Baoji: From "one furnace of ingots" to "thousands of titanium"

The production and processing volume of titanium materials in Baoji City is about 60,000 tons per year, accounting for about 65% of the national output and 33% of the global output. The industrial scale ranks first in the country and second in the world. At present, Baoji City has formed a relatively complete titanium industry chain. A few days ago, the reporter walked into Baoji Economic Cooperation Bureau, Baoti Group, Shaanxi Topuda Precision equipment Co., Ltd., Baoji High-tech Zone National Titanium Metal High-end Manufacturing Industrial Park, etc., and had in-depth exchanges with experts, scholars and enterprise representatives. visit Baoji to enhance the stability, security and competitiveness of the industrial chain supply chain, and strive to create a world-class titanium and new materials industrial base.

On January 3, the reporter passed Baoti Road in Baoji High-tech Zone and saw that most of the stores dotted with "titanium" signs sold all kinds of titanium alloy materials. Not far away, on the wire rod factory of Baoji Titanium Co., Ltd., which belongs to Baoji Titanium Group, the first independently designed and developed hot continuous rolling production line of titanium and titanium alloy in China, the rod billet with a diameter of 150 mm went through the processes of heating, rolling, drawing and annealing. Into a coil wire with a diameter of only 0.8 mm.

Baoji City is known as China's Titanium Valley. More than 600 titanium enterprises of all kinds are gathered here, and the production of titanium and titanium alloys accounts for about 65% of the national output. Every day, thousands of titanium products are offline from Baoji into the national aerospace, warship, salt, chemical, electric power, medical, new energy and other fields.

Leading enterprises drive the gathering of small and medium-sized enterprises

On Baotian Road, there is a store that sells titanium hardware standard parts. Luo Fei, the shopkeeper, said that the titanium screws produced by his family were sold to Southeast Asia and other places.

Luo Fei is the second generation of titanium. In the 1990s, as titanium was gradually recognized by the society, Baoti Group began to gather a number of small enterprises in front of the shop and behind the factory, engaged in the recovery of titanium slag and titanium smelting, forging, rough processing and other processes. "without Bao Ti Group, there would be no titanium enterprises dotted with Bao Ti on the road." Luo Fei said.

The old factory area of Baotian Group is surrounded by green trees. During the "third-line" construction period, the state laid out a number of "big country heavy weapons" in Baoji City, and Baoti Group settled at the foot of Qinling Mountains.

At that time, scientific research, engineers and technicians from all over the country carried out the production, development and trial production of titanium processing materials in China, making China the fourth country with a complete titanium industrial system after the United States, Russia and Japan.

Driven by leading enterprises, a large number of small and medium-sized titanium enterprises gather around Baoti Group. The titanium processing enterprise founded by Fujian native Wang Yongjin is a typical representative.

Before 2010, Wang Yongjin worked in the catering industry. When traveling to Baoji, he visited the production line of Baoti Group and came into close contact with titanium. "I didn't expect such a metal to be lighter than stainless steel and more resistant to corrosion." He said. Relying on the businessman's mind, he decisively bought back the radial forging machine and other equipment, at the same time leased the factory, set up Baoji Topda Titanium Industry Co., Ltd., to do belt processing for Baoti Group.

On December 27, 2023, in Wang Yongjin's office, he talked eloquently about the characteristics of titanium, the birthplace of titanium ore, why the titanium industry has grown in Baoji, and predicting the trend of China's titanium industry. Not long ago, the National Titanium High-end Manufacturing Industrial Park in Baoji High-tech Zone, invested by Wang Yongjin, was completed, in which the titanium and titanium alloy melting workshop can produce 15000 tons of high-quality and large-size titanium ingots per year.

Anchoring high-end manufacturing to accelerate upgrading

1月3日，在宝钛集团宝钛工业园展厅里，各类板材和钛合金丝闪耀着金属光泽。展厅中心位置，“奋斗者”号载人球舱1∶1模型引人注目。它形象地展示了宝钛集团深厚的科研实力和技术功力。钛合金半球厚度、单重、电子束焊缝厚度等技术指标均打破中国纪录，经受住了马里亚纳海沟1万米巨大压力的考验。

Founded in 1965, Bao Ti Group has built up the whole industry chain from sponge titanium production to titanium smelting, processing, deep processing and equipment manufacturing. Bao Ti Group has also led the formulation of a number of titanium standards, such as most of the national standards related to titanium and the first international standard in the field of titanium, and is a leading enterprise in China's titanium industry.

