Chongqing - Often hidden inside machines, gears play a crucial role in powering modern industries. From household appliances to industrial equipment and new energy vehicles, these small components determine accuracy, efficiency and reliability.
High-precision gears depend on industrial machine tools, the backbone of modern manufacturing. While countries such as Germany and Japan have long held advantages in high-end equipment and precision technologies, China is accelerating independent research and development to upgrade its manufacturing capabilities.
Behind this push for advanced manufacturing is Wang Shilong, President of the Chongqing University Research Institute of Machine Tool Innovation, who has spent years exploring breakthroughs in machine tool technologies.
He is among the recipients to be honored at the Chongqing Science and Technology Innovation Conference on October 16 for the 2025 Chongqing Science and Technology Awards.
On October 10, Professor Wang Shilong inspects gear components at the Chongqing University Research Institute of Machine Tool Innovation. (Photo/Huxin Luo)
Wang has long focused on mechanical transmission, gear manufacturing and industrial machine tools, witnessing the continuous improvement of Chongqing’s precision manufacturing capabilities.
Wang’s connection with mechanical transmission and industrial machine tools began when he studied at Chongqing University. Over the years, his research has focused on gear processing, gear machine tools and related manufacturing technologies.
Chongqing has a long history of mechanical manufacturing, providing an industrial foundation for developing gear and mechanical transmission technologies.
For example, Chongqing Machine Tool (Group) has long specialized in researching and manufacturing gear processing machines. Meanwhile, Chongqing University has maintained long-term research programs in industrial machine tools, gear machine tools and grinding machines.
Looking back on his research journey, Wang once used a phrase to describe the challenges he faced: “For a period of time, developing new technologies was not as good as copying them; copying was not as good as buying them; and buying was not as good as renting them.”
Professor Wang Shilong explains to students how industrial machine tool products are applied. (Photo/Huxin Luo)
Wang recalled that between 2008 and 2013, research in basic fields such as mechanical transmission faced certain difficulties. “When we had no projects, we spent more time going to enterprises,” he said.
By working directly with manufacturers and helping solve practical production problems, the team gained a deeper understanding of industrial needs and identified new research directions.
In Wang’s view, this reflected the gap between some areas of China’s basic manufacturing equipment and advanced international technologies at that time. Purchasing mature equipment could meet short-term production needs, but improving manufacturing capabilities ultimately required mastering the core technologies behind the equipment.
As manufacturing continued to develop, the importance of independent innovation became increasingly clear. Basic fields such as mechanical transmission and industrial machine tools regained attention, creating new opportunities for researchers to pursue deeper technological development driven by industrial needs.
Moving beyond “made” toward “made well”
For industrial machine tools, competition is not only about whether equipment can process components, but also whether it can achieve high precision and maintain stable performance over long-term operation. Wang and his team have continued research on gear-processing equipment, seeking to improve machining accuracy, stability, and reliability.
In Wang’s view, some areas of China’s industrial machine tool development have shifted from asking “whether it can be made” to “whether it can be made well.” In the past, the industry first needed to develop equipment that could meet basic requirements. Today, as processing accuracy continues to improve, the remaining gap with advanced international levels increasingly comes down to long-term stability and reliability.
“Today, the gap between the accuracy of our machine tools and that of foreign counterparts is no longer large. The main differences are in areas such as precision retention and rigidity,” Wang said.
Precision retention refers to a machine's ability to maintain stable processing accuracy during long-term operation. For advanced manufacturing, the real challenge is not only achieving high precision once, but also maintaining consistent performance during long-term, large-scale production.
The interior of the worm grinding machine jointly developed by Professor Wang Shilong's team and Chongqing Machine Tool (Group). (Photo/Huxin Luo)
To address this challenge, Wang and his team have conducted long-term research in mechanical transmission. Their studies on oil films represent an important step toward improving transmission system stability.
In high-speed gear transmission systems, a stable oil film can reduce direct component contact, lower wear, and improve reliability. However, accurately determining whether an oil film forms during high-speed operation and measuring changes in its thickness has long been a technical challenge in mechanical transmission.
To address this problem, Wang’s team proposed a method to measure oil film thickness by monitoring changes in electrical resistance. The equivalent resistance method overcame this measurement challenge and supported efforts to optimize mechanical transmission performance.
For Wang, improving precision manufacturing capabilities remains a continuous process. Beyond transmission system reliability, further improvements are needed in machine tool rigidity, thermal stability, and processing efficiency to advance industrial machine tools.
In recent years, Wang and his team have also collaborated with companies such as Chongqing Machine Tool and Seres, combining scientific research with industrial needs. As Chongqing’s manufacturing sector upgrades toward new energy vehicles and intelligent manufacturing, demand for precision manufacturing technologies continues to grow, providing real-world applications for related research achievements.