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HuazhongCNC enables domestically produced ship lock components to be easily manufactured.
Yichang Minghua writes a chapter in the history of domestically produced heavy equipment.
At a crucial junction along the Yangtze River’s golden waterway, magnificent ship locks work tirelessly day and night to ensure smooth navigation. One of the core components that drives the precise raising and lowering of the massive lock gates is the crucial large, special-shaped steel part used to control the cables. Recently, Yichang Minghua Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd., equipped with the HNC8 high-end CNC system, successfully overcame the technical barriers in machining this part, further contributing to the localization of key ship lock components.
Compared to other CNC systems, the HNC8 CNC system reduces machining time by 23%. By choosing the HNC8 CNC system, Yichang Minghua Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. became the first supplier to use a domestically produced CNC system for machining large, special-shaped parts.Since its establishment in April 2008, Yichang Minghua Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. has been deeply engaged in the manufacturing and technical services of mining machinery and equipment. Relying on strong technical R&D capabilities and rich industry experience, Yichang Minghua is committed to providing high-performance, high-reliability core equipment such as crushing, screening, and conveying, as well as professional overall solutions to customers in industries such as mining, sand and gravel aggregate production, and building materials processing.How does Huazhong CNC’s solution support precision? The parts processed this time have a special structure and complex manufacturing process, making them a real challenge:
The challenge of machining a complex, zigzag thread path on the part surface, rather than a traditional straight or spiral shape, places severe demands on the precision and dynamic response of multi-axis linkage control. Conventional CNC systems struggle to achieve stable and reliable simultaneous machining.
Challenges in Processing Non-Continuous Arcs: The part contour includes multiple segments of non-continuous arcs that are connected to each other. During the machining process, the tool path frequently experiences “jumps” and repositioning. This can easily lead to issues such as excessive machine tool vibration and impact, poor surface quality, and insufficient dimensional accuracy, severely affecting the part’s lifespan and reliability.
‘In the past, processing such special parts either required reliance on expensive imported equipment or involved extremely cumbersome processes with low yield rates,’ said the technical director of Yichang Minghua. ‘The HNC8 high-end CNC system has helped us overcome core process bottlenecks. Its stability and intelligence have given us confidence in domestic high-end CNC equipment. This is not just a success for a single part but a crucial step in enhancing our capabilities in high-end equipment manufacturing.’
In zigzag thread machining, spindle-Z-axis synchronization accuracy is difficult to maintain when sudden changes occur at the inflection point, and speed fluctuations result in cumulative pitch errors.
The HNC8 high-end CNC system is equipped with advanced helical interpolation algorithms and dynamic error compensation technology, enabling precise planning and real-time adjustment of tool movement trajectories along complex zigzag paths. Its powerful multi-axis linkage control ensures strict synchronization between spindle rotation and feed rates of each linear axis, effectively suppressing contour errors during machining and ensuring high-quality production of complex zigzag threads.
For non-continuous arc machining, the path smoothness of small segment fitting is insufficient, and frequent acceleration and deceleration cause sudden changes in speed, which will lead to a decline in surface quality (for example, in the machining of mobile phone cases, the roughness Ra value at the junction of ten thousand segments jumps ≥0.4μm).To address the “jumping” pain point in non-continuous arc machining, the system employs intelligent continuous small segment high-speed smoothing (Look Ahead) technology. This technology performs thorough pre-processing of subsequent machining paths, combining flexible acceleration/deceleration control and vibration suppression algorithms to automatically generate smooth transition toolpaths at non-continuous path transition points. This significantly reduces machine tool impact and vibration, ensuring excellent surface quality and contour accuracy (up to 0.02 mm) at non-continuous arc connection points, while significantly improving machining efficiency.
Thanks to the powerful functionality of the HNC8 high-end CNC system, Yichang Minghua successfully achieved single-clamping, efficient, and high-precision machining of this large, irregularly shaped part. Rigorous testing confirmed that the part’s dimensional accuracy and key geometric tolerances met stringent design requirements, with excellent surface quality and full compliance with installation standards. This not only ensures the long-term reliability and safety of the lock’s opening and closing mechanism, but also significantly shortens manufacturing cycles and reduces production costs.
This successful application is a testament to Yichang Minghua Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd.’s commitment to technological innovation, and it also serves as a strong demonstration of the proven capabilities of domestically produced high-end CNC systems in the manufacturing of complex and specialized components. Huazhong CNC, with its outstanding performance, provides a solid and reliable technological foundation for the independent and controllable manufacturing of core components for major equipment, continuously driving the progress and upgrading of China’s high-end manufacturing industry.
