements for machine tool adjustment methods tend to be more convenient and flexible; the requirements for machine tool application ranges tend to be wide and flexible; the requirements for machine tool control methods tend to be customized and programmable . This is an important difference from the design concept of ordinary bearing special machine tools based on batch size and efficiency as the core, and it is even an obvious challenge. Only by breaking through the traditional mindset, paying attention to the user experience of military bearing production, and meeting individual needs, can we continuously make new progress in the process of military special bearing equipment technology development and market development.

With the in-depth development of military-civilian integration, private enterprises have more and more opportunities to participate in the production of military bearings. Taking the opportunity of undertaking military bearing production as an opportunity to carry out technological transformation and expansion of production scale enterprises are also increasing. In the critical period when entering the threshold of high-end bearing manufacturing, entrepreneurs will focus more on the desire for high-end equipment in addition to the talent factor. If equipment companies can seize this window period, they can not only improve their technical strength in the process of meeting user needs, but also open up a new field in the market.

In addition, military bearings tend to be personalized and customized products, and products with special requirements and special functions are the majority. Especially with the increase in the lightweight requirements of the host system, the "integrated bearing" that combines the bearing and the host parts is designed. It has been widely used. The integration of main engine parts and bearing parts has undoubtedly increased the difficulty of bearing manufacturing, but it has brought new opportunities for the development of bearing equipment. Individualized products require individualized equipment, and individualized equipment tests the comprehensive strength and innovation capabilities of equipment manufacturing enterprises.

(2) Requirements for safe and controllable industrial chain

With the spread of the epidemic abroad and the changes in the international situation, the concept of safe and controllable industrial chain has been highly valued by all walks of life in China. my country is accelerating the formation of a new development pattern in which domestic and international cycles are the mainstay and the domestic and international dual cycles promote each other. Bearing equipment is an important part of the bearing industry chain and plays an irreplaceable role in the safety of the bearing industry chain. Without the autonomy and control of equipment, the safety of the industrial chain is empty talk.

At present, among the leading enterprises in bearing production, imported high-end equipment in service occupies a certain proportion and plays an important role in the product manufacturing process. This is in line with the development process of my country's bearing industry. But with the passage of time, it is inevitable that these equipment will withdraw from service. Bearing equipment manufacturing enterprises should seize the opportunity, conduct research, understand user needs, and lose no time to develop domestic bearing equipment suitable for China's national conditions, and successfully realize import substitution.

With the improvement of the safety and controllability of the industrial chain, high-performance domestic bearing special equipment will occupy an absolute dominant position in the bearing industrial chain. Therefore, in the context of the gradual formation of a new development pattern, high-performance bearing manufacturers will shift their attention to equipment from foreign countries to domestic ones. This is an important development opportunity for bearing equipment companies. At the same time, benchmarking with the international advanced level, improving equipment performance, improving product quality, replacing imported equipment, and meeting market demand under the new situation have become new issues and new challenges facing the bearing equipment field.

2. Opportunities and challenges brought by high-end bearing supporting equipment

(1) Wind power bearing and bearing special equipment

The "2019/2020 National Wind Power Analysis Report" pointed out that: China's wind power development policy environment is undergoing tremendous changes. From the previous subsidy encouragement to the current drive for parity, this indicates that my country's wind power has reached maturity. Marked by the grid-connected power generation of the first 10MW offshore wind turbines in China, the development trend of large-scale wind turbines has emerged, and wind power bearings above 3.0MW have received attention. Domestic bearing advantage companies have begun to enter the wind power main shaft and gearbox bearing market. The changes in wind power bearing demand, the structural form of key bearings and the optimization of processing methods deserve the attention of special equipment manufacturers.


Driven by a variety of factors, wind power bearings in 2019 experienced an unprecedented blowout demand. The impact of the epidemic in the first half of 2020 did not slow down this trend. Domestic wind power enterprises are operating at full capacity and still in short supply. Many bearing companies are eager to try and generate investment sprouts, but they are generally worried about the roller coaster phenomenon of wind power products due to periodicity. If our processing equipment has a wide processing range and strong adaptability, through the flexible configuration of the production line, it can take into account multiple types of processing methods, and realize the resolution of investment risks by processing different products in the peak season and off-season. It will definitely be favored by customers. This requires our special equipment manufacturers not only to be familiar with the equipment, but also with the users, the products, and the related characteristics of the products, and through inspiring innovative ideas, producing innovative products and leading innovative applications.

