Couples of days ago, in the production workshop of Shenyang Machine Tool (Group) Company Limited, Guan Xiyou, chairman of the board of the company, used a cell phone to remotely communicate with a CNC machine tool, giving a demonstration of how the intelligent machine tool operation system, which he nicknames as "5i", carry out remote monitoring, smart cutting, automatic programming, and intelligent diagnosing.

Different from the processing procedure of ordinary CNC machine tools, workers working on the "5i" intelligent machine tools, which install all kinds of software, need only to touch the screen gently and all kinds of information needed for production, including blueprints, production plan, and technology information, are displayed. After data inputting and intelligent analysis and processing by the machine tools, finished products will be presented in front of you. The preparation, which used to take one hour, is shortened to five minutes, greatly improving the processing efficiency. In the meantime, on the basis of control system R&D, a production management system provided for the clients through informatization has been generated.

The Feiyang series CNC machine tool system that possesses the ability to "think and create", and "solve problems and diagnose" is the world's first intelligent CNC machine tool developed successfully by Shenyang Machine Tool's R&D team at the end of 2011. It extensively integrates information technology, movement control technology, electronic technology, and machine tool technology, and is an innovative result of the extensive integration of Shenyang Machine Tool's industrialization and informatization. It achieves intelligent individual machine, unit automation, and digitalized factory management, successfully tackling the core technology of numerical control system.

CNC machine tools are basic equipments of the modern manufacturing industry, and the numerical control system is the "brain" of CNC machine tools. As the top-ranking enterprise of the global machine tool industry and a leader of the machine tool industry in China, Shenyang Machine Tool's unremitting exploration and breakthroughs in developing the "brain" independently is an epitome of the development of China's machine tool industry.

Currently, boosted by demands from the domestic market, China has achieved remarkable results in the field of industrial automation. Through R&D, Chinese industrial enterprises have made great improvement on the design, production, and manufacturing ability of CNC machine tools, shortening the distance from global leading technologies. In April this year, on the China CNC Machine Tool Fair 2012, hundreds of Chinese machine tool enterprises exhibited their newly developed numerical control products, which was believed to be an active attempt made by China's CNC machine tool industry to march towards the high-end market and key areas.

For decades, China's machine tool industry and enterprises, from following and imitating others' technologies to independent R&D, from import digesting and absorption and re-innovation to integrated innovation, and to original innovation, have repeatedly experienced "lagging behind - catching up and overtaking - lagging behind again - catching up and overtaking again". In recent years, many companies have realized that only innovations centered on the demands of the terminal markets can solve the fundamental problems. The path for innovation is becoming clearer and clearer, and the pace quickening.

Shenyang High-precision CNC Technology Company Limited, who specializes in high-performance numerical control system, has developed the new-generation bus-based fully-digital high-end computer numerical control system and other serialized new products with typical characteristics of the integration of industrialization and informatization, by means of practicing the integration of industrialization and informatization and boosting the performance of products aided by information technology.

By carrying out specialized tasks, Shenyang High-precision CNC has tackled core and key technologies of high-end CNC system, including onsite bus, multi-channels and multi-axe linkage, and multi-channel and compound processing, developed the new-generation bus-based high-end CNC system, established a demonstration base for testing, production, and application, and built up bulk production capability for Chinese high-end CNC systems.

As Chinese mid-end CNC machine tools enter the market in large volume, some high-end CNC machine tools begin to enter key industries and core manufacturing areas, and are being used at initial stage. Tang Limin, director of the CNC Factory of Chengdu Airplane Company, said that: "the average use rate of 4 out of 5 of Chengdu Airplane Company's Chinese CNC machine tools is 85.7 percent, and the use rate of similar imported machine tools is 89.5 percent, Chinese equipments being on a similar level with foreign equipments".