Faced with new situations and opportunities, enterprises not only need to maintain stable development, but also need to add vitality. Through the window of high-quality development of Shaanxi provincial enterprises since the 14th Five Year Plan, we can see that strong momentum lies in active innovation and change, strengthening scientific research and development, accelerating transformation and upgrading, and other vivid practices.
Nowadays, in the field of titanium industry, Shaanxi titanium products can be found everywhere, from the “Shenzhou” spacecraft and the “Striver” exploring the sea, to heart stents, foldable screen mobile phone body materials, etc.
In 2024, the production and processing volume of titanium materials in Shaanxi will be nearly 70000 tons, with an annual output value exceeding 60 billion yuan, accounting for 65% of the national output and 33% of the global output, and the industrial scale will leap to the top in the world.
As the main enterprise in the titanium and titanium alloy chain in Shaanxi, Baotai Group, a subsidiary of Shaanxi Nonferrous Metals Group, has successively overcome difficulties in melting, processing, deep processing, and equipment manufacturing in recent years, effectively driving technological progress and high-quality development of the titanium industry in the province.
New product ‘multi-point flowering’
On September 23rd, the reporter walked into the Baotai Group Exhibition Hall and saw a dazzling array of titanium metal products. Among them, a 1:1 model of the manned cabin shell of a deep-sea submersible is particularly eye-catching.
The manned cabin shell is the most important component of a deep-sea submersible. In the research and development process, we have successively broken through multiple key technologies such as the development of wide titanium alloy thick plates and the integral molding of titanium alloy hemispheres, filling multiple gaps in the domestic research field of deep-sea submersibles and titanium alloys. The design and construction quality can better ensure the performance of the submersible and the safety of the crew, “said Shao Jun, Director of Sales Department of Baotai Group.
Since the 14th Five Year Plan, thanks to actively promoting front-end application verification of titanium products and collaborative development of the industry chain, Baotai Group’s market share in the high-end titanium product market has accelerated and expanded. Its products are widely used in major national projects and key fields such as aviation and deep sea, and deeply integrated into the national high-end manufacturing supply chain system.
Titanium has a density similar to that of human bones and has good biocompatibility with human tissues. Femoral stems and bone plates made of titanium rods and plates have basically replaced traditional stainless steel products. We are constantly launching new products in the field of medical surgical titanium implants, “said Shao Jun.
Titanium is an important strategic metal material, which has stable chemical properties, strong corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance and other characteristics. It is constantly expanding into medical, daily necessities and other fields. This has created new opportunities for the development of the titanium industry.
Baotai Group actively expands into emerging application fields such as new energy, consumer electronics, healthcare, and automotive lightweighting, and collaborates with multiple leading enterprises in industries such as home appliances and automobiles to accelerate the diversification of product applications, “said Shao Jun.” Currently, there are over 200 types of consumer titanium products
In recent years, Baotai Group has continuously broken through technological barriers in the titanium industry, equipment design and manufacturing industry, and new industries. The company’s business covers nearly 50 countries and regions worldwide, and domestic and foreign orders continue to grow. In the first half of this year, Baotai Group’s new product order volume increased by 29.8% year-on-year.
New technologies are emerging in competition
On September 23rd, the machines in Baotai Group’s wire rod factory roared, and each bar blank went through heating, rolling, cutting and other processes to become bar and wire products such as rods and straight wires. These products will be used in fields such as aerospace, medical equipment, 3D printing, etc.
This is the first independently designed and developed titanium and titanium alloy hot rolling production line in China. It can roll a 150mm diameter bar blank into a 6mm diameter coil in one heat, and then produce a coil wire with a diameter of only 0.8mm through subsequent processes, “said Sun Hudai, assistant director of Baotai Group Wire Factory.
Since the beginning of this year, Baotai Group has continuously improved its equipment support capabilities and the level of hot rolling production line equipment, increased research and development efforts for new products and processes, and developed high value-added rod and wire products.
In order to better meet the production needs of new products, we have optimized our process flow, production equipment, organizational management mode, and continuously made small technological innovations and inventions, “said Zhang Yangnan, an employee of Baotai Group Wire Factory
Not only in the titanium industry. Recently, Baotai Group has made significant breakthroughs in the development of wide width Hastelloy coils.
Hastelloy is known as the “super stainless steel” among corrosion-resistant materials. As a typical high-end nickel based alloy material, the preparation technology of its wide strip has always been a blank in the domestic industrial development, and the materials needed in the domestic heat exchange and other fields have long relied on imports.
The relevant indicators of the Hastelloy strip we have trial produced have met the design requirements of the plate heat exchanger field, laying a solid foundation for the industrialization of nickel based alloys, “said Zhang Pinghui, Deputy Chief Engineer and Dean of the Research Institute of Baotai Group.
Since the 14th Five Year Plan, Baotai Group has made key breakthroughs in melting, forging, rolling, welding, vacuum equipment and other fields. Multiple titanium alloy products and related equipment have successfully achieved domestic substitution, and multiple core technologies are unique domestically and advanced internationally. At the same time, Baotai Group has led the development of over 90% of standards in China’s titanium industry. In recent years, four international standards for titanium have been released and implemented, achieving a breakthrough in China’s titanium international standard development and filling the international gap.
New changes pave the way for the future
On September 23rd, the titanium strip production workshop of Baotai Group’s Plate and Strip Materials Branch was busy and orderly. On one side of the workshop, the words “Chen Guohua Innovation Studio” are very prominent. In the studio, several employees are having a lively discussion on how to further optimize production equipment.
Chen Guohua, an employee of Baotai Group’s Plate and Strip Materials Branch, said, “Setting up a studio in the workshop can connect the ideas and achievements of various departments and teams in a timely manner, greatly improving production innovation efficiency
Last year, the Plate and Strip Materials Branch of Baotai Group led by skilled model Chen Guohua organized a technical skills team consisting of 10 backbone workers in processes, mechanical and electrical technology, as well as workers in cold rolling, electrical, welding and other processes. A studio was established to jointly conduct research, practice and innovation, saving the company over 10 million yuan in funds. In May of this year, the “Chen Guohua Innovation Studio” was officially listed in the workshop.
The studio focuses on talent cultivation and team building, and all staff members participate in mentorship work in pairs. Through various technical competitions and job training, a good atmosphere of ‘learning by comparison and catching up’ has been formed in the company, and everyone’s independent innovation consciousness has been enhanced, “said Chen Guohua.
Since the 14th Five Year Plan, such changes have been numerous in Baotai Group.
In recent years, in response to multiple challenges such as market structure adjustment and significant fluctuations in raw material prices, we have coordinated key work such as upgrading the industrial chain, technological innovation, and management optimization, seeking innovation, stabilizing production, and focusing on projects to continuously expand the industry scale. Since 2021, Baotai Group’s titanium product output has remained the world’s largest, “said He Lianguo, member of the Baotai Group Party Committee and Deputy General Manager.
Driven by Baotai Group, more than 600 titanium and titanium alloy processing and trading enterprises have settled in Baoji, producing over 300 varieties and 5000 specifications of titanium products that are widely used in aerospace, navigation, new energy, chemical, medical and health fields, and exported to more than 70 countries and regions. (Source: Shaanxi Daily)