(2) Robot bearing and bearing special equipment

Robots are "the jewel at the top of the manufacturing crown", and their R&D, manufacturing, and application are important indicators to measure the level of technological innovation and high-end manufacturing in a country. Robot technology has become an important part of the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" and is changing the pattern of global manufacturing. With the continuous expansion of robot applications, the global robot market has entered a period of rapid growth. China has become an investor in robotics research. In 2019, China's investment in robotics research was 577 million U.S. dollars. Especially since the fight against the new crown epidemic, the application of robots has received unprecedented attention from all walks of life. It is estimated that in 2020, the total demand for industrial robots in the country will only be about 200,000 units. From 2020 to 2025, the national demand for industrial robots will increase by 15% annually, and will reach 400,000 units in 2025. According to the calculation that each six-axis industrial robot needs to be equipped with 70 sets of bearings, the domestic demand for industrial robot bearings in 2025 will be 28 million sets. If you consider the demand for bearings for agricultural robots, service robots, and special robots, the number will be even greater. Through the implementation of the strong foundation project, the domestic robot bearing product research and development has made considerable progress, and it is about to enter the fast lane of development. However, the research and development of equipment suitable for processing robot bearings lags behind. According to the characteristics of robot bearings, the targeted development of efficient and practical bearing equipment will effectively promote the process of localization of robot bearings.


Sales forecast of China's industrial robots (unit: 10,000 units)
Due to the limitation of installation space, thin-walled, flexible, and special-shaped bearings occupy a certain proportion of the demand for robot bearings. At present, there is no special processing equipment for flexible bearings. In order to overcome the trouble caused by deformation in thin-walled bearing processing, conventional bearing processing machine tools are still used in most occasions, and the production method of micro-feeding, multiple processing, and slow gradual progress is adopted. Not only is the process long, the efficiency is low, and the cost is high, but also the product Quality cannot be guaranteed. This bottleneck phenomenon is particularly prominent in the grinding process. Solving this practical problem provides technical innovation space for bearing equipment manufacturing enterprises. If we can break through the existing traditional thinking, comprehensively exert efforts in clamping and positioning, grinding methods, and online measurement, form a solution that meets the needs of flexible bearing ring processing, and launch a marketable production line. The welcome of users and the favor of the market.

3. Opportunities and challenges brought about by the adjustment of industrial structure

(1) Helping green development

Energy conservation, environmental protection, and green manufacturing are one of the important aspects of the sustainable development of the bearing industry. Whether from the implementation of national policies or from the perspective of the industry's own development, the development of new green manufacturing formats for bearings is a long-term important issue before us. jobs. The implementation of this work will run through all links of bearing manufacturing. Including the whole process from the preparation of primary raw materials, manufacturing to packaging and transportation, sales, consumer use and waste disposal. The support of process equipment is the key link to implement the concept of green development. Bearing equipment manufacturing companies need to focus on "energy saving, consumption reduction, emission reduction, and remanufacturing" to make the concept of environmental protection a highlight of the equipment.

Energy saving is an eternal topic in the development of bearing thermal processing equipment. Using waste heat recovery technology to reduce heat energy loss, using intelligent control methods to optimize temperature control parameters, and using manufacturing equipment innovation to help process optimization, this is not only a requirement for the green development of bearing thermal processing equipment, but also a need Bearing equipment companies explore and innovate from a practical level.

The bearing industry is a processing industry dominated by subtractive manufacturing. The biggest material consumption of bearing enterprises is the consumption of bearing steel. The popularization and application of high-speed upsetting and precision cold rolling machine technology provide an effective way to improve material utilization. However, high-speed upsetting machines have high operating costs and large heat treatment deformations of precision cold-rolled ferrules have also caused problems for the further development of this technology. Bearing equipment companies, bearing manufacturing companies and scientific research institutes work hand in hand to explore a certain process of bearing processing for iso-material manufacturing or additive manufacturing, which will be of great significance.

