On December 14, 2023, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Machinery held an expanded meeting for the theoretical learning center group of the Party Committee and a sharing meeting for the results of inspection, exchange, and learning in Europe. The purpose of this sharing meeting is to better summarize and exchange the results of research and exchange in countries such as Germany, Belgium, and Spain, share advanced agricultural machinery technology, agricultural machinery products, and agricultural machinery development trends in Europe, and promote the transformation of learning achievements into innovative directions and development priorities in China's agricultural machinery field.
From Beijing Zhuozhong Publishing Co., Ltd., Department of Science and Technology Development of China Academy of Agricultural Machinery, Innovation Center of Machine Science and Technology of China Academy of Agricultural Machinery, Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of China Academy of Agricultural Machinery, Xinjiang University, China Machinery Huafeng (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., Modern Agricultural Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., China Machinery Mino Technology Co., Ltd., China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Xinjiang Co., Ltd., Hohhot Branch of China Academy of Agricultural Machinery, Beijing Jinlun Kuntian Special Machinery Co., Ltd 14 members of the inspection team from Beijing Tianshun Great Wall Hydraulic Technology Co., Ltd., Sikesi Hydraulic Technology Co., Ltd., and Sailun Group shared their experiences from this inspection through keynote speeches.
Strengthen high-level, original, and leading technological and product innovation, and help promote the transformation and upgrading of agricultural mechanization and agricultural machinery equipment.
Yu Shuai, from Zhuozhong Publishing, first reviewed the itinerary of the inspection team at the CLAAS headquarters factory in Germany, the Hanover Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, the German Farmers Training Center, the factory in New Holland and Belgium, and the TORRES vineyard in Spain. He pointed out that the Agricultural Machinery Magazine can arrange rich and professional official trips, which is partly due to its understanding of the industry, On the other hand, it comes from close cooperation with international agricultural machinery giants and multinational agricultural machinery enterprises.
Yu Shuai believes that agricultural machinery manufacturers in Europe and North America, despite their prosperous performance, still face issues such as expensive equipment, environmental protection, and aging that need to be addressed; It is also pointed out that most agricultural machinery manufacturers in Europe have made rapid progress in the face of the pandemic and supply chain shocks, and have chosen intelligence, precision, and unmanned as their development directions. At the same time, it is pointed out that some developed countries still have advanced technological achievements and effective agricultural mechanization achievements in the face of weak development of emerging technologies and harsh agricultural environments.
Chen Da, from the Department of Science and Technology of the Academy of Agricultural Machinery, first pointed out that in the field of plant protection machinery, the high clearance self-propelled spray bar spray has the characteristics of large-scale development, and many enterprises are innovative in the stability design of machines and tools; The tractive spray bar spray has the characteristics of developing towards the direction of electronic control, and has mature electronic control application products. Chen Da pointed out that there is no obvious technological innovation in the suspended spray bar spray at present, while the orchard spray has the characteristics of unmanned development. In terms of transfer machines, the current mechanical operation method is still mainly semi-automatic, and there is still no mature technological achievement in fully automatic transfer.
Chen Da believes that agricultural machinery manufacturers in developed countries in Europe and America have the characteristics of being large-scale, intelligent, unmanned, and capitalized. The way products are displayed is more diverse and intuitive. The mechanization technology level of agricultural machinery has become quite mature and a large number of intelligent equipment and designs have been applied. They have obvious advantages in electronic control and intelligent communication technology. At the same time, there is a situation of low-end price competition and overcapacity in the domestic agricultural machinery industry, with weak terminal competition, low competition level, and lack of high-end technology
Zhou Liming, from the Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Machinery, first shared the inspection situation of equipment intelligent units, pointing out that the current universal sensors have been integrated with mechanical equipment in the design, ECU has been widely used and integrated with advanced technological achievements, and the overall intelligent control is completed through electric and hydraulic execution units. In addition, he has also carried out unmanned tractor and seeding and fertilization, respectively Introduce the intelligence status of field management and harvesting equipment.
