AI and flexible manufacturing empower "powerful equipment of a great nation" and the CNC machine tool industry moves towards high-end intelligent manufacturing.

AI Deeply Integrates with the Machine Tool Industry

Driving the Advancement of Intelligent Manufacturing

At this year's exhibition, the deep integration of AI technology and the machine tool industry became a prominent focus, with numerous innovative achievements emerging, accelerating the industry's transition from traditional manufacturing to high-end intelligent manufacturing.

Wuhan Huazhong CNC Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Huazhong CNC") unveiled the world's first next-generation intelligent CNC system, the "Huazhong 10," at the exhibition, fully demonstrating the power of AI-enabled capabilities.

At the Huazhong CNC booth, a reporter from Securities Daily issued the "Jump to Diagnosis Page, Confirm" command to the "Huazhong 10" intelligent CNC system. After making the corresponding decision, the screen switched to the diagnostic page, presenting a series of diagnostic procedures.

In an interview with Securities Daily, Chen Jihong, Chairman of Huazhong CNC, stated that the system has been endowed with autonomous learning capabilities and innovatively constructed a technical architecture of "one intelligent base, two digital main lines, and three functional subsystems," creating a new paradigm for advanced intelligent manufacturing.

Chen Jihong explained that the "Huazhong 10" features an intelligent foundation—the hardware layer incorporates AI chips and intelligent sensor modules, while the software layer integrates large language models such as DeepSeek. This enables The Cnc Machine tool to learn autonomously, transforming it from an "executor" into a "thinker," significantly improving machining efficiency and precision.

"The system currently possesses intelligent decision-making capabilities equivalent to those of an engineer with two to three years of experience, and it can continuously evolve through data training. Its open platform supports local deployment of small enterprise models, effectively ensuring data security," Chen Jihong said. "These devices are bringing about a disruptive effect in intelligent manufacturing scenarios, enabling micron- and even nanometer-level machining in the aerospace sector, significantly improving yield rates and shortening delivery cycles in the manufacturing of new energy vehicle parts, consumer electronics, and precision molds."

Standing in the center of the Wuhan Heavy Duty Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Wuhan Heavy Duty Group") booth, reporters observed a massive piece of industrial equipment towering above. This was the world's first high-speed, high-precision, intelligent heavy-duty vertical milling and turning center unveiled by Wuhan Heavy Duty Group.

A representative from Wuzhong Group told the Securities Daily: "This machine tool incorporates next-generation artificial intelligence technology and utilizes AI big model maintenance methods to ensure efficient, healthy, and stable operation. It also features autonomous perception, autonomous learning, autonomous optimization and decision-making, autonomous control and execution, and remote monitoring and fault diagnosis. Its localization rate exceeds 95%, and it is equipped with the latest domestically produced intelligent CNC system."

Above the booth of Wuhan Huagong Laser Engineering Co., Ltd., a striking sign proclaiming "Laser Intelligent Manufacturing + AI" stands out. The latest generation of 3D, 5-axis intelligent laser cutting equipment on display is equipped with an AI intelligent interactive system for the first time. The company's technical department director explained to the Securities Daily that the system has digitized the entire process from sales, training, use, adjustment, and maintenance.

An engineer from Beijing Kaindi CNC Technology Co., Ltd. also demonstrated its latest AI intelligent CNC system. Engineers simply input commands through a simple user interface, and the system responds quickly, enabling efficient scheduling of complex production processes.

"This system is a next-generation intelligent CNC system solution that deeply integrates CNC with AI large-scale models, machine learning, and industrial interconnection. It offers significant advantages such as high usability, single-machine intelligence, and digital production. It can significantly reduce labor costs and improve work efficiency, and will be used in the next generation of intelligent CNC machine tools," said the engineer.

Flexible Manufacturing Booms

Diverse Technologies Empower Production Transformation

In addition to AI technology, flexible manufacturing was another hot topic at this exhibition.

"The current machine tool market is characterized by diversity, multi-layered, decentralized, and rapidly changing, significantly different from the traditional stable market development model. With the deep integration of cutting-edge intelligent technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence with the machine tool industry, efficient and flexible production is being implemented in various application scenarios," said Cao Zhe, Chief Investment Officer of Beijing Aiwen Zhilue Investment Management Co., Ltd., in an interview with Securities Daily.

Flexible manufacturing is a model that flexibly adapts to production changes. It enables industrial machine tools to quickly switch processing tasks and automatically adjust parameters, adapting to small-batch production of multiple varieties, thereby improving production flexibility and efficiency.

At booth A101 in Hall 2 of the exhibition center, reporters saw Ningbo Weili Robot Technology Co., Ltd. showcasing its heavy-load five-axis flexible handling system, 3S-W flexible intelligent workstation, and DFMS digital flexible manufacturing system. Company representatives told Securities Daily that the company's DFMS digital flexible manufacturing system, based on current business and customer needs, deeply integrates industrial automation with information and control technologies through digital technology. This empowers traditional flexible manufacturing systems, enabling more precise planning management and integrated manufacturing.

Liding Intelligent Equipment (Qingdao) Group Co., Ltd.'s flexible production control system also attracted many visitors. "Our system is independently designed and developed, supporting analysis and calculation of over 1,000 parameter change points. It can fully automatically adjust the execution sequence of production plans to maximize production capacity and optimize order delivery times. Furthermore, its digital twin technology enables a 1:1 reproduction of the production site, enabling multi-dimensional monitoring and scheduling of production lines across time and space," company representatives stated.