The principle of emission reduction is the combination of source governance and end governance. In this process, it is necessary to promote the use of centralized liquid (oil) recycling, as well as recycling and centralized processing. Coolant (oil) recycling methods and centralized treatment methods for grinding waste residues in the bearing industry will advance with the times with the advancement of science and technology, and the environmental protection treatment equipment born on this basis will also be continuously updated with the advancement of science and technology.

(2) Helping enterprises to transform and upgrade

With the increasingly fierce market competition, the investment of bearing companies in scientific and technological progress is also increasing. In the process of converting new and old kinetic energy, technological transformation will be an important starting point. In the process of enterprise transformation and upgrading, the demand for equipment is rigid and irreplaceable. The core is to meet user needs, solve user pain points, and focus on user experience.

First, the demand for equipment remanufacturing. The remanufacturing of processing equipment is one of the main contents of modern service-oriented manufacturing and an important means for the sustainable development of enterprises. The remanufacturing of equipment usually refers to the implementation of high-tech repair and transformation of the whole machine or parts of the equipment after many years of service, when the accuracy and functions cannot meet the existing manufacturing requirements, so that the repaired or transformed product can reach close or Manufacturing activities that exceed the original performance. The main objects of remanufacturing of equipment in the bearing industry are large-scale and heavy-duty bearing processing equipment, key process processing equipment, key imported equipment, and so on. The core of bearing equipment remanufacturing is the need for a deep understanding of the original equipment process requirements and performance, as well as a systematic mastery of modern manufacturing technologies. Only in this way can the old be used for the new, the old and the new can be introduced, and value-added services can be realized for users. Although this professional and practical work is still in its infancy in the bearing industry, with the deepening of enterprise transformation and upgrading and the conversion of new and old kinetic energy, it will open up space for the remanufacturing of specialized bearing equipment.

Second, the demand for intelligent equipment. With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, enterprises have become more enthusiastic about equipment intelligence than ever before. However, most of them stay in the stage of impression and conception, and are intelligent in realizing the manufacturing process

The methods and paths of transformation lack in-depth research and systematic analysis, especially the problems that may be encountered in the process and the countermeasures to be adopted. In the process of moving towards Industry 4.0, the development space of bearing equipment is huge. Its development potential depends not only on the degree of understanding of new technologies, but also on the ability to develop application scenarios.

Under the circumstance that the enterprise is full of enthusiasm but lacks the means, at this time, bearing equipment manufacturers should pay attention to the frontier of intelligent manufacturing technology. In the process of the integration of information technology and manufacturing technology, strengthen the scientific and technological strength, create the main body of innovation, and become the leader of intelligent manufacturing in the industry. Pathfinder and pioneer. Under the premise of conditions permitting, the technical elements of intelligent manufacturing will be integrated into the machine tool design in a targeted manner. Through the integration of manufacturing resources, integration of sensing technology, detection technology, control technology, etc., the machine tool has the dual attributes of product output and information output at the same time. Through the establishment of intelligent manufacturing model projects, the establishment of intelligent manufacturing demonstration workshops allows the new mode of intelligent manufacturing to be The bearing industry takes root.

4. Opportunities and challenges brought about by its own development in the field of bearing equipment

(1) Improvements and breakthroughs in the development of bearing equipment

Bearing equipment serves the bearing industry, and meeting the needs of the development of bearing products is the development direction of bearing equipment. In a nutshell, it is to meet the continuously improving "quality" and "quantity" needs of bearing products. As far as equipment is concerned, it means that a single machine must be "fine" and the production line must be "short".

"Quality" refers to quality and performance. To improve the quality of bearings, first of all, the single equipment must be "precise", it must be made into fine products, and precision products must be processed to meet the ever-changing new product manufacturing needs. It is necessary to in-depth study and discuss precision bearing manufacturing consistency and stability assurance technology, and provide quality services for product manufacturing in terms of stability, reliability, accuracy retention, and human-machine interface friendliness. Not only the functions are complete, but also the performance is excellent. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to make full use of advanced design concepts, adopt cutting-edge technology, and mobilize scientific and technological means to achieve the improvement of the overall performance of the machine tool and the breakthrough of each one-way performance index.

