【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】1983–2024: The first \"digitalized and interconnected\" factory for water wall production in the boiler industry went into operation

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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2024-11-6 at 16:53. Safety first. Prevention first – let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum) ***************** On October 30, 2024, the first water wall \"digitalized and intelligent\" factory in the boiler industry was put into operation at the Deyang manufacturing facility of Dongfang Electric Group’s Dongfang Boiler Co., Ltd. The digital factory for water wall production integrates advanced technologies such as the industrial Internet, industrial robots, machine vision, big data, and artificial intelligence. Since its trial operation, the digitization rate of the equipment has reached 100%, while the output per employee has increased by 5 times. Records such as the screen update speed of 0.9 meters per minute and the simultaneous tracking of 20 welds have been continuously improved. It is reported that the construction of Dongfang Boiler’s “Digitalized and Intelligent Connected” factory represents an important goal for the company in its efforts to achieve digitalization, lean operations, and sustainability. As the main conduit in clean and efficient power plant boilers, the water wall is a key pressure-bearing component of boiler systems, and high standards are required for its manufacturing quality. The \"Digitalization and Smart Connection\" factory for water wall components focuses on the straight tube panels of water walls, which account for 70% of total production. Digital transformation is carried out on key processes such as welding to extend the tubes and assembling panels; issues related to production planning, quality control during manufacturing, and material distribution are identified, and digital upgrades are implemented. The overall process layout of the factory is optimized through full 3D modeling and simulation, resulting in a reduction of 468 meters in the logistics routes between different manufacturing stages ； An innovative production organization model has been adopted, shifting from a model focused on hole-component production to a lean production approach centered on drilling operations. This has significantly reduced the workload associated with manual assembly and welding, and the entire production process is now managed in a fully digital manner. As a key process in the manufacture of water wall panels, tube panel welding requires welding 20 welds on both the front and back sides within a width of 0.3 meters; moreover, the deformation resulting from welding tube panels with a total length of 18 meters must be kept within 6 millimeters. Traditional MPM tube panel welding equipment requires manual close-up observation and manual adjustment of the welding torch; the ambient temperature near the torch can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and there is a lot of arc light and dust, so the working conditions need to be improved urgently. This factory has overcome the technical challenges associated with welding processes, integrated advanced control technologies, and innovatively applied 3D machine vision technology. For the first time in the boiler industry, it has equipped MPM tube panel welders with \"eyes\" and a \"brain\" that enable adaptive adjustment of welding parameters. These systems can identify and track up to 20 welds in real time, and allow for unmanned control of the welder’s position, thus enabling fully automated welding operations. The maximum welding speed reaches 0.9 meters per minute, resulting in a significant increase in work efficiency. In recent years, Dongfang Boiler has aimed to enhance its safety and green development capabilities by building digital factories that are efficient, transparent in real time, and environmentally sustainable. To this end, the company has optimized the layout of production processes in its workshops, improved the manufacturing capabilities of key processes, and integrated various elements involved in production. It has invested hundreds of millions of yuan in pursuing digital transformation, gradually advancing the construction of 6 digital factories at its facilities in Zigong and Deyang. By establishing data links between design, manufacturing, and service functions, the company has achieved vertical and horizontal integration as well as coordination within the supply chain, thereby enabling lean production methods and facilitating the digital transformation of the enterprise. Dongfang Boiler stated that \"digital transformation and intelligent upgrading\" are important ways for enterprises to improve their quality and efficiency and gain a competitive advantage in development, and they are also essential for promoting high-quality development in the manufacturing sector. The company will focus on reducing costs and increasing efficiency as well as improving quality, continuously raising its level of intelligent manufacturing, and accelerating the development of a number of exemplary practices and high-quality results in the area of digital transformation.