Faced with the urgent demand for supply chain security and independent controllability in the materials testing industry, SINOTEST has achieved a new breakthrough!Recently, the domestic fully automated testing system developed by SINOTEST Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “SINOTEST”) has been successfully delivered to the customer and officially put into operation.Featuring fully domestic component integration and “dual-station” intelligent collaboration, the system sets a new benchmark for high-efficiency, precise and reliable material property testing, and strongly advances the independence and self-reliance of China’s testing equipment industry.
The system is applied to the fully automated inspection of aviation components. It consists of a specimen rack feeding unit, a robotic handling unit, a laser marking unit, a scanning & dimensional inspection unit, a testing unit, and a visualization unit. It integrates the entire workflow of material property testing, including automatic marking, dimensional measurement, tensile testing, and 5G data transmission, enabling full-process unmanned continuous operation.
In response to actual application requirements, SINOTEST has adopted a unique dual-station design for the system’s testing unit, equipped with 2 sets of self-developed DF-series electronic universal testing machines dedicated to fully automated systems.
Unlike the traditional single-station configuration, the dual-station design can simultaneously satisfy the synchronous testing requirements of different specimens (sheets, bars) without manual specimen type replacement. In actual testing, operators only need to enter specimen information, and the system will automatically classify and test the specimens, which greatly improves production efficiency.
Furthermore, the robotic handling unit adopts a dual-gripper structure, integrating two independent grippers on a single robotic arm. It can simultaneously complete the loading and unloading of the dual-station, reducing the cycle time by up to 30%–50%.Overall, the system’s Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) can reach more than 85%, enabling an accurate testing capacity of over 70,000 pieces per year.This innovative design not only improves single-point efficiency but also, through systematic collaborative optimization, sets a new benchmark for high-efficiency inspection in the industry.
In addition to enabling highly efficient testing, this fully automated inspection system boasts four core strengths: domestic independence, high precision, full automation & visualization, and green energy efficiency.
All-round Domestic Replacement, Advancing Independent & Controllable R&D and Production
Against the trend of growing demand for supply chain security in the materials testing industry, this system has achieved full domestic substitution from core components to the control system.
The system integrates core domestic units such as domestic 6-axis industrial robots and domestic laser marking machines, establishing a complete domestic solution covering feeding, marking and precision measurement.This marks a crucial step forward for China’s aviation materials testing equipment on the path to independent controllability, security and reliability.
High-precision Measurement, Empowering High-end Manufacturing
SINOTEST has also equipped the system with self-developed load cells and coaxiality regulators. The coaxiality of the testing unit can be controlled within 5%, ensuring highly accurate and reliable material test data.The hydraulic side-acting grips of the testing machine utilize high-precision proportional servo valves to control the clamping pressure from the hydraulic power unit, enabling precise adjustment within 21 MPa.This effectively preserves the original condition of specimens prior to testing and guarantees the authenticity and authority of test results at the source.
The entire testing process is fully automated, with the robot strictly following pre set procedures for specimen gripping, positioning, clamping and unloading. This completely eliminates inconsistencies in clamping force, alignment deviations and other errors caused by differences in operator skill, physical strength or working status, thereby ensuring testing consistency and data reliability. During the test, the specimen deformation is monitored in real time by two automatic extensometers. Supported by servo control and dual channel safety protection design, the system ensures precise measurement and equipment safety, providing an additional layer of guarantee for accurate material testing.
Fully Automatic Visualization, Leading the Intelligent Manufacturing Era
In actual operation, only **one operator per shift** is required for inspection, enabling **uninterrupted 7×24-hour operation**. The system realizes fully automated, unmanned intelligent assembly-line operation covering the entire workflow: from data reception, automatic sample feeding, extensometer gauge adjustment, loading, sample unloading to data uploading.
Test data is seamlessly connected with the client-side cloud service platform in real time. Test data can be uploaded to the cloud within 30 milliseconds, while the specimen’s process parameters and production status can be monitored in real time via a digital dashboard. This ensures transparent production status, reduces manual labor, and enables full-lifecycle digital management of test data.
Full-process automation and real-time data visualization convert material performance testing capabilities into consistent and stable digital output, providing a solid data foundation for customers’ process optimization and quality traceability.
Green & Energy-efficient Design・Advancing Sustainable Development
During testing, all fixtures can automatically adapt the clamping force according to specimen dimensions, covering specimen lengths from 180 to 400 mm, achieving reduced heat generation and maximum energy efficiency.
In addition, SINOTEST equips the entire system with a low-noise hydraulic power unit, ensuring environmental noise below 65 dB to help customers maintain a comfortable working environment. The high-efficiency fume extraction system integrated with the laser marking unit purifies harmful gases generated during specimen marking in real time, achieving a dust concentration of less than 0.1 mg/m³. This effectively ensures a safe and eco-friendly workplace, integrates the people-oriented concept into engineering practice, and supports customers in fulfilling their social responsibility for green manufacturing!
The successful commissioning of the system represents not only an innovative breakthrough in testing technology, but also a vivid application of the intelligent manufacturing concept in the aviation sector. To date, the system has been stably performing incoming re-inspection tasks for more than ten types of key metallic materials and composite components used in domestic aircraft.
Going forward, SINOTEST will continue to uphold the philosophy of technological innovation. With smarter and more precise testing equipment solutions, we will further support the high-quality development of China’s material testing industry and contribute greater strength to building a strong manufacturing nation!
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