In 2013, in order to improve tooling development progress and enhance tooling quality, Zoomlion Intelligent Technology Company equipped itself with an FDM-type 3D printer and used this equipment to carry out a series of tooling developments.

    The FDM-type 3D printer is a type of rapid prototyping machine. It is a technology that, based on digital model files, directly melts filamentous plastic and stacks it layer by layer to construct objects. Tooling refers to the general term for various tools used in the production and manufacturing process. To improve the product quality and enhance production efficiency of Intelligent Technology Company, the branch company used 3D printers to develop a series of tooling, such as PLC (programmable logic controller) welding positioning tooling, tower crane debugging wiring tooling, ignition switch knob tooling, and environmental sanitation switch box component positioning tooling. All of these tooling items were processed and completed using 3D printers, achieving an efficiency improvement of more than 300% compared with outsourced manufacturing of tooling, and the tooling can be modified at any time according to product changes.

    A comparison between outsourcing in the first half of 2013 and processing tooling with 3D printers in the second half of 2013 showed that the cost and processing cycle of outsourced tooling decreased by nearly 90%. If relatively complex tooling needs to be processed, it can also solve the problem of processing difficulties for outsourcers. Taking the tower crane debugging wiring tooling as an example, the tower crane debugging process requires connecting different wires from the debugging bench to the terminal block, and then testing the working conditions of each component in the tower crane control cabinet. The debugging tooling shortens the wiring time for debugging, improves debugging efficiency, and makes the debugging frequency consistent with the takt time of the tower crane assembly line. After the outsourcer received the drawings and the corresponding product terminal block, it was unable to find suitable spring pieces for a long time and faced technical difficulties in bending the spring pieces. If a mold were made to bend several dozen spring pieces, the cost would be too high and cost control could not be achieved. The tooling quotation was as high as 800 yuan per set, and they had no experience in processing and manufacturing this type of tooling, making it difficult to guarantee tooling quality. For this reason, Intelligent Technology Company tried to make it in-house. The spring pieces used waste material from chain terminal connections, and employees bent them manually. The main body was printed by the 3D printer in three pieces and spliced together. After everything was completed, assembly and debugging began, and finally it was put into production trial use. The feedback was good, and a series of debugging wiring tooling for the tower crane 5610 model has now been produced.

    The goal of the branch company in 2014 is “to take improving the production efficiency of Intelligent Technology Company as the goal, while focusing on improving product quality, continuously carrying out production improvements, and enhancing product quality.”