Zhou Liming believes that there is a significant gap between domestic agricultural machinery and the world's advanced ones in terms of important components such as electric drive seeding units, speed sensors, and basic working condition parameter monitoring, as well as operational quality measurement and control. Meanwhile, standardization work represented by the ISOBUS protocol can effectively promote the development of intelligent equipment, enabling communication between tools and devices without being restricted by different manufacturers. It is also convenient to connect and has high controller compatibility; The integration of navigation technology and job monitoring, as well as the integration of decision models and overall control, make intelligent perception decision control technology more effective in promoting equipment performance improvement. Specialization and refinement are the development directions; The integration and collaboration of R&D, manufacturing, testing and application, and the collaboration of sensor control parts and the whole machine are the key.
Jiang Hong, from Xinjiang University, first introduced the important role and responsibilities of Xinjiang University in the national "the Belt and Road" strategy; It also introduced the situation of the School of Intelligent Manufacturing Modern Industry (School of Mechanical Engineering) and the Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Robot and Intelligent Equipment Engineering Research Center. During his overseas investigation, he found that quality control, reliability, and stability should be the focus of learning and attention. He also pointed out that advanced agricultural machinery manufacturers abroad will conduct professional and meticulous research in research and innovation, and the product testing time will be as long as 8 years. Meanwhile, the production method of complete sets and groups by foreign agricultural machinery manufacturers is worth learning from.
Jiang Hong believes that in the production, manufacturing, and testing process in China, industry standards for agricultural machinery manufacturing should be established, government departments should increase equipment testing reports, and research institutions should strengthen research on equipment testing and analysis technology; In terms of vocational education, a sound vocational education system should be established to promote mutual benefit and integration between enterprises and schools, and to promote the professionalism and future prospects of vocational education; At the same time, he also put forward relevant suggestions on agricultural machinery supervision and management, diversified driving methods, and production supporting facilities.
Zhu Licheng, from the Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Machinery, first pointed out that the focus of agricultural robots is on perception, walking, and execution. The current technological status is that "force sensors" that can sense analog signals have already been effective in application; The driving forms are mainly divided into wheel edge direct drive represented by hub motor and hydraulic motor, and conductive drive represented by motor+gearbox, engine+transfer box, hydraulic motor+transfer box; The main application scenarios of agricultural robots are weeding, apple picking, orchard pesticide application, and unmanned power equipment. Moreover, a comparative analysis is conducted on the differences in technical routes between domestic and foreign agricultural robots, mainly in the fields of adjustable ground clearance, overall battery packaging level, power type, and multifunctional mounting mechanism design.
Zhu Licheng believes that the internal structure layout and transmission route of foreign agricultural robots have undergone multiple iterations and have certain technological advantages. Propose the need to develop wheeled/tracked walking chassis with multiple power forms to meet the needs of different work scenarios and users; Early commercialization and marketization of weeding, tomato picking, and apple picking robots; Develop miniaturized and low-cost operating robots for planting environments in hilly and mountainous areas or small and medium-sized plots.
Hu Huaibin from Zhongji Huafeng first reported on the inspection of manure returning equipment, bundle breaking crusher, and TMR (fully mixed feed cow feed mixer) at the Hanover International Exhibition. Point out that currently, internationally advanced fertilizer spreaders have achieved intelligent operation control and platformization of single machine functions; The solid manure spreader has the characteristic of completely emptying the fertilizer box, and is equipped with a 10 speed regulator for precise control; Injection type spreaders have been widely used in liquid manure spreaders. An internationally advanced breaking and crushing machine with a cutting frequency of 60000 times per minute, suitable for both square and round bundles; It can automatically adjust the position of the bundle constraint comb and the speed of the scraper. Internationally advanced TMR, utilizing automatic planetary transmission technology; The Twin Stream spiral feeder principle allows the feed to be pushed in both vertical and horizontal directions; It can be designed with a triple helix structure, which can be used for feed processing and also suitable for pad production.