In the exhibits of Foshan Wasu Robotics Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of Huazhong CNC), a white robotic arm precisely and smoothly picked up and placed items, instantly attracting the attention of many visitors. The head of the company's technical department explained, "This is our flexible workstation. It integrates a collaborative robot and a material silo, adaptable to multiple scenarios. Its advantages primarily lie in dual-mode intelligent switching, high-precision and high-speed operation, compact and flexible layout, and zero-threshold intelligent control."

Empowered by flexible manufacturing systems, flexible production lines also became a highlight of the exhibition. Shanghai Jiaotong University Zhibang Technology Co., Ltd. showcased a flexible production line based on high-precision AGVs. This high-precision composite AGV combined with customized industrial software creates an automated logistics system for parts and tools. It enables RFID material traceability and intelligent scheduling and control, and can accommodate mixed-line production and a variety of machines and assembly equipment.

Industrial Machine Tools

Using a Golden Age of Intelligent Upgrades

In an interview with Securities Daily, Bu Rixin, partner at Chuangdao Investment Consulting, stated that as the "tool for making tools" and the "foundation for self-reliance," industrial machine tools are at the core of the modern industrial system and a strategic foundation industry crucial to national security and overall development.

"CNC systems are the 'brains' of industrial machine tools, supporting the global 200 billion yuan industrial machine tool industry and the tens of trillions of yuan manufacturing industry," said Yu Fenghui, senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank (Beijing) Information Consulting Co., Ltd., in an interview with Securities Daily.

In recent years, thanks to the rapid development and upgrading of the domestic manufacturing industry and the continuous advancement and innovation of CNC machine tool technology, my country's CNC machine tool industry has shown rapid growth. According to Guanyan Report Network, a subsidiary of Guanyan Tianxia (Beijing) Information Consulting Co., Ltd., my country's CNC machine tool market is expected to reach approximately 409 billion yuan in 2023, an increase of 8.77% year-on-year. By 2024, the market size of my country's CNC machine tool industry will reach 432.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.75%.

From the "Made in China 2025" initiative, which explicitly promotes breakthrough development in key areas like high-end CNC machine tools and robotics, to the "14th Five-Year Plan for Intelligent Manufacturing Development," which calls for the vigorous development of intelligent manufacturing equipment, a series of policies have charted the course for the CNC machine tool industry. The government also provides strong policy support for high-end manufacturing, particularly high-end CNC machine tools. Regarding support for high-end CNC machine tool R&D and industrialization projects, the Industry Department has announced key tasks, including supporting the dual-construction industrial strategy, by issuing ultra-long-term government bonds to support the R&D and industrialization of high-end CNC machine tools, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and automotive parts.

"With the surge in demand for complex and precision parts processing in high-end manufacturing industries like aerospace, automotive, and energy, traditional CNC machine tools are no longer able to meet the high-precision, high-efficiency, and flexible production requirements. The market is forcing companies to accelerate their transformation toward intelligent and high-end manufacturing," said Zhan Junhao, partner of Fuzhou Gongsun Ce Public Relations Consulting Co., Ltd., in an interview with Securities Daily.

Zhou Ji, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the National Strategic Advisory Committee for Building a Strong Manufacturing Nation, stated that leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to drive new industrialization has become a core technological path for innovative development in the manufacturing industry, and new-generation intelligent manufacturing is a key link in this path.

"The next decade will be a critical period for the development of intelligent CNC machine tools, a hallmark of the new generation of intelligent manufacturing equipment," Zhou Ji stated.

Intelligent machine tools deeply integrate AI technology into machining processes, accelerating the intelligent transformation of the domestic machine tool industry. On the industrial chain side, Huazhong CNC has partnered with 18 leading machine tool companies, including Qinchuan Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Qinchuan Machine Tool") and Baoji Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd., to deploy 20 intelligent machine tools equipped with the "Huazhong 10" technology.

With the deepening of industry-university-research collaboration, universities and research institutions are playing a vital role in tackling key technologies. Qinchuan Machine Tool, in partnership with 12 companies and three universities, has jointly established the High-End CNC Machine Tool Innovation Consortium, dedicated to the research and development of precision CNC gear grinding machines, their core functional components, and high-end CNC systems.

He Jiyong, president of the Zhangru Research Institute, told the Securities Daily that while my country has achieved significant success in the intelligent upgrade of CNC machine tools, it still faces some challenges. The localization rate of core components such as high-end CNC systems and servo motors is low; there is a shortage of specialized intelligent manufacturing talent, and companies' digital transformation capabilities are insufficient; the industry standard system is incomplete, and equipment and system compatibility urgently needs to be improved.

Wei Guohong, a member of the China Robotics CR Education and Training Standards Committee, stated that with the improvement of new infrastructure such as 5G and the Industrial Internet, the intelligent upgrade of CNC machine tools will usher in greater opportunities. Companies need to continue to increase R&D investment, achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies, and strengthen talent training. At the same time, the introduction of favorable policies will promote the coordinated development of the industrial chain. He believes that with the concerted efforts of all parties, my country's CNC machine tools will achieve the leap from a "manufacturing power" to a "smart manufacturing power," providing solid support for building a manufacturing powerhouse.