In 4 minutes, using a dedicated laser welding equipment, a 16mm thick and 2.4m wide stainless steel strip can be automatically cut and welded. When a reporter from Changjiang Daily walked into Wuhan Kaiqi Metallurgical Welding Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Kaiqi Metallurgy) located on Changqing Street in Dongxihu, there was a constant roar in the factory building. A huge hook was transporting different components to the same place, and a "behemoth" stood in front of him.

The 300 ton laser cutting and welding integrated specialized equipment is designed specifically for welding 16mm thick stainless steel strip steel, and is also the first in China. Photo by Cai Xinxing, a reporter from Changjiang Daily

This laser cutting and welding integrated specialized equipment, weighing 300 tons, is specifically designed for welding 16mm thick stainless steel strip steel and is the first in China, "Lu Hongbo, Chairman of Kaiqi Metallurgy, proudly told reporters. Previously, the stainless steel laser welding equipment produced by the company welded thin stainless steel with relatively low difficulty, and this equipment was customized according to the needs of a well-known domestic steel enterprise. From design, research and development to forming, it took two years and is currently undergoing assembly and debugging. It is expected to be delivered for use by the end of February.

The staff is debugging the machine. Photo by Cai Xinxing, a reporter from Changjiang Daily

It is reported that in the steel industry, materials with different materials and characteristics require the use of different equipment for welding. For stainless steel, the thicker and wider the plate thickness, the greater the difficulty of welding. It's like cutting clothes, two pieces of cloth need to be aligned and leveled, and then sewn together with a sewing machine to form a whole piece, and welding is the same. The thicker the stainless steel, the harder it is, and it's difficult to level it, so it needs to be cut flat and aligned first, and then laser welded to ensure a smooth and flat surface after welding, "explained Lu Hongbo.

The welding unit consists of multiple components such as the core laser source, integral welding machine, control cabinet, hydraulic system, etc. Photo by correspondent Xu Yifan

At the equipment assembly site, Deputy Chief Engineer Yu Lei is following the workers up and down the stairs to debug the machines. The Changjiang Daily reporter saw that this "behemoth" is actually a welding unit, consisting of multiple components such as a core laser source, an integral welding machine, a control cabinet, and a hydraulic system.

This high-power laser welding machine adopts three laser sources for the first time, two for cutting and one for welding. Previously, gas shielded welding mode was used internationally, using arc welding. "Yu Lei introduced that compared with previous equipment, this equipment not only improves production efficiency, but also has more stable welding performance. Compared with arc welding, laser welding is a clean energy source that can reduce the production of harmful substances and gases, and is also more energy-efficient.

Behind the upcoming delivery of the equipment is the modification, repeated communication, and experimentation of thousands of drawings and models over the past two years. Lu Hongbo admitted that the biggest difficulty of this equipment is that there is no reference material to draw from, and it can only be explored based on years of experience. Due to the fact that the equipment belongs to high-power heavy equipment, errors and overturning are not allowed. Therefore, every step must be taken with great caution and withstand scrutiny.

The traditional manufacturing industry is facing new opportunities. Therefore, after receiving the demand from relevant enterprises, we are determined to fully develop this product, "said Lu Hongbo.

The staff is debugging the machine. Photo by correspondent Xu Yifan

Kaiqi Metallurgy relocated to Dongxihu District in 2013, and its predecessor was one of the first technology-based enterprises in Wuhan. Since 2008, the company has collaborated with Baosteel Group to develop high-power heavy-duty laser welding machines with independent intellectual property rights, filling the market gap and establishing the direction of the company's development. At present, the company has cooperated with major domestic steel groups and enterprises, and its products occupy over 80% of the national market share in the field of medium and thin plates of steel plates and strips.

The just held 14th Party Congress of the city proposed that Wuhan should build a new era hero city with surging innovation, and make important breakthroughs in key core technology research. We will adhere to this concept, adhere to the path of specialization and refinement, and firmly grasp the development lifeline of technological innovation and product research and development. "Lu Hongbo introduced that currently, the annual output value of enterprises is about 200 million yuan, and the annual output value in 2021 is expected to increase by 50% compared to the previous year.