Ningbo Huazhong Mold Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Huazhong Mold) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Huazhong Holdings. It is a technology-based enterprise specializing in the research and production of automotive parts and plastic injection molds. Established in 2002, the company currently has more than 190 employees, with over 25% being mid-to-senior technical R&D personnel and boasts a wealth of skilled talent. This issue of Haitian Precision takes you inside Huazhong Mold to witness the rapid development of automated production via human-machine integration.

The relationship between Huazhong Mold and Haitian Precision dates back to 2004 when Huazhong Mold purchased its first 850G machining center, marking the beginning of a long-lasting partnership. As one of the earliest domestic clients of Haitian Precision, Huazhong Mold has the most say in the matter. General Manager Zhou Huajiang of Huazhong Mold couldn’t hide his admiration when mentioning the 850G, noting that the twenty-year-old equipment still reliably performs rough and semi-finish machining tasks, laying the foundation for subsequent cooperation.

Huazhong Mold started with plastic injection molds and now primarily produces molds for automotive interior and exterior parts. With the rise of new energy vehicles, the company has ventured into fields such as hot press molds and battery base plates (LFC), where cost reduction and quality improvement are pressing issues. At this point, Zhou Huajiang considered adopting automated production to lower manufacturing costs, reduce operational losses, and enhance corporate competitiveness.

 

Zhou Huajiang explained, “The application personnel from Haitian Precision Machinery showed us the automated line for standard parts and planned a tailored solution for us, which I found aligned with my ideas. Mold part processing is very different from standard parts. From discussing the plan to introducing the automated line, we went through many rounds of adjustments, including continuous improvements and optimizations after the line arrived at the company. It is now successfully in production, meeting my expectations.” This step taken by Haitian Precision and Huazhong Mold provides a replicable template for the digital, low-cost, and high-efficiency development of mold enterprises.

Zhou Huajiang, General Manager of Huazhong Mold

 

“This line has shortened the mold production cycle, improved efficiency by over 30%, and increased equipment utilization by about 20%. It has also reduced human errors and decreased the workpiece scrap rate.”

 

In the production workshop of Huazhong Mold, we saw the FMS automatic line, which consists of four Haitian Precision CFV1100 vertical machining centers, along with loading and unloading stations and AGV carts, enabling an “8+16” intelligent manufacturing mode. The production line operates with minimal human intervention for 8 hours during the day, handling loading, clamping, and inspection tasks, while running unmanned for 16 hours at night, significantly boosting production efficiency.


Chen Guangzeng, Manager of the Processing Department at Huazhong Mold

Chen Guangzeng, manager of the processing department, jokingly said, “The automatic line has solved the problem of employees unwilling to work night shifts and young people unwilling to enter factories.” He explained, “This automatic line realizes functions such as automatic tracking, automatic correction, automatic edge detection, and automatic tool setting. Previously, operators had to manually set electronic levels and re-align each tool, which was time-consuming. Now, these issues are resolved through probes and automatic macro programs, avoiding human errors.”

Additionally, Chen Guangzeng introduced the Haitian Precision DFS3020 five-axis high-speed milling center in the workshop, which addresses the issues of multiple electrodes and long spark cycles, enabling small tool corner clearing and reducing electrode processing by over 90%. It has been running steadily for six years, with swing angle accuracy maintained at around 0.02mm, performing exceptionally well.

Additionally, Chen Guangzeng introduced the Haitian Precision DFS3020 five-axis high-speed milling center in the workshop, which addresses the issues of multiple electrodes and long spark cycles, enabling small tool corner clearing and reducing electrode processing by over 90%. It has been running steadily for six years, with swing angle accuracy maintained at around 0.02mm, performing exceptionally well.