No matter what you do, the most fearful thing is not knowing where the direction is.

As long as the direction is clear, many things are actually not so difficult.

The research on the four-wheel drive system is similar.

Cao Yang pointed out the next technical direction for Nanshan Auto Parts, and Cheng Tao arranged people to do it.

Traditional four-wheel drive systems have various patent thresholds, but electric four-wheel drive systems are different.

I dare not say that all the auto parts giants have not yet started research and development, at least until now, no one has come up with a decent product.

Naturally, there are fewer relevant patent thresholds.

However, the research and development direction of the four-wheel drive system does not mean that there are no problems with auto parts.

"Mr. Cao, our Xingchen No. 2 and Xingchen No. 3 are ready to use integrated hot-stamping forming door knocker parts, but there are no manufacturers in the industry using this process."

"It was the first time we developed such a part, and we found that there were a lot of problems to solve."

"The first is the problem of laser welding between hot-stamping steel plates, because the surface of the steel plate is coated with aluminum-silicon, this coating must be peeled off first, and then laser welding can be carried out."

"Otherwise, the quality of the weld weld of laser welding will be very poor and cannot meet the strength requirements."

Although Dai Hanbiao is not a talent with a research and development background, he has made a lot of efforts after being in charge of Nanshan auto parts.

Let him go and draw the drawings, he probably can't do it.

But if you want to comment on the performance of each part, there is no problem at all.

Like the welding process, many people think it is very simple.

In fact, there are a lot of doorways inside.

In the Nanshan Group, there are more than 20 technicians who specialize in welding technology.

Even so, it cannot be said that we have mastered all the welding processes required in the processing of auto parts.

Spot welding, nut welding, MIG welding, MAG welding, CO2 shielded welding, brazing, aluminum-aluminum welding, aluminum-iron welding, laser welding......

More than 20 people went to study this thing, not only is it not much, but there is still a bit of a shortage of manpower.

It's like laser welding between hot-stamped steel plates now, and they haven't found a good way.

"You can find Harbin Institute of Technology or some other universities with strong welding majors to cooperate."

"Their practical level may not necessarily be very high, but the theoretical level is absolutely no problem."

"Let's join forces, and I think the welding of a hot stamping plate can still be done."

Cao Yang can also understand the patent problem that Dai Hanbiao said.

ArcelorMittal, as the world's largest producer of hot-stamped steel sheets, has not only mastered the patents for hot-stamped steel plates, but also the patents for laser welding of hot-stamped steel sheets.

The situation is very different between laser welding and spot welding.

Normal spot welding, whether it is ordinary steel plate or hot stamping steel plate, the process is almost the same.

It is nothing more than that parameters such as current and voltage should be adjusted.

But when it comes to laser welding, it's a different story.

Mainly where laser welding, there is often a long weld, if the quality is not good, that place must be the first to break.

The most basic technical requirement for the welding of automobile parts is that when doing the failure test, the problem cannot be the welding surface or solder joint.

In other words, the welded part of the body part should be the place with the highest strength.

Even if it weren't, it shouldn't be a bottleneck.

Otherwise, you won't pass the test.

"It's also a good direction to find universities to cooperate, and I'll arrange it right away."

"However, some engineers have asked whether this door ring system can be changed into several parts, and welded after various molding."

"In this way, it can not only avoid the problem of laser tailored welding patents, but also greatly reduce the difficulty of developing parts."

"At the same time, we can also reduce costs."

Dai Hanbiao couldn't help but throw out a report plan he had heard before.

He also wanted to see what Cao Yang thought of the plan.

"This plan is naturally a feasible plan, but the advantages are actually not as many as you think."

"First of all, in terms of publicity, the publicity effect of the integrated door knocker is definitely not comparable to that of a single hot stamping and welding."

"Secondly, although the integrated door knocker seems to be more complicated, the mold production requirements are also relatively high."

"But different parts of the steel plate can be used with different thicknesses."

