Reaching the Frontier of the Market! Board Chairman Visits Geely's Zeekr Meishan Plant, Collaborating to Lay a New Foundation for Mega-Casting Technology

Reaching the Frontier of the Market! Board Chairman Visits Geely's Zeekr Meishan Plant, Collaborating to Lay a New Foundation for Mega-Casting Technology

On October 17, Zhu Xiaokun, Chairman of the Board of the company, along with a senior technical team, visited the Zeekr Meishan Plant under Geely Automobile Group in Ningbo, Zhejiang, where they were warmly received by the plant's leadership. This visit marks the official launch of an in-depth integration of cutting-edge materials and technologies between two globally leading Chinese enterprises—one in tool and mold steel materials and the other in vehicle manufacturing—in the revolutionary field of "mega-casting." The collaboration aims to jointly overcome industry manufacturing bottlenecks and drive independent breakthroughs in critical manufacturing technologies for China's automotive industry.

As a pioneer and authority in China's powder steel sector, the company has established comprehensive integrated capabilities spanning R&D, production, sales, and service. Its profound technological expertise and industry foresight gained national recognition in 2024 when it was appointed as the lead unit for the national key R&D project, "Research and Application of Key Technologies for Powder Metallurgy and Additive Manufacturing of New Die-Casting Mold Steel." This project directly addresses industry pain points related to the performance and lifespan of high-end die-casting molds, aiming to develop superior die-casting mold steel materials through advanced powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing technologies.

Geely Automobile, a leader in China's automotive industry, not only possesses world-class vehicle manufacturing and supply chain systems but also demonstrates strong independent R&D capabilities and a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio in cutting-edge fields such as new energy and intelligent driving. Its Zeekr brand serves as a strategic benchmark for Geely's entry into the high-end intelligent electric vehicle market. The Zeekr Meishan Plant, as a key advanced manufacturing base, extensively employs the industry-leading "mega-casting" process to produce large chassis structural components and body parts for new energy vehicles. This process significantly reduces the number of parts, simplifies manufacturing, reduces vehicle weight, and enhances structural strength. However, it imposes stricter requirements on the performance of die-casting mold materials, particularly in terms of thermal stability and reliability under extreme operating conditions.

This meeting precisely aligns the company's cutting-edge material technologies in powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing with Geely's urgent needs in mega-casting manufacturing. During the visit, the technical teams from both sides engaged in in-depth and practical discussions across three key areas:

1. Customized Material Development to Address Industry Challenges: To tackle common industry issues such as thermal fatigue cracks, erosion wear, and reduced high-temperature strength in molds caused by prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures and rapid thermal cycling during the casting of large structural parts at the Zeekr plant, the company will leverage its powder metallurgy expertise to develop a new generation of high-performance die-casting mold steel tailored for Geely. The target material aims to achieve higher thermal stability, superior thermal conductivity, stronger resistance to temper softening, and a lifespan several times that of traditional materials. This will directly help Geely improve yield rates and efficiency in die-casting production while significantly reducing overall costs associated with frequent mold replacement and maintenance.

2. Empowering with Additive Manufacturing Technology to Maximize Mold Value: The company will apply relevant achievements from the national key R&D project to the manufacturing and remanufacturing of Geely's molds. For molds with complex internal structures, such as those with conformal cooling channels (e.g., barrels and nozzles), which directly affect cooling efficiency and die-casting cycle times, the company will enable integrated rapid prototyping to optimize cooling effects and shorten production cycles. Additionally, for expensive in-service molds that suffer localized damage (e.g., cracks or erosion pits), the company's leading laser cladding and other additive repair technologies can perform precise "minimally invasive surgery" and functional restoration, replacing entire molds with repairs. This will save Geely significant procurement costs, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency.

3. Full-Lifecycle Technical Services and Joint Response Mechanisms: The company commits to providing Geely with comprehensive and forward-looking technical support, covering material selection recommendations in the early stages, technical guidance for mold material applications during production, and failure analysis and integrated solutions post-production. The two sides will establish a joint technical working group to collaboratively address various challenges during product development and mass production, ensuring sustained and effective cooperation.

During a visit to the highly automated and intelligent die-casting workshop at the Zeekr Meishan Plant, the company's team observed the operation of large die-casting equipment. Both sides agreed that this collaboration goes beyond a simple buyer-supplier relationship, representing a deep "handshake" between cutting-edge material science and advanced manufacturing processes at the upstream end of the industrial chain. It not only serves as a benchmark for the company to industrialize the achievements of national R&D projects but also represents a key strategic move for Geely to strengthen supply chain resilience and pursue extreme efficiency and quality in core manufacturing processes.

Looking ahead, through this powerful meeting, the company's cutting-edge advantages in powder metallurgy materials will translate into tangible outcomes for Geely in "reducing costs, improving efficiency, and enhancing quality" in high-end manufacturing. Both sides expressed their commitment to using this meeting as a new starting point to continuously explore the limitless possibilities of material and process innovation, working together to advance China's automotive industry toward greater independent control and global leadership in critical manufacturing technologies and new material applications.