Hu Huaibin believes that participating in such international exhibitions is of great help; It is believed that there are many types of enterprises within the group, and the actual situation of each enterprise is different. It is suggested to consider organizing international inspections and exchanges based on classification.
Han Keli, from Modern Agricultural Equipment, first introduced the current technological status of harvesting and cutting tables, separation and cleaning, and intelligent control. In terms of reducing losses, universal cutting platforms have introduced cross bridge vulcanization treatment and air flow granulation technology; Both universal and corn cutting heads can achieve adaptive shaping according to the terrain. In terms of dual axial flow threshing technology, an automatic leveling system has emerged, which automatically opens and closes the concave baffle according to the position of the machine body, achieving uniform distribution of materials on the cleaning screen during slope operations. The internationally advanced all terrain combine harvester exhibited can achieve automatic leveling of the header, front axle, and threshing and cleaning device.
Han Keli believes that European harvesting equipment is mainly large and not suitable for China's current agricultural production and operation model. It can learn from its advanced cutting, threshing, and cleaning technologies, as well as intelligent technology, human-machine engineering technology, etc., combined with China's national conditions, to develop intelligent joint harvesting equipment suitable for China. Foreign corn harvesting mainly involves replacing the corn header with a grain harvester to harvest grains, with a row spacing of 6-12 rows. Domestic corn harvesting mainly involves harvesting ears, with the main models having 3-6 rows. Good design, excellent products, and high-quality service are important pillars of a brand.
Hua Rongjiang from Zhongji Meinuo first introduced the overall situation of advanced green feeding machines abroad. With the trend of large-scale production, fuel economy has become a key focus, and with the increase of horsepower, the changes in the engine body caused by the change from horizontal to vertical placement have also become a test of research and development design; In terms of the cutting table, there has been an innovative design of adding rotary tillers at the cutting table frame to prevent diseases and pests by crushing corn stubble; The structure of the grain crushing rollers in each company is basically the same, and the main difference is reflected in the structure of adjusting the gap between the grain crushing rollers. In terms of rhizome harvesting, unmanned harvesting and manual sorting products have emerged; There is also an innovative design of separated power components, which shortens the length of the entire machine and makes it more convenient to replace excavation components.
Hua Rongjiang believes that feed quality and market suitability are the key to the design of green feed machines; The advanced green feeding machine manufacturer has launched a function that does not require manual replacement of grinding stones, reflecting the pursuit of excellence. Domestic green feed machines need to improve cutting quality and silk kneading technology; Enhance production, manufacturing, and assembly capabilities.
Huang Kaipeng from China Railway Construction Heavy Industry first pointed out the areas that advanced agricultural machinery enterprises in Europe are worth learning from. For example, in terms of new employee training models, retention of core employees, and leveraging employee motivation; Ensure independent control of key components and processes; Continuously pursuing more advanced production equipment; A testing center with high levels of automation and comprehensive capabilities. The difference in material strength, fastening method, and material level is an important reason for the larger weight and lower reliability of domestic agricultural machinery.
Huang Kaipeng believes that the method of mixed line assembly can quickly meet market demand and adapt to differences in customer needs. However, it requires employees in management, research and development, production, procurement, and other aspects to have higher levels of ability; The commonly used model of developing product functions and pre production in China has the advantages of lower storage pressure and execution difficulty for components, but it is difficult to adapt to market changes in a timely manner, which can easily lead to product inventory backlog. By establishing a self operated R&D testing ground and planting crops according to the R&D plan, enterprises can more effectively shorten the testing time and improve the testing efficiency.
