China News Service, Chongqing, October 16 (Reporter Zhong Yi) The Chongqing Science and Technology Awards Conference was held locally on the 16th, at which the list of winners of the "2025 Chongqing Science and Technology Awards" was announced. Wang Shilong, professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering of Chongqing University and director of the Industrial Machinery Innovation Research Institute of Chongqing University, won the "Outstanding Contribution Award in Science and Technology".
Mechanical transmission is the core foundation of high-end equipment manufacturing industry, and gears and industrial machines are typical representatives. Wang Shilong has been engaged in research in this field for 35 years. At the National Science and Technology Awards Conference held in July this year, the "Key Technologies and Equipment for the Design and Manufacturing of High-Performance Worm Gear Transmissions under Heavy Load and Complex Working Conditions" project he led won the second prize of the 2025 National Technology Invention Award, helping my country's core basic components of high-end equipment to achieve independent controllability. Previously, he also took the lead in winning many important awards such as the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award and the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award.
"In the past, our large-size gear machine tools could only reach about 1 meter, but now we can reach more than 3 meters." Wang Shilong said in a recent interview with a reporter from China News Service that gears are important industrial basic parts, and the industrial mother machine that manufactures gears is "the machine that produces machines." "The industrial mother machine is the source. If the accuracy of the industrial mother machine is not improved, then the subsequent supply chain will compete at the low end."
In recent years, the team has achieved breakthroughs in accuracy, noise, and specifications in the field of large-size gear machine tools: hobbing processing accuracy has been improved from level 7 to 8 in the past to level 5 to 6. The accuracy of the gear grinding machine has been improved to Level 3, which can meet the high-speed gear processing needs of new energy vehicles.
On the basis of improving accuracy, Wang Shilong's team is currently also focusing on the forward design of gear machine tools and grinding machine tools. Wang Shilong said that scientific research must "know what it is and why it is what it is." Forward design is to conduct in-depth analysis of the root causes of problems, strengthen weak links, remove redundant designs, and ultimately produce truly optimized machine tool products, which are then produced and industrialized by leading companies. "The team plans to complete the forward design of 20 types of machine tools within three years and realize all industrialization."
Currently, the wave of artificial intelligence is sweeping across all walks of life, and the field of industrial machines is no exception. Regarding the combination of artificial intelligence and industrial machines, Wang Shilong believes that AI currently plays an auxiliary role and can be used in CNC programming to achieve "zero programming", reduce labor intensity, improve program stability, and also help search for better innovative solutions. "But no matter how far AI develops, people still play a decisive role." He often reminds students: "Artificial intelligence will always be an auxiliary, and talents are the main body."
"Scientific research work cannot be sustained by interest alone, demand traction is the original driving force." Talking about the 35 years of persistence, Wang Shilong said that it is the country's major needs, the profound academic foundation, and the sense of accomplishment after solving many years of technical confusion that have allowed generations to continue.
In order to truly implement the technology, Wang Shilong's team implemented the industry-university-research model 20 to 30 years ago, deeply binding with local leading companies such as Chongqing Machine Tools, Landai Transmission, Thalys, Changan Automobile, etc., forming a closed loop of "the company proposes problems and the team solves them" - graduate students directly live in the company's workshop to do research and adjust equipment, and company engineers enter the classroom to participate in teaching. This deep integration of "production and education at the same frequency" not only accelerates the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the production line, but also allows top innovative talents to refine and grow in real problems, real equipment, and real scenarios.
"Chongqing is an old industrial base, and the equipment manufacturing industry is one of the pillar industries. If gears and their industrial base machines are made well, Chongqing's high-end equipment manufacturing will have a foundation for further development." Talking about the future, Wang Shilong said that he will continue to lead the team to delve into the field of mechanical transmission and strive to build Chongqing as a source of original innovation for gear machine tools and a high ground for global gear machine tool talent training.
