With the deepening of reform and opening up, more and more products made in China are entering the world market. Due to differences in raw materials, fuels, power and labor costs, the price of refractories in China is only one-third that of Japan and one-half that of the United States. If the quality is not too different, domestic refractories will squeeze out foreign materials from the market. Even if there are differences in quality, foreign materials can be used in key parts of the kiln, and domestic materials can be used in other parts, so that the cost of refractory materials can be greatly reduced without affecting the service life. This is the reason why Chinese refractories are sold to the world. In order to deal with Chinese companies, foreign companies frequently initiate anti-dumping on the one hand; on the other hand, they strengthen research and development, trying to occupy the commanding heights of science and technology and lead the development of refractory materials. This is the countermeasure of western refractory companies.
As early as the 1980s, some foreign factories realized a high degree of automation and preliminary intelligence. For example, a 50,000-ton factory with an annual output of Refra has only 100 employees and uses computer-aided formulation design. With the development of IT, foreign companies have adopted CAX (CAD computer-aided design, CAE computer-aided engineering analysis and CAM computer-aided manufacturing) to improve the manufacturing level of refractory materials. For example, significantly shorten the delivery time, ensure processing quality and meet the special needs of customers. A super-large multinational company insists on researching new refractory materials, refractory materials, refractory equipment, control and simulation, and has achieved many results: high-performance spray robots for converter maintenance, reducing brittleness and controlling erosion.
In recent years, Chinese refractory companies have greatly improved their equipment. For example, in the important links of refractory material manufacturing, such as ingredients, forming and firing, automation has been gradually realized, and the quality of refractory materials has been significantly improved. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the online inspection and sorting of bricks, bricks and brick materials. In addition, Chinese-funded enterprises need to improve the level of using CAX, such as developing non-standard refractory equipment. General equipment can be purchased in the market, but special equipment needs to be developed by itself. These equipments have high technical content and low consumption; small companies can't do it, but large companies don't want to do it. Because it is the core competitiveness of an enterprise, one enterprise does it on its own and does not want other enterprises to adopt it. With the help of a computer, on the one hand, the information in the production data can be extracted, and the problems in the production can be found through modeling and analysis to improve product quality; on the other hand, the information in the test data can also be extracted, and the process can be optimized through modeling and analysis. . Good use of computers can improve product quality, reduce R&D costs, shorten R&D time, and optimize R&D results, thereby subversively improving the level of management and innovation, and creating the core competitiveness of refractory companies.
The glass industry is a traditional industry, and refractory materials are traditional materials. The glass industry is not a sunset industry, and refractory materials are not sunset materials. There is opportunity in tradition, and blue ocean in the red sea. Experience in developing refractory materials for glass kilns:
(1) Market segmentation: For example, fused cast refractories are divided into pool bottom, pool wall and superstructure materials, and the insufficiency of previous research on superstructure materials has been discovered, and low exudation fused cast zirconium corundum refractories have been invented.
(2) In-depth analysis: For example, analyze the damage mechanism of the dome-top silica brick, and find out the mechanism of the formation of rat holes. Therefore, the unshaped refractory layer and thermal insulation layer are laid behind the silica brick, which greatly improves the life of the dome roof.
(3) Precise positioning: If the purity of the substrate is improved, a small amount of CaO and Fe2O3 is introduced for mineralization to prepare high-purity, high-performance silica bricks.
(4) Transplantation hybridization: For example, the vacuum sealing molding method in metal casting is introduced into the manufacture of fused cast refractory materials, and good results have been achieved.
(5) Keep up with the trend: If information technology is adopted, the computer-aided process optimization method has been developed through continuous efforts, which has greatly improved the quality management and research and development level.
(6) Seize the opportunity: For example, to seize the fact that glass companies have adopted petroleum coke as an alternative fuel, which has caused a significant decline in the life of refractory materials for glass kilns, research and development of new refractory materials for regenerators.
In short, Chinese refractory companies should seize all opportunities and adopt all methods to improve their technical level, improve product quality, increase R&D efficiency, improve after-sales service, gradually build product popularity and reputation, and establish a strong brand. Eventually realize the transformation and upgrading of China's refractory industry.