Gao Lei, from the Hohhot Branch of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Machinery, first reported on the inspection of lawn mowing machinery, spreading and drying machinery, strip collection machinery, and bundling machinery. He pointed out that most foreign round bundling machines use belt form and are mainly used for silage operations of forage. The roller type round bundling machine compresses materials from the outside in, so the core is relatively loose, which is conducive to long-term outdoor storage of bundling. It is more suitable for bundling yellow storage materials such as straw, so most round bundling machines in China are roller type; It is believed that the development of large-scale combination lawn mowers, strippers, belt wrapped film round bundling machines, self-propelled large diameter bundling machines, and silage wrapping machines based on forage production and harvesting will be an important direction for the development of forage production and straw collection and bundling equipment in China.
Foreign products have provided good reference in terms of technical application, and the company's self-developed products have improved cases of replacing springs with air supports and increasing the width of the mesh. At the same time, advanced agricultural machinery enterprises abroad have a high level of expertise in talent cultivation, and vocational education emphasizes the importance of practicality. It is worth learning from the talent cultivation model of skilled talents trained through the dual education system, which can quickly adapt to the work environment and seamlessly connect with on-the-job operations.
Yan Hongfeng from Jinlun Kuntian first pointed out that although the development process of wide width robot operation platforms is long, it was not until the release of the NEXAT intelligent agricultural operation platform in Germany in 2021 that it once again attracted industry attention. The NEXAT modular production operation system is a new design concept and operation method, which reduces soil compaction, complies with road transportation standards, and is capable of handling various tasks through controlled transportation tillage, vertical transportation, and modular machinery. At the same time, NEXAT also attaches great importance to cooperation with relevant agricultural machinery enterprises and its own patent protection.
Yan Hongfeng believes that it is necessary to strengthen research on actual product details; The vocational education and technical training system in Germany is worth learning from; The wide robotic agricultural machinery operation platform is an emerging technology field that requires increasing research and development investment and accelerating the formation of patent layout.
Geng Guanjie from the Tianshun Great Wall first introduced the development status of component technology and engineering technology. At present, components are developing towards high integration, with smaller sizes and richer functions; The degree of customization of display control products is higher; There is a certain connection between agricultural machinery and automobiles in Europe in terms of hydraulic control technology. In terms of engineering technology, advanced enterprises have begun to take the overall solution of electro-hydraulic systems as the direction of product layout and design; The electronic control system is also moving towards customization. Because integration and the combination of software and hardware have made modular design more common, efficiency can be ensured through replacement and repair during maintenance; In terms of software, it also follows a unified standard protocol.
The development direction is towards electrohydraulic engineering solutions and micro innovation and modularization; We need to consolidate the electro-hydraulic hardware industry chain and create high-end full chain electro-hydraulic intelligent control solutions.
Tao Lingmin, from Sykes Hydraulic, first pointed out that the hydraulic systems of foreign agricultural machinery mainly use static hydraulic walking and variable working systems to achieve energy conservation and convenient operation. The development direction and R&D focus of international advanced hydraulic component manufacturers and Sykes Hydraulic are both electronic, intelligent, compact, high-power density, and electric drive.
Specifically, compactness, lightweight, and high power density reduce the external dimensions of pumps with the same displacement by one level, resulting in more compact installation space, lighter weight, and convenient equipment layout; Electronicization and intelligence are achieved by transferring component functions into software and enabling or locking them as needed, eliminating the need for manufacturers to program. Machine manufacturers only need to define series specific parameters; Compared to the original hydraulic valves, electric drive is lighter, more compact, energy-saving, achieving low noise, high power, and better compatibility with autonomous driving systems.
Zhou Xingtao from Sailun Group first introduced the global layout of Sailun Group. At present, Sailun has 7 factories in China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and has successfully supplied agricultural tire products to multiple international advanced agricultural machinery enterprises. Point out that the application of VF technology tires is gradually expanding. Moreover, the tire compatibility of some international advanced agricultural machinery enterprises was introduced.
Green and sustainable agriculture is the direction of future development; In order to balance both field and road application environments, the development of mixed pattern tires will be a future trend; Targeting agricultural machinery