"For example, a thickness of 1.8 mm is used where the strength is high, a 1.2 mm steel plate is used where the strength is low, and a 1.6 mm steel plate is used for the middle transition."

"The combination of different thicknesses can effectively reduce costs and weight."

"In addition, the process structure can significantly reduce the number of parts."

"Combined with the stamping of the patch board, it is almost impossible to achieve the design requirements with the cooperation of several other stamping parts."

Since Cao Yang has mentioned the integrated door ring hot stamping technology before, he will naturally not give up easily.

This can be used as the standard configuration of Xingchen cars in the future.

The Audi A8 can promote the all-aluminum body, and the Xingchen Automobile can vigorously promote the door knocker system.

In the future, relying on all kinds of excellent collision data, we can engage in wave after wave of marketing.

"Hot stamping dies are inherently difficult, and the processing requirements are relatively high."

"The integrated door knocker requires a larger mold, and the corresponding press tonnage also needs to be increased from the current 800 tons to 1,200 tons."

"And the mold can only be one out of one, and it can't be done at all."

"The previously considered solution of cutting edge in the mold will be more difficult to realize in the door ring system."

These problems were all reported to Dai Hanbiao by the following people before.

Regardless of whether the next step was to move forward with the door knocker system, he felt the need to make Cao Yang aware of these problems.

"Yangcheng Huaqiang factory just needs to introduce a new hot stamping production line, and then it will be directly used with a 1,200-ton press."

"For Nanshan equipment, it's not a problem at all."

"In terms of mold processing, although there are also difficulties, Nanshan mold must be able to find a solution."

"All you need to do is find a solution to a problem."

Cao Yang's attitude is as firm as ever.

In this regard, Dai Hanbiao naturally did not have to worry about the hot stamping and forming of the integrated door knocker.

However, he raised two puzzled matters one after another, and Cao Yang took the initiative to say a new question without waiting for him to ask a third question.

"Our Star 2 will be in white with a black floating roof."

"This requires that the column decorations such as the A-pillar, B-pillar and C-pillar be designed in the color of high-gloss piano black to achieve better results."

"How are you thinking about implementing this now?"

Cao Yang's impression of the high-gloss piano black interior and exterior trim is relatively deep, and many models have used it in later generations.

But in 2005, there weren't that many of them.

"Regarding this kind of parts, the mainstream way is to use piano paint, color paint and top coat, which can protect the parts and reduce the damage from light and scratches while achieving the appearance of decoration."

"However, the yield rate of sprayed piano paint parts is low and the cost is high."

"We need to work with the outsourced manufacturers of surface treatment to review how to improve the yield rate, otherwise the cost will be more than twice as high as that of ordinary injection molded parts."

For general stamping and injection molded parts, Nanshan Auto Parts does not do it, and they are all purchased from suppliers.

However, some parts with special craftsmanship will definitely be considered for production by themselves.

On the one hand, there are no ready-made suppliers available, and on the other hand, it is also for the sake of quality, cost and schedule.

"It is generally believed that black is rich in connotation, deep, atmospheric and at the same time has a slightly sporty youthful atmosphere."

"Whether it's a floating roof or a high-gloss piano black trim in the car, it can add a dreamy luxury to the atmosphere of the whole car, which is the finishing touch to the interior and exterior design."

"In the future, our models, whether they are exterior parts or interior parts, will definitely have a lot of high-gloss piano black parts."

"Although there is no big problem with the process plan you mentioned, I think some better solutions can be considered."

With good craftsmanship, Cao Yang naturally wants to put it forward.

Otherwise, when the employees figure it out themselves, it is estimated that it will take a few years.

"Mr. Cao, what kind of process do you mean by a better process plan?"

Dai Hanbiao also looked at Cao Yang curiously.

If he can improve the process, he will naturally be happy to see it.

Otherwise, it is expensive and the quality defect rate is high, which is also a troublesome thing.