Li Changjiang, Technical Director of Science and Technology Department of Baotian Group, picked up a sponge titanium and said: "in recent years, our main task is to make this titanium into thinner and thinner plates and finer and thinner wires to meet the processing needs of various high-performance titanium alloys."

2022年北京冬奥会上使用的200辆氢能源客车就有宝钛集团的身影。“用钛带做氢燃料电池金属双极板，对产品的冲压性能、平整度要求很高。我们反复试验，不断优化，最终保障了燃料电池金属双极板性能稳定。”李长江说。

The core components of medical ultrasonic knife need to maintain the stability of all properties in the case of ultra-high frequency vibration. In the past, the materials needed to produce this part could only be imported and were expensive. After hundreds of tests by the Experimental Center of Baotian Group every month, the TC-4 titanium alloy still does not crack under the high frequency vibration of 50,000 times per second. At present, as the main material of ultrasonic knife, it can be produced in batch.

"as titanium alloy thin-walled profiles and high-strength ultra-thin titanium alloy foil break through more and more technical problems, the application fields of Baoti Group products are getting wider and wider." Li Changjiang said.

The scientific research strength of Bao Ti Group is improving, and private enterprises are also growing rapidly.

宝鸡市科辉钛业股份有限公司掌握了特大吨位钛合金锻件的制造工艺，解决了钛合金塑性较高但变形抗力大的加工难题。宝鸡市钛程金属复合材料有限公司拿下英国一个大项目订单。宝鸡富士特钛业集团有限公司为澳大利亚3D打印增材制造公司供应高纯低氧超细钛粉，参与起草中国有色金属钛粉行业标准，成为行业标准制定者。

Juli to build 100 billion Grade Titanium Industry in Baoji

Led by Baotian Group, more than 600 titanium and titanium alloy processing and trading enterprises have settled in Baoji. More than 5000 kinds of titanium products are widely used in aerospace, navigation, new energy, chemical industry, medical and health and other fields, exported to more than 70 countries and regions.

"Baoji titanium industry has a good foundation, what we need to do is to give the enterprise a high-quality development environment." Han Mingfang, director of Baoji Economic Cooperation Bureau and deputy chain manager of Baoji titanium and titanium alloy industry chain, said.

In Baoji City, the main leader of the municipal party committee serves as the leader of the titanium and new materials industry cluster and the chain length of the titanium and titanium alloy industry chain, two municipal leading cadres and the director of the Municipal Economic Cooperation Bureau serve as the deputy chain leader, and the main person in charge of the relevant county is the sub-chain leader. Set up a special class for industrial chain work covering the government, leading enterprises, industry institutions and experts.

"Special classes will find ways to solve the most troublesome problems of venues, talents, and technology in enterprises." Han Mingfang said.

Baoji plans to set up an industrial development fund of 10 billion yuan to solve the financial problems encountered in the development of enterprises, and to set up Baoji Titanium Valley College, Titanium Trading Center and Northwest Advanced structural Materials Research Institute to solve technical problems. start the construction of city and county industrial parks to solve site problems.

Baoji Xinyuan Yida equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is one of the first enterprises in Baoji High-tech Zone Titanium and New Materials Industrial Park. When the enterprise enters the park, it takes a fancy to the perfect matching and centralized and unified management of the industrial park.

宝鸡市用一系列“组合拳”为产业链“强筋壮骨”。目前，宝鸡钛及新材料产业集群被列入国家战略性新兴产业集群发展工程，并入选国家中小企业特色产业集群。其中，规上企业158户、高新技术企业110户、年产值过亿元的企业近40户，有效激发了传统产业活力。

In recent years, with the strong demand for titanium in aerospace, marine engineering and civil fields, other cities in the country, such as Panzhihua in Sichuan, Lishui in Zhejiang, Chuxiong in Yunnan and other places are actively building titanium industry projects.

Han Mingfang said: "in the face of 'chasing troops', on the one hand, we should continue to seek technological breakthroughs to drive the upstream and downstream of the industry to achieve technological progress, industrial upgrading, and intelligent transformation, and move towards the high end of the value chain; on the other hand, through policy guidance and market resource allocation means, encourage enterprises to divide and cooperate, create a new type of industrial consortium, and promote the industrial chain to extend and expand to downstream application fields. Our goal is that by the end of the 14th five-year Plan, the city's titanium processing capacity will reach 100000 tons, the total output value of titanium and new materials industrial clusters will exceed 100 billion yuan, five listed enterprises, and 100 high-level talents. "