"King of Invention" Yang Yongxiu: Innovate and pursue dreams in 0.015 mm

In the CNC milling machine, the milling cutter is sharply cut and carved, and a car engine cylinder bore with an accuracy of 0.015 mm is machined into shape. For Yang Yongxiu, senior technician of the machining center of the R&D Institute of FAW Group R&D General Institute, listening to the sound of the machine tool and touching the smoothness of the product can judge the operating state of the machine tool.

Yang Yongxiu's dream of automobile manufacturing began when he was a child watching tractors in the fields of his hometown. When the college entrance examination volunteered, Yang Yongxiu, whose score had already passed the undergraduate line, applied for Changchun Automobile College. He started as an ordinary miller and has now grown into a senior technician, senior engineer and senior lecturer of FAW Group, and an "invention king" with 18 national patents.

Stupid kung fu practiced with precision

If the engine is the heart of the car, the cylinder block is the heart of the engine. Yang Yongxiu said that the accuracy of the engine block directly affects the performance of the engine and determines the success or failure of the research and development of a new type of engine. There are more than 100 holes in an engine block, in order to ensure the close integration of the cylinder block and the cylinder head, the accuracy of the cylinder bore must be guaranteed to be within 0.015 mm, which is the standard that Yang Yongxiu and the team have been pursuing and adhering to.

This precision is practiced in stupid kung fu. In 2010, Yang Yongxiu joined the trial production institute of FAW R&D General Institute, and the new system language, new operating technology and new programming software must be learned from scratch. During the day, he copied the code while watching the master's operation, and after work, he had to practice until late at night.

In order to check and fill in the gaps at any time, Yang Yongxiu insisted on writing a summary report on practical training, recording the problems encountered and breaking them one by one. In just two years, Yang Yongxiu, who is willing to work stupidly and loves to study, stood out and was awarded the "FAW Group Technical Expert".

In the workshop where Yang Yongxiu works, there are all kinds of tools, which are the "core weapons" of CNC milling machines. Because foreign partners only provide tools, and do not tell the specific operation methods and parameters, in order to "tame" these knives, Yang Yongxiu buried his head in the drawings every day, repeatedly revised and tried in a bunch of codes, and enjoyed it. "Sometimes the alloy head is used carelessly, and it will break inside the oil duct hole, resulting in engine scrapping." Yang Yongxiu said that precise parameters are summed up in this way in continuous failure.

Now, for the NUMERICAL control parameter setting, speed debugging, knife path cutting, etc. of various tools, Yang Yongxiu has reached the state of "pure fire" in the eyes of colleagues, in his words, "in CNC milling processing, we have achieved complete autonomy."

Run forward on the road to innovation

Using scattered time and work time to study and research is Yang Yongxiu's growth secret.

At work, he would copy program code between machine tools and study more efficient instruction writing methods; after work, he would also learn various programming software in order to grasp the constantly updated functions of the software. Being a knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative worker is the positioning that Yang Yongxiu has given himself.

"FAW revival, red flag first". Revitalizing the Hongqi brand is the glorious mission and historical responsibility of China FAW. In 2018, Hongqi Car released a new brand strategy to carry out drastic reforms. As the "bellwether" of young high-skilled talents, Yang Yongxiu leads the CNC machining of core precision components such as high-end engines, gearboxes and chassis independently developed by Hongqi Brand.

While collectively watching the live broadcast of the 2019 National Day military parade, when the red flag parade car appeared on the screen, Yang Yongxiu and his partners were excited. What makes him proud is that there is a wisdom and sweat from him and the CNC team. This Hongqi parade car is loaded with the first self-developed V12 engine in China, and its processing level is leading the world, ending the history of the core components of the multi-cylinder engine needing to be processed abroad, filling the manufacturing gap of the domestic V-shaped engine, so that the Hongqi parade car really has the "heart" of China.

At the beginning of 2020, Yang Yongxiu received the task of processing the new door handle in the N701 project. Since conventional fixtures cannot clamp square planes, processing efficiency and process accuracy are reduced. Yang Yongxiu decided to upgrade the three-axis machine tool independently, and designed a rotary table and a new type of fixture. This solves the problem of complex three-dimensional multi-angle integrated processing, and improves production efficiency and processing accuracy by 40% and 60% respectively.

In recent years, Yang Yongxiu has participated in and completed the processing tasks of more than 30 national and group-level key projects such as Hongqi V8, V6, 4GB, 4GC engine, 6MT, DCT350 gearbox and so on. In these key projects, Yang Yongxiu used his professional and technical advantages to overcome more than 130 technical problems, saving and creating value of more than 12 million yuan.

Cultivate talents with digital and intellectual skills

Intelligent manufacturing is an important way to transform and upgrade the manufacturing industry in mainland China and achieve high-quality development. For FAW Group, it is imperative to cultivate a batch of digital and intelligent skills talents. As the third-generation technical leader in the field of CNC machining in the R&D Institute of FAW Group, Yang Yongxiu now has another heavy responsibility: to train ordinary millers to become CNC millers.

Yang Yongxiu, the pilot of the R&D General Institute of FAW Group, established the Jilin Provincial Master-Apprentice Workshop and the FAW Group Model Labor Innovation Studio. From the aspects of project research, technological innovation, and talent training, Yang Yongxiu led the members of the studio to carry out a number of trial production technology research such as rapid trial production and integrated manufacturing.

FAW Group R&D Institute has three key links: design, trial production and testing. Trial production belongs to the intermediate link of carrying on the upper and lower levels, small batches, multiple varieties, special requirements for adaptability, and almost every day to try new work. Now, Yang Yongxiu has trained 12 apprentices and more than 700 trainees, many of whom have won awards in national skills competitions.

Not only that, Yang Yongxiu also set up a live webcast course to share how to operate an innovation studio, how to apply for and write invention patents, and how to participate in various skill competitions within the company.

Independent development is the only way for China's automotive industry to develop and innovate, and it is also the only way for FAW to innovate and develop. As a young force in the automotive industry, Yang Yongzhen leads his team to bravely move forward in the blue ocean of enhancing the core competitiveness and innovation of independent industries.

China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Wang Peilian Source: China Youth Daily