It is an indisputable fact that China is a major casting‑producing country rather than a powerful one in the foundry sector. At present, China’s foundry industry is striving to upgrade itself into a world‑class powerhouse. The advancement of precision casting holds the key to driving industrial upgrading and reaching new developmental heights.
As an important branch of the global foundry industry, precision‑casting technology is internationally regarded as an indicator for evaluating a nation’s foundry capability. Accordingly, the development of precision casting represents the productivity level of the foundry sector. Four primary objectives should be pursued to boost the growth of China’s precision‑casting industry.
Despite its large number of manufacturers, substantial workforce and high output, China’s precision‑casting technology still lags behind that of developed economies in terms of product quality, production efficiency, energy and material consumption, working conditions and environmental protection. Industrialized countries around the world have set four general development goals for precision‑casting technology. China’s precision‑casting sector shall also advance toward these targets:
1. Improve casting quality and consistency, and produce high‑quality near‑net‑shape castings;
2. Shorten delivery lead‑time;
3. Protect the environment and mitigate or eliminate pollution;
4. Cut down production costs.
China’s domestic precision‑casting industry has yet to accomplish these goals. To reach international standards, the industry needs to proceed from national realities and accelerate its development pace.
Enhanced casting quality and yield rate, shortened delivery cycles, energy‑saving and emission‑reduction as well as cost reduction constitute not only the priorities for China’s precision‑casting enterprises but also shared goals for the global precision‑casting community. Any participant that achieves these targets first will seize the commanding heights of the industry.