On July 14, 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology completed the review and officially publicized the list of the 5th batch of national-level "Specialized, Refined, Differential and Innovative (SRDI) Little Giant" enterprises. Aerospace Engineering Equipment (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (AEE) was successfully selected and awarded the title of national SRDI Little Giant Enterprise.

What are SRDI Little Giant Enterprises?

The title of SRDI Little Giant Enterprise represents the highest-level and most authoritative honor for small and medium-sized enterprises across China. It recognizes pioneering enterprises that focus on niche market segments, boast strong innovation capabilities, hold large market shares, master core key technologies and deliver excellent quality and economic benefits. Such enterprises play a vital role in enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as improving the stability and resilience of industrial and supply chains.

This accreditation is an authoritative recognition of AEE's commitment to specialized, refined, differentiated and innovative development, and a high affirmation of its comprehensive strength in technological innovation, core technologies and market application within the industry.

Specialized Expertise & Robust Growth

Founded in 2011, AEE is an industrialization enterprise of friction stir welding (FSW) equipment with key support from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. The company has focused on intelligent FSW equipment for 11 years. Its core products include FSW equipment and production lines, serving key national sectors such as aerospace, new energy, power electronics, rail transit, automotive and shipbuilding. Its business falls into the category of advanced fundamental processes among the "Six Key Industrial Foundations", as well as high-end CNC machine tools and robots under the strategy of building a manufacturing powerhouse. Its intelligent FSW technology and equipment for ultra-long profiles fill the domestic gap in long-stroke FSW and are widely applied in rail transit. The intelligent constant-pressure FSW equipment addresses the domestic technical shortcomings in this field and serves power electronics and new energy vehicle industries. Besides, the FSW production line for new energy vehicle battery trays is a world-first solution for the new energy automotive sector.

Market-oriented & Pursuit of Excellence

In recent years, AEE's flagship products have ranked first in both domestic and global FSW equipment markets. As a leading player in friction stir welding and special welding sectors, the company owns 7 independent brands with high visibility and influence. Through tackling key technical challenges, AEE has achieved a number of domestically leading and internationally advanced results: It pioneered the high-precision closed-loop synchronous control technology for large-span gantry equipment, achieving a closed-loop control accuracy of 0.3mm per 56 meters and enabling FSW for welds over 20 meters in length. The self-developed welding technology for ultra-long thin-walled structures solves technical bottlenecks in welding, flexible clamping and high-load spindle manufacturing, realizing one-piece welding of 7.5-meter-long rocket tank longitudinal seams. The innovative adaptive forming technology for AC-axis guide rails supports welding of 2–20mm 3D curved welds, overcoming difficulties in welding complex curved aerospace components. Moreover, the dual-sided synchronous FSW technology for high-strength aluminum alloys enables one-step forming of 70mm thick workpieces.

R&D-driven Innovation & Solid Strength

AEE has a professional team led by doctors, covering mechanical design, welding technology, material engineering, electrical control and other disciplines with solid expertise and rich engineering experience. Adhering to technological innovation, the company has developed a full range of technologies, including high-speed FSW process, thick aluminum plate FSW process, stationary shoulder FSW process, dual-shoulder FSW process, aluminum-copper alloy FSW process and cast aluminum FSW process. It has also developed heavy-duty parallel FSW main heads, high-rigidity serial AC oscillating mechanisms, automatic weld tracking technology and constant-pressure welding control technology. AEE has built a complete product portfolio covering standardized FSW equipment, high-end customized units and intelligent automated FSW production lines. Based on mature FSW technologies, the company has made breakthroughs in additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) and developed China's first intelligent integrated solid-state friction additive manufacturing equipment.

AEE has realized full independent control over both hardware and software of its self-developed FSW and additive manufacturing equipment. The products have been widely applied in rail transit, aerospace, new energy vehicles, electronic information and other fields, breaking foreign technological monopolies and realizing domestic substitution of high-end intelligent FSW equipment. To date, AEE has obtained 107 authorized patents in FSW and custom special equipment, including 21 invention patents, 71 utility model patents and 15 design patents, along with 18 software copyrights. The company has participated in formulating the group standard Welding and Manufacturing Specification for Aluminum Alloy Battery Trays of New Energy Vehicles and led the compilation of Tentative Specification for Friction Stir Welding of Cast Aluminum, both of which have been put into industrial application.

Continuous recognition from the industry will keep fueling AEE's development. Taking this accreditation as a new starting point, the company will continue to deepen R&D on FSW processes and equipment, adhere to the path of specialization, refinement, differentiation and innovation, foster new growth drivers, and build new competitive edges and sustainable development capabilities.