At a factory in Qingdao, Shandong Province, artificial intelligence (AI) has been given a practical task: writing instructions for machines that make precision molds.
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The factory produces various components, including washing machine front panels. Even the slightest deviation from design specifications can result in substandard components and lead to waste. To address this, Qingdao Ruilijie Metal Co., Ltd. implemented an AI-based programming system that helps improve precision and efficiency.
Factory director Guo Weiwei said the system has cut development time for new orders by about a week, reduced product defects, and saved the company more than 3 million yuan annually.
These savings are driven by meticulous efforts to prepare the data needed for the AI application. A team of 80 people spent a year collecting, cleaning, and standardizing engineering drawings to build a data set that the system could use.
Mold manufacturing is a largely custom-made industry. Engineers have different design habits, and the drawings they create don't always follow the same conventions. Getting the AI to understand these differences is no easy task.
When the system was first implemented last July, it produced parts that were 0.2 millimeters larger than they should have been because it relied solely on three-dimensional drawings without cross-checking them with corresponding two-dimensional drawings. Engineers then added an automatic verification function, and the system has since been adopted by other mold manufacturers.
The Qingdao project illustrates China's potential advantage in AI: the sheer number of practical tasks the technology can handle.
As the world's largest manufacturing industry, China boasts a vast network of factories and suppliers and strong engineering expertise. This industrial base offers opportunities for developing and refining AI tools for specific tasks.
Official data released in October showed that the adoption rate of AI in key application scenarios among large-scale manufacturing companies has exceeded one-third. Since the Chinese government launched its "AI Plus" initiative in 2024, provinces and businesses have stepped up efforts to develop AI tools tailored to specific sectors, such as mining, ports, and logistics.
In other sectors, AI is taking over jobs in locations difficult for humans to reach. Around Mount Tai in Shandong, steep slopes make inspecting power transmission lines difficult and risky. Power utility State Grid Tai'an is now using AI to examine drone images to detect 12 types of defects.
Yu Tao, an employee in the digitalization department at State Grid Tai'an, said the company's AI system has helped detect and address 31 potential hazards at Mount Tai tourist attractions since the beginning of this year. The system has also made the inspection process six times more efficient.
In healthcare, AI is now being applied beyond the factory floor. At West China Hospital of Sichuan University in southwest China, an AI-powered system now manages patient follow-up across 43 clinical departments.
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