"The use of spray-free plastic, that is, one-time injection molding to achieve the effect of black and bright, reduces the process and reduces pollution."

"I heard that BASF is developing such a resin material, as long as the composition and properties of the material meet the requirements, it can directly produce parts with a high-ranking piano black effect through injection molds."

"As a result, the cost of parts has decreased, the yield rate has been greatly improved, and the environmental pollution has been reduced."

"The key is the formulation of this material, how we study it ourselves."

"In addition to the researchers of special steels, there are also professionals engaged in the research of resin materials."

"You can talk to them and see if we can develop the materials that meet the requirements."

Cao Yang naturally can also directly take out the formula of the material.

However, that seemed more abrupt, so he was going to let the research institute do it first, and finally "tried" this kind of qualified material by chance.

For example, Kumho Rili's spray-free PC (polycarbonate)/ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic alloy K8252 is this type of material.

"Mr. Cao, there is definitely no problem in this direction, and it is also very promising."

"But the research and development of basic materials is sometimes a very mysterious thing."

"When I'm unlucky, I can't find a material ratio that meets the requirements after trying for a few years."

"If you're lucky, you might find the right material in a few weeks."

"From the actual situation, it is necessary to invest a lot of manpower and material resources in basic materials research, and to do all kinds of trial and error before there is a chance to produce results."

"I'm a little worried about whether I'll be able to catch up with the schedule if I develop it myself."

Dai Hanbiao's words are also more objective.

The reason why the material major is regarded by many people as a sinkhole major is because in order to make achievements in the field of materials, a lot of manpower and material resources must be invested to do various experiments.

If you invest manpower and material resources, you will definitely be able to produce results, and many companies are willing to take risks.

The point is that many times you invest a lot of manpower and material resources, and in the end you still can't find a formula that meets the requirements.

There are even some companies that can't survive because of this willingness.

In this case, it is natural that companies are willing to invest too much money in the research of basic materials.

Correspondingly, the employment of people who specialize in materials is not so good.

Of course, this is not absolute.

For example, around 2022, battery-related materials will be used, and employment will be very good.

"Mr. Dai, your worries are justified, but we can't stop engaging in R&D because of this worry."

"Of course, we can also take two steps, on the one hand, we can do our own research and development, and on the other hand, we can find BASF and other companies to cooperate."

Cao Yang did not directly refute Dai Hanbiao's point of view, after all, what he said was also the truth.

However, the research and development that should be carried out must still be carried out.

After all, he knew that it would eventually come out.

"Mr. Cao, we now have our own special steel mill, if we study resin materials by ourselves in the future, is the group interested in investing in this factory?"

Dai Hanbiao couldn't help but say the doubts in his heart.

Those who engage in auto parts must buy some raw materials from the outside, otherwise how can the parts be produced?

Special steel and resin are the two most used raw materials.

"Ordinary resin materials, naturally, there is no need to produce them by themselves, and there is no need to invest in factories."

"But if we don't produce some modified resins or high-performance PA materials, we will be completely controlled by a few material giants such as BASF."

"This is certainly not the situation we want to see, so in the future, the group can consider buying ordinary PP/PE and other materials from outside, and then processing them into special modified materials that we need."

"In this way, the investment of the factory does not need to be very large, and the impact on the environment is relatively limited, so there will be no serious environmental problems."

As soon as Cao Yang explained this, Dai Hanbiao immediately understood.

Just like the companies under the Nanshan Group, they will use some basic materials such as cast iron and aluminum ingots, which is definitely not necessary to produce them themselves.

But some high-performance special steels are best kept in their own hands.

The situation is similar for resin materials.

"If you need to build your own factory, even if it is just a few reprocessing factories, the production cycle will take at least more than a year."

"You're right, you need to think about medium- and long-term planning in advance."

Cao Yang feels that the current development pace of the entire Nanshan Group is a bit of a hammer in the east and a stick in the west.

It is necessary to plan well, so that the future development can be more rhythmic and planned.

(End of chapter)