Under the guidance of the “high-end, intelligent and green” transformation goals specified in the “14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Machinery Industry”, China’s machinery manufacturing industry is experiencing a critical leap from “scale expansion” to “value enhancement”.
According to relevant data, the market size of China’s machinery manufacturing industry will reach 22.3 trillion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%. Among them, the CNC processing equipment market accounts for about 15% and is expected to exceed 4 trillion yuan in 2025.
As a high-end equipment with multi-process integration capabilities of “drilling-milling-tapping”, the demand for gantry CNC drilling and milling machines has grown rapidly as downstream industries upgrade their requirements for “accuracy, efficiency, and customization.”
In 2025, the market demand for gantry CNC drilling and milling machines will increase by 18.2% year-on-year, far exceeding the 5.6% growth rate of traditional processing equipment.
There are many core processing pain points in the machinery manufacturing and automotive fields.
With the iteration of requirements for product accuracy, efficiency and customization in downstream industries, traditional processing equipment has become difficult to adapt to complex scenarios.
The main pain points focus on the loss of precision in multi-process flow, the contradiction between customized needs and standardized equipment, and the dual pressures of green manufacturing and cost control.
For example, in machinery manufacturing, the processing of large castings requires multiple processes, and the cumulative clamping error of traditional methods can reach more than 0.1mm. 72% of the companies surveyed listed “multi-process clamping errors” as the primary reason for the failure of high-end castings.
Engine block processing in the automotive manufacturing field also faces challenges. The rework rate of traditional drilling machines reaches 20%, and the number of engine noise complaints caused by hole spacing errors reaches 12%.
In response to these pain points, the gantry CNC drilling and milling machine has achieved the core value of “multi-process integration, controllable precision, and scene adaptation” through the three technical directions of “high-precision integration, intelligent control, and customized adaptation.”
In terms of high-precision integration, the core advantage of the gantry CNC drilling and milling machine is “multi-process integration”, which eliminates clamping errors through high-rigidity structures and high-precision components.
For example, Jinan Flat’s gantry machine is made of high-quality gray cast iron and is integrally cast. It eliminates internal stress through natural aging. It is equipped with high-precision linear guides and German Schneider electric spindle, which can realize “drilling, milling and tapping” in one piece.
In terms of intelligent control, the intelligent CNC system is the “brain” of the gantry machine, improving efficiency through algorithm optimization and data interaction.
Jinan Flat’s FNC-2000 intelligent system has functions such as direct reading of CAD drawings, tool path optimization, and real-time status monitoring.
Mazak’s MAZATROL system integrates “machine learning” capabilities to automatically adjust feed speeds and spindle speeds.
In terms of customized adaptation, the gantry machine can be “modularly customized” according to the special needs of different industries.
Jinan Flat’s customization services cover stroke customization, spindle customization, accessory customization, etc.
Youjia has customized a “miniature gantry machine” for the electronics industry, and Mazak has customized a “five-axis linkage gantry machine” for the aerospace industry.
Through multiple industry cases, the technical solutions of gantry CNC drilling and milling machines have been verified to effectively solve pain points and improve corporate production efficiency and product competitiveness.
For example, the cooperation between Flat and Shanxi Tianbao has achieved an efficiency revolution in wind turbine flange processing; the cooperation between Flat and Ningbo Gaoji has achieved a breakthrough in the accuracy of gearbox housings; the cooperation between Youjia and automobile companies has achieved collinear flexible production of multiple models; the cooperation between Mazak and aviation companies has achieved high-quality processing of complex curved surfaces.
The future technology trend of gantry CNC drilling and milling machines will evolve towards “AI, green, and flexibility”.
When companies choose gantry machines, they need to make rational decisions based on their own scenarios. Machinery manufacturing companies, automobile manufacturing companies, and aerospace companies should focus on different priorities.
In short, the application of gantry CNC drilling and milling machines will promote the transformation of the machinery manufacturing and automobile industries from “traditional processing” to “high-end manufacturing” and become an important support for China’s equipment manufacturing industry to “grow from large to strong”.
