【Essential for equipment professionals】The birthplace of welding in China – Harbin Institute of Technology’s welding program
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At Harbin Institute of Technology, there is a highly excellent major: welding. It was the first welding major to be established in any Chinese university; it gave rise to China’s first welding research and teaching laboratory. On its basis, the only **key laboratory in the field of welding in China was established. Projects led or participated in by this major have won 5 science and technology awards as well as 20 provincial and ministerial-level awards. It has made significant contributions to fields such as the Shenzhou program, high-speed railways, nuclear power, and robotics. This major was established in September 1952. Let’s take a look at this welding major and explore the glory it has achieved over these 70 years. From its inception, it has played a leading role, as welding has wide-ranging applications. At critical moments of overcoming difficulties, they often become the \"heroes.\" When New China was first established, there was much to be done, and welding played an indispensable role in the process of rapid industrialization. In response to this need, Harbin Institute of Technology established a welding program with the help of Soviet experts. At that time, Soviet welding technology was at the forefront of the world. Professor Wu Lin described Harbin Institute of Technology’s welding program as having a \"high starting point\" and playing a \"leading role.\" Academician Pan Jiluan once said that Harbin Institute of Technology is the birthplace of welding studies in China, a cradle for welding experts, and the starting point for China’s welding industry. In 1952, Chen Dinghua, Pan Jiluan, Tian Xitang, Xu Zicai, Zhou Zhenfeng, and Luo Dingchang became the first students of the welding teacher training program, thus marking the beginning of the development of the welding program at Harbin Institute of Technology
In 1952, Xu Binshi, Cui Weida, and Zhai Haihuan became the first batch of undergraduates to be trained in the field of welding. That same year, in order to cultivate practical technical talents needed for economic development, Harbin Institute of Technology established a specialized program in welding
In September 1952, the Welding Teaching and Research Section was officially established – China’s first such section. The initial laboratory was nothing more than a room of about 30 square meters, equipped with only two manual arc welders and some simple devices such as ovens. By the end of 1952, the university supplied the welding laboratory with a range of welding equipment and instruments, enabling it to become a leader among engineering colleges across the country and to reach an internationally advanced level. Universities nationwide that intended to establish or already had welding programs sent people to this university for further training
Harbin Institute of Technology held training courses for welding instructors, attracting professional teachers from many renowned engineering universities across the country to attend. Upon returning to their own institutions, they became key figures in teaching and research related to welding programs. It was organized by the First Ministry of Mechanical Industry, the authority in charge of Harbin Institute of Technology. In 1955, the “First National Welding Conference” was held at Harbin Institute of Technology; representatives from factories under the Ministry of Machine-Building Industry and Tsinghua University, among other institutions, attended
In 1956, friction welding was invented simultaneously with the Soviet Union. In 1958, electroslag welding was introduced nationwide for the first time; in collaboration with the First Heavy Machinery Factory, the columns of China’s first 10,000-ton hydraulic press were successfully welded. In partnership with the Harbin Electric Machinery Factory, the rotor of China’s largest turbine at that time, with a capacity of 72,500 kilowatts, was successfully welded. In 1961, the technology for bending plates using both water and fire pressure was developed for the first time and introduced in more than 20 shipbuilding factories across the country
In 1985, China’s first arc welding robot, designed independently, was developed under the leadership of Harbin Institute of Technology. In 1986, the same institute took the lead in creating China’s first spot welding robot. The welding research efforts at Harbin Institute of Technology have contributed to the development of China’s robotics industry