China.org.cn Reports on Xi'an Intelligent Remanufacturing Research Institute: Forging a "New" Path | Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone: Remanufacturing Brings Equipment a "New" Lease on Life

Recently, China.org.cn visited the Xi'an Intelligent Remanufacturing Research Institute, conducting an in-depth exploration focused on its core areas: intelligent disassembly, intelligent inspection, intelligent composite additive manufacturing, intelligent composite welding, and intelligent subtractive manufacturing. By integrating resources from various parties, the institute has established advanced R&D platforms, injecting new vitality into traditional manufacturing. It also demonstrated how intelligent methods enable the highly efficient utilization and recycling of resources. These efforts not only enhance production efficiency but also provide new pathways for sustainable enterprise development. Below is the original news text.

In recent years, additive manufacturing, as a global R&D hotspot, has deeply penetrated the manufacturing and remanufacturing sectors of high-end equipment like rail transit, petroleum machinery, metallurgy, and mining machinery, leveraging its high processing flexibility, short production cycles, and ease of intelligent control. This technology not only drives innovation in product lifecycle operational models but also serves as an effective pathway to achieving the "Dual Carbon" goals.

Within the pilot base of the Xi'an Intelligent Remanufacturing Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Institute) located in the Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone, the repair cost for worn-out mining excavation components is just a fraction of the price of new parts, yet they withstand long-term, high-intensity operation. Intelligent remanufacturing equipment can be adapted to various workpiece types, capable of producing items comparable to new ones through precision remanufacturing ("fine repair") or even creating new parts with superior performance via additive manufacturing... These scenes of industrial equipment gaining a "new" lease on life exemplify Shaanxi's deep cultivation and breakthroughs in the field of remanufacturing.

On September 24th, the "Forging a 'New' Path" online research group entered the Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone to explore the practices and explorations of local enterprises in revitalizing equipment through remanufacturing. "Intelligent remanufacturing is far from simple repair; it's an ecological restructuring of the equipment's entire lifecycle," explained Wang Xin, Executive Dean of the Institute, pinpointing the core concept. From non-destructive testing and failure analysis to lifespan assessment, the team first conducts precise "diagnostics," then matches materials, restores dimensions, and enhances performance targetedly, with intelligent methods贯穿全程, ultimately achieving the effect of "repairing the old to be like new, or even better than new." This closed-loop model of "intelligent disassembly, inspection, remanufacturing, and secondary inspection" has completely rewritten the traditional logic of the remanufacturing industry.

This confidence stems from robust platform support. The Xi'an Intelligent Remanufacturing Research Institute, also known as the Shaanxi Provincial Intelligent Remanufacturing Innovation Center, was jointly established by Shaanxi Tianyuan Intelligent Remanufacturing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as: Shaanxi Tianyuan Intelligent), Xi'an Shaangu Power Co., Ltd., and other enterprises, together with seven universities including Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University. It is an integrated platform built by Shaanxi Province in line with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's manufacturing innovation center development strategy, integrating "government, industry, academia, research, application" along with investment and financing, and mass entrepreneurship and innovation. Focusing on core directions like intelligent disassembly, inspection, composite additive manufacturing, composite welding, and subtractive manufacturing, it transforms the traditional labor-intensive maintenance and remanufacturing model into a technology-intensive, digital, and intelligent efficient production process, achieving a triple upgrade in production efficiency, strict cost control, and product quality.

The dual dividends of economic and environmental benefits further highlight the value of remanufacturing. "Taking the hydraulic supports used in coal mines as an example, they are the core support equipment for underground operations, enduring extreme usage and operational intensity, making them among the most prone to damage. The cost of repairing each unit via intelligent remanufacturing can save about 40% compared to buying new equipment, while the performance far surpasses the original," calculated Wang Xin when discussing the economics. "If a working face uses, say, 200 hydraulic supports, this could save 200 million yuan." Remanufacturing can be understood as a process from 0.8 to 1.0 or even 1.1. After undergoing special "surgery," various equipment and components not only look like new but their performance and quality can even exceed that of new products, achieving 50% cost savings, 60% energy savings, and 70% raw material savings, while significantly reducing negative environmental impact.

Remanufacturing represents the highest form of developing a circular economy. Its core advantages are reflected in the comprehensive improvement of resource efficiency, production efficiency, and environmental benefits. It effectively reduces the processing and manufacturing steps of products, extends material and product lifecycles, thereby reducing resource consumption and CO2 emissions, and lowers the carbon emission intensity per unit product. It is an effective pathway for achieving structural carbon reduction. Today, this technical capability is rapidly penetrating more fields. Leveraging the extensive accumulation and experience of Shaanxi Tianyuan Intelligent in remanufacturing, the Institute has already provided key equipment remanufacturing and systematic solutions for sectors like petroleum, mining, metallurgy, and rail transit. More notably, in 2024, Shaanxi Tianyuan Intelligent collaborated with Asia-Pacific International to establish a comprehensive intelligent remanufacturing industrial project in Laos, integrating additive manufacturing, remanufacturing, and high-end manufacturing. This not only provides maintenance support for Chinese equipment operating overseas but also addresses gaps in the local mechanical manufacturing industry chain.

"We will always insist on starting from product services in the remanufacturing field, progressing to supplying complete sets of remanufacturing equipment and solutions, and ultimately promoting and developing the remanufacturing industry chain," stated a relevant responsible person from Shaanxi Tianyuan Intelligent. The enterprise is using remanufacturing as a lever to activate idle assets, extend equipment lifespan, and reduce operational costs, while contributing to the development of the circular economy and exporting the "Tianyuan Power" of intelligent remanufacturing to the world. (China.org.cn reporters: Qin Jiaming, Zhang Xiangcheng)