With the deepening of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing concepts, mechanical processing will widely apply industrial Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data technologies. Machine tools will achieve interconnectivity, with production data uploaded and analyzed in real-time. Utilizing AI algorithms, cutting parameters are optimized, and equipment failures are predicted for preventive maintenance, significantly enhancing production efficiency and equipment utilization. For instance, in the machining of automotive parts, digital simulation of the machining process identifies issues early and optimizes processes, shortening the new product development cycle.
The rise in global environmental awareness and stricter environmental policies have prompted the mechanical processing industry to adopt more eco-friendly manufacturing methods. On one hand, energy-efficient machine tools are being developed to reduce energy consumption. On the other hand, dry cutting and minimal quantity lubrication, among other green cutting technologies, are being promoted to decrease the use of cutting fluids and waste liquid emissions. Additionally, efforts are being made to enhance the recycling and reuse of swarf, thereby improving resource utilization.
High precision and ultra-precision machining: The demand for component accuracy in high-end fields such as aerospace, semiconductors, and optics continues to increase, and future mechanical processing will move towards nanometer levels and beyond.
Advancing towards higher precision: Developing ultra-precision grinding, polishing, and special processing technologies such as ion beam and electron beam machining to meet the high-precision and complex shape component manufacturing needs in these fields, such as the ultra-precision processing of silicon wafers in semiconductor chip manufacturing. Integration of additive manufacturing and traditional machining: Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can produce complex structure components but has limitations in material properties and production efficiency. In the future, it will complement traditional mechanical machining by first using 3D printing to create complex shape blanks and then performing precise machining through traditional methods to enhance product performance and production efficiency, which will be applied in the manufacture of complex parts for aero-engine components. Personalized customization and flexible production: Consumer demand is increasingly diverse, requiring mechanical processing enterprises to have stronger flexible production capabilities to quickly respond to small batch and multi-variety order demands. Through Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS), different products can be rapidly switched for production to meet customer personalized customization requirements, such as the production of customized medical devices. Cross-industry integration and service-oriented transformation: The mechanical processing industry will deeply integrate with other industries, such as combining with electronic information technology to develop intelligent equipment.
