On June 15, at the invitation of Academician Wang Guodong, Gao Weilin, a distinguished alumnus of NEU visited RAL for academic exchange, and delivered an enlightening lecture titled “Development of Copper and Copper Alloys” to the teachers and students in RAL at a seminar hosted by Academician Wang Guodong.
Relating to his working experience in Japan, Dr. Gao gave a systematic introduction to the development of Cooper and Cooper alloys as well as the internationally cutting-edge copper processing technology. His lecture consisted of the following four parts: “Basic Knowledge of Copper and Copper Alloys", "The Attributes of Cooper Alloys and Difficulties in Developing and Processing Copper Alloys", "The Status Quo of China's Copper Processing Enterprises and the Gap with Advanced Foreign Enterprises" , and "Future Development of Copper Alloys”.
Through extensive case study and detailed data analysis, Dr. Gao demonstrated some important properties and technical difficulties of copper alloys, including strength - conductivity, strength - bending property, bending property - stress relaxation properties, etc. He also pointed out the huge gap between domestic copper processing enterprises and international standards, and the problems we currently face, including lack of vitality in new product research and development, resemblance in product programs, low-end and inefficient output, and so on. In the field of copper alloy strip, no Chinese brand accounted for a big market share in international market, and China totally relied on imports for high-end products. Finally, Dr. Gao identified the market-oriented and industry-university-research-application pattern as the pattern in the new round of competition among copper and copper alloy enterprises in the future.
The teachers and students present at the seminar were deeply impressed by Dr. Gao’s rigorous scholarship, dedicated professionalism, explorative method and innovative spirit. He set a great example for the teachers and students in RAL on how to carry out research work.
After the seminar, Dr. Gao had a heated discussion with teachers and students from RAL on some specific technological problems, and reached a preliminary intention of cooperation with the laboratory on the R&D and manufacture of copper alloy plate and strip at low cost and high performance. The two sides hoped to promote the R&D capability and manufacturing technology of China's copper and copper alloy industry to a new level by their joint efforts.
Introduction to Dr. Gao Weilin
Gao Weilin, a distinguished alumnus of NEU, majored in pressure processing in NEU from 1980 to 1993, and successively won his bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degree. From 1996 to 1999, he studied in the Department of Intelligent Mechanical Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications (Japan) and got his doctorate degree in engineering. From 1999 to 2001, he finished his postdoctoral work in Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Since 2002, Dr. Gao served as a researcher and later chair researcher in Japan Dowa Holdings Co., Ltd, mainly engaging in the research and development in copper alloy plate strip, especially the second and third generation of copper lead frame. He solved a number of key technical problems at the manufacturing site of copper and copper alloys, and took charge of intellectual property management and overseas technical guidance in the company. Dr. Gao mastered a number of core technologies in processing technology and quality control, and had developed nearly 30 kinds of copper alloys of various components and usages. Among them 15 kinds of copper alloys had been put into industrial production, including 7 commercialized alloys with an annual output of more than 500 tons.
Since 2002, Dr. Gao has published more than 70 academic papers, and received 83 patents for invention. During the period of his studying and working in Japan, he won a number of prizes awarded by Japan Institute of Metals and the Japan Institute of Cooper. Meanwhile, he assumed the role of vice chairman and review committee member in more than 10 institutes and associations. In 2010, he was honored “Special Contribution Award” at the 50th anniversary of Japan Cooper Association.
At present, Dr. Gao has returned to China to start his undertaking. In 2014, he set up Precision Copper Strip High-tech Company in Future Sci-Tech City (Haichuang Park) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. In 2015 he cooperated with Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd to establish a joint venture named Tongling High-Copper Technology Co., Ltd, dealing with the research, development and industrialization of high precision copper alloys.