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As the low-altitude economy is developing rapidly across the country, the aerospace sector in Taicang, Jiangsu is "flying high". In the first half of this year, Taicang signed 63 low-altitude economy projects with a total investment of 15.43 billion yuan, ranking first in Suzhou. In addition, Taicang has gathered more than 160 supporting enterprises in the aerospace industry chain.

Focusing on the aerospace industry, Taicang focuses on key aviation components, core basic materials, avionics systems, aviation services and other key areas, highlighting key areas such as low-altitude economy, additive manufacturing, and civil aviation testing. Regionally, it has formed a "one body and two wings" development pattern with Taicang High-tech Zone as the main body and the port area and Chengxiang Science and Technology Industrial Park as the two wings.

Hard-core technology creates a "strong heart" for aircraft and rockets

In recent years, Taicang has focused on developing engine parts, fuselage fasteners, structural parts, precision parts and other fuselage parts, as well as interior devices such as aviation seats, and supported enterprises to participate in subcontracted production and maintenance services of international aircraft manufacturers.

Aircraft engines are power supply devices for aircraft, known as the "heart" of aircraft, and are the core link of the entire aviation industry chain. Jiangsu Dianshi Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., located in Taicang Aviation Industrial Park, is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the design, research and development, and industrialization of small aircraft engines. The 550 kg thrust-class high-altitude high-band single-shaft turbojet engine it developed has reached the international advanced level in terms of fuel consumption, thrust-to-weight ratio, reliability and other major technical indicators. On the premise of ensuring comprehensive performance, the economic affordability of this engine is fully considered. This thrust-class supersonic target aircraft power system fills a domestic gap.

Image source: Taicang Release

The aircraft engine is called the "heart" of the aircraft, and the turbine blades are called the "heart valves" of the aircraft engine. The material used to make the blades directly determines the power of the aircraft engine. Jiangsu Huatai Ruixiang Technology Co., Ltd., also located in Taicang, uses titanium aluminum alloys with a density half that of traditional nickel-based high-temperature alloys. It has high specific strength and modulus, good corrosion resistance, and excellent creep and fatigue resistance in the range of 600°C to 800°C. Titanium aluminum alloy blades partially replace nickel-based high-temperature alloy blades to achieve a significant reduction in engine weight. Advanced aircraft engines using titanium aluminum alloy blades can increase fuel efficiency by 20%, reduce noise by 50%, and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80%.

Image source: Taicang Release

At present, Taicang's aerospace industry-related enterprises are developing strongly: Tianhang Changying (Jiangsu) Technology Co., Ltd. is deeply involved in the development of the C919 display system; many German companies represented by Schaeffler, Zhuoneng Electronics, and Julang Chiron have entered the aerospace industry with advanced technology foundations...

85% of rocket parts can be manufactured by 3D printing

In recent years, with the development and breakthroughs of 3D printing technology, its application areas are constantly expanding, especially in the national strategic industry of aerospace.

In an aviation industrial park in Taicang, most of the products produced on the production line are related to aerospace. One of the production lines is producing an important component of rocket engines - the tail nozzle. The production and assembly process of rockets is very complicated and the requirements for technology are very strict. The tail nozzle is an important component responsible for converting the high-temperature and high-pressure gas generated by combustion into thrust. The manufacture of the tail nozzle must not only consider the rocket's carrying efficiency, but also take into account the lightweight requirements and strictly control its weight.

Image source: CCTV.com

With the application of 3D printing technology, there is more room for imagination in the design and manufacture of tail nozzles. Through the perspective view of the tail nozzle, we can see that the designers have optimized and adjusted the internal structure of the tail nozzle, turning it into a lattice structure. It is through this design that the material and weight can be reduced as much as possible while ensuring its function and rigidity. According to the designers, the lattice structure design makes the tail nozzle 30% lighter, significantly shortening the entire manufacturing cycle of design-test-production, and better meeting the needs of the aerospace industry.

Image source: CCTV.com

The designers also introduced that 3D printing is not limited to the tail nozzle. On a whole rocket, 85% of the parts can be completed by 3D printing technology. With the ingenuity of the designers, the number of parts is becoming less and less.

Seizing the opportunity of integrated industrial development in the Yangtze River Delta, Taicang has promoted the coordinated development of the entire aerospace industry chain by applying 3D printing technology, achieving outstanding results with more than 160 aerospace industry chain enterprises and an output value of over 20 billion yuan, and striving to create an industry business card of "Go to Taicang for Aviation".

To develop a better ecosystem for your business

Just set the data collection target, and the drone will automatically take off from the hangar. With the high-speed processing capability of big data, relevant data reports can be generated in a short time. This use model of drones is no longer a fantasy, but has become the basic architecture of its application scenarios.

Although the drone-related industry continues to receive attention and concern at the policy level, there are still many constraints in reality. Previously, the application for test flight of medium and large drones required a series of complicated procedures. At the same time, the models applied for test flight were limited to those that had obtained market flight permission. This made it difficult for companies to test the relevant performance data of newly developed drones in actual environments, and they also lacked test flight experience in actual application scenarios.

In response to this problem, Taicang directly hit the "pain point" of test flights. On May 10, a medium-sized drone from Jiachuang Feihang (Suzhou) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. successfully took off at the Taicang UAV test flight base. Since then, companies can directly test flights without going through the cumbersome application procedures in the past, greatly reducing the cost of testing. Subsequently, many companies such as Tianzhiyi and Gelupu Machinery conducted more than 50 flight tests here, and the companies are not only from Taicang, but also radiate to surrounding areas.

Image source: Taicang Release

Taicang UAV test flight base is the first civil UAV test flight operation base in Suzhou City and the second in Jiangsu Province. The base has an airspace of approximately 21 square kilometers and a true altitude of 300 meters. It has a UAV flight service center, a vertical take-off and landing area for UAVs, and a fixed-wing UAV take-off and landing runway. It can meet the needs of test flights, training, and demonstration activities for various types of UAVs such as multi-rotor, compound wing, and fixed-wing UAVs.

Image source: Taicang Release

At present, Taicang City has been approved for a total of 5 low-altitude test flight airspaces. The approved airspaces are distributed throughout the city, and some are directly set up in corporate parks. Taicang's airspace basically meets the routine flight test needs of UAV manufacturers in Taicang.

In addition, Taicang established the Taicang Angel Investment Fund and the Taicang Port Area Angel Investment Fund, built the Taicang Aerospace Industry Exhibition Center, and continuously improved the guarantee factors.

By Tang Xinci

Source: CCTV.com, Guangming.com, Suzhou Municipal People's Government website, Taicang Transportation, Taicang Release