Yuchai builds world's largest diesel engine casting manufacturing base

The construction of the diesel engine casting manufacturing base, with a total investment of 1.7 billion yuan from Yuchai Group, has made great progress. The second production line is scheduled to be come on stream in the near future. Then, Yuchai will become the world's largest diesel engine casting manufacturing base.

Located in Yulin, Guangxi, with a total planned area of 1,800 mu, Yuchai foundry center project involves six foundry lines that manufacture high-strength, thin-walled, high-quality and high-precision cylinder block and cover castings of diesel engines in all sizes ranging from 0.8L to 40L.

According to Guo Deming, deputy Party secretary of Yuchai Group, with a Phase 1 construction area of 36,000 square meters and a total investment of 517 million yuan, the base will manufacture 6J, 6A, 6M and 6L cylinder block castings, with an annual output of 45,000 tons of six-cylinder block castings. Phase 1 came on stream on March 12, 2010. With an annual output of some 600,000 cylinder cover castings weighing 38,000 tons, a reserved area of some 800 mu and an investment of 740 million yuan, Phase 2 will be completed and go into trial production in the near future. On the reserved land, an aluminum alloy cylinder cover (block) blank foundry, a 16L-40L large-displacement large diesel engine casting foundry and a new foundry line will be constructed.

First-ever use of robots in core setting in the world by the foundry center is a major reform of the global foundry industry. Manufactured castings have high precision, even wall thickness and little machining allowance, and are 6 percent to 8 percent lighter than those manufactured in the old foundry, Guo said.

In equipment, all key procedures of the first production line of the new foundry center use world-famous import brands, and all auxiliary procedures use domestic first-class equipment, and the machining allowance of blanks manufactured in the new foundry is 3 to 4 millimeters compared to 5 to 6 millimeters of those manufactured in the old foundry, reducing materials by 10 percent, energy consumption by 8 percent and the comprehensive rejection rate to less than 1 percent.

Compared to the old foundry, the new foundry center has an environment-friendly, stable and reliable first-class production line with higher efficiency, higher quality and lower cost. "We now turn out some 150 cylinder blocks every day. The production line will manufacture a cylinder block per minute at full capacity."

The new foundry center will use the process of single electric furnace smelting, boldly break away from the traditional smelting process to reduce the impact of detrimental impurities during cupola smelting including coke and human factors during smelting operation, Guo said, adding, "On the basis of ensuring product quality, the process can effectively reduce furnace burden costs, production procedures and production personnel. The foundry practices the production mode of ‘one piece flow' to ensure the smoothness of logistics."

The new foundry center will play a significant radiating role. Yulin Kunda Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. less than 200 meters from the foundry center mainly supplies oil coolers to Yuchai. The center's operation will drive Kunda's development and the output of Kunda's oil coolers will rank second in the country, said the head of Kunda.

According to sources, due to the limited production capacity of cylinder block and cylinder cover castings, Yuchai had to purchase 20 percent of its cylinder block parts from outside Yulin every year. The operation of the center will fundamentally change the situation of excessive dependence on purchase, boost the relevancy of local supporting industries of Yuchai, and promoted the further development of Yulin's machinery industry.

(Sun Zhiping/Wu Xiaokang/Pan Qiang, Xinhuanet Guangxi Channel)