"Quantity" refers to efficiency, and the main direction to improve processing efficiency is to make the production line "short". This seems almost impossible at present. But turning the impossible into possible is a challenge.

We know that the current bearing processing technology is compatible with our current equipment level. Its core is decomposition. In order to obtain higher processing accuracy, a processing process is decomposed into multiple processes, and the processes are decomposed into labor. Step; base surface first, working surface first, outer surface first and inner surface first, rough turning and finishing, rough grinding and finishing, rough grinding, fine grinding and light grinding.

But the history of human development is a history of spiraling upward, and it is a history of negation and negation. An industry, an enterprise, the biggest development is self-breakthrough. The function of equipment is not only embodied in the service of processing technology, it is also an important means to lead process optimization. The improvement of equipment capabilities will lead to changes and leaps in processing technology. Breaking through the shackles of traditional design ideas and shortening the bearing processing chain through the innovation of processing methods is not only a major change in process equipment, but also an important way to improve bearing manufacturing efficiency, and it is also a requirement for the modernization of the bearing manufacturing industry chain. The application of cutting-edge technologies such as machining centers, grinding by turning, compound grinding, online measurement, industrial robots, new materials and new processes, has opened up space and provided the possibility for shortening the process chain and improving the efficiency of bearing manufacturing. This is a challenging job, and bearing manufacturing equipment companies have done a lot in this process.

(2) Progress and iteration of bearing manufacturing technology

The deep integration of bearing manufacturing technology and mechanical equipment technology is not only the characteristic of bearing equipment, but also the focus of its development and breakthrough.

First of all, the advancement of science and technology has brought about the rapid development of bearing manufacturing technology. Advanced manufacturing methods and manufacturing modes such as intelligent manufacturing, fatigue-resistant manufacturing, and high-performance manufacturing are gradually being applied in the bearing industry. The birth of new technologies such as special materials, coating technologies, and repairing processes will surely give birth to a new generation of processing concepts and process equipment. The application of new process equipment will surely promote the further improvement of bearing manufacturing level. This process is the process of continuous iteration of bearing manufacturing technology. In this process, the deep integration of bearing equipment and bearing manufacturing technology will promote the continuous upgrading of the bearing industry. For bearing equipment companies, being familiar with both the bearing industry and the machine tool industry is their biggest comparative advantage. The perfect combination of comprehensive technical means of mechanical equipment and solving professional problems of bearing is the vitality of bearing equipment enterprises. The more high-end bearing products develop, the higher the degree of specialization of the equipment. As long as we start from meeting the needs of the development of bearing manufacturing technology and pay attention to the pain points and difficulties of manufacturing technology, we will continue to discover new development opportunities and the road to technological innovation will become wider and wider.

Secondly, bearing equipment is a member of the machinery equipment family, and it is also a technology-intensive industry. It involves manufacturing and processing technology, computer technology, sensor detection technology, modern control technology, hydraulic and pneumatic technology and so on. In today's high-tech development, the evolution of these technologies is ever-changing, and the advanced control methods and cutting-edge processing methods are changing with each passing day. The research and development of bearing equipment is a process of professional redevelopment and re-creation of general mechanical equipment technology. In a sense, sensitivity to cutting-edge technology and understanding of new mechanical equipment technology determine the depth of re-creation; Only by having the courage to embrace new technologies can we open up new ideas, be able to be comfortable in the process of creative transformation and innovative development, and discover new opportunities and make new breakthroughs in the development of bearing special equipment.

In short, bearing equipment assumes the functions and missions derived from bearing manufacturing technology, integrated into bearing manufacturing technology, and leading the development of bearing manufacturing technology. Correspondingly, the development of bearing equipment usually has three levels: first, to meet the specific bearing processing needs of users; second, to provide users with a complete solution for bearing manufacturing; third, to lead and promote the development of bearing manufacturing technology . No matter at which level, the way of development is to continuously create value for users in the bearing industry. In the era of vigorous development of new technologies, in the fierce competition of the market economy, on the road of high-quality development of the bearing industry, the field of equipment manufacturing is always facing new opportunities and challenges. Seizing opportunities requires keen insight, and overcoming challenges requires super creativity.