Friday, November 21, 2025
[3D Printing] Successful First Flight of China’s 3D Printed Simplified Turbofan Engine
The 3D printed simplified turbofan engine independently developed by China Aviation Engine Corporation recently completed its first single-engine flight test successfully. This is not only a technological breakthrough in China’s aviation engine field but also a key milestone for the entire 3D printing industry, marking a transition from “prototype manufacturing” to “direct manufacturing.” This once seemingly “sci-fi” technology is reshaping a new manufacturing system. The first flight verification was conducted at an altitude of 4000 meters, initially proving the engine’s reliability. The subsequent single-engine flight test increased the altitude to 6000 meters, reaching a speed of 0.75 Mach for 30 minutes, successfully verifying its operational stability in higher and more complex environments and its compatibility with the aircraft.
Key Points:“The breakthroughs in the aerospace field are just a glimpse of the vast ocean of 3D printing technology. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the production of 3D printing equipment in China increased by 40.5% in the first three quarters of 2025. Particularly in April, the production of 3D printing equipment saw a year-on-year increase of 60.7%, showcasing the strong momentum of the booming 3D printing industry in China.“
[Textiles]Seven Departments Jointly Issue Document to Promote the “East Silk, West Solid” Work in the Silk Industry
Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and six other departments jointly issued a notice on the “East Silk, West Solid” work in the silk industry, proposing to break through 10 key technologies such as intelligent silk reeling, machine cocoon selection, and green dyeing by 2028, with the total output value of the national silk industry exceeding 300 billion yuan. Specific goals include: by 2028, the eastern region will cultivate about 10 leading enterprises with revenue exceeding 10 billion yuan, and develop more than 20 well-known brands with independent intellectual property rights and international marketing networks, with high-end silk product exports accounting for over 50% in this region; the central and western regions will establish a number of high-quality development clusters for the silk industry, nurturing more than 10 leading enterprises with revenue exceeding 500 million yuan, with the output of quality cocoons, silk, and silk accounting for over 75% in this region; and breakthroughs in 10 key technologies such as intelligent silk reeling, machine cocoon selection, and green dyeing, with the total output value of the national silk industry exceeding 300 billion yuan.
Key Points:“Key tasks include: extending the industrial chain in the central and western regions, actively undertaking the transfer of the silk weaving industry from the eastern regions, and attracting silk weaving enterprises from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and other regions to settle, creating silk textile processing industrial parks; promoting the upgrading of silk weaving technology and equipment, vigorously promoting the application of new technologies such as new-type rapier weaving and wide-width high-density electronic jacquard, enhancing production efficiency; and fostering innovation in silk fabrics, nurturing a batch of specialized and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises in the silk industry and manufacturing champions.“
[Power Equipment]The World’s First Commercial Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Generation Unit Connected to the Grid, Efficiency Increased by Over 50%
Recently, the world’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generation unit completed grid debugging at Shougang Water City Steel, a project jointly promoted by China National Nuclear Corporation’s China Nuclear Power Research Institute and Jinan Steel International Engineering Technology Company. This project is the world’s first 2×15 megawatt supercritical carbon dioxide sintering waste heat power generation demonstration project, which improves the waste heat utilization rate by over 50% compared to existing waste heat steam power generation technology. This technology uses supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid to achieve efficient and stable work, with core advantages of high efficiency, ultra-compactness, and fast response, filling the energy power technology gap for small and medium power scales and high-temperature heat source scenarios, and is expected to expand to larger power and higher temperature application scenarios in the future. Through independent research and development across the entire industry chain, China has taken the lead in breaking through technical bottlenecks, forming a complete domestic industrial chain from material research and development to equipment manufacturing.
Key Points:“High energy-consuming industries such as steel, cement, and glass have abundant waste heat resources, and supercritical carbon dioxide technology can convert low-grade thermal energy into electrical energy. The potential for industrial waste heat power generation nationwide could reach twice the annual power generation of the Three Gorges Dam. Industry insiders estimate that the current market scale of supercritical carbon dioxide power generation technology has reached hundreds of billions, and is expected to exceed a trillion in the future.”
[Quantum Communication]China Telecom Achieves Major Breakthrough in Over 100 Kilometers Quantum-Classical Co-Fiber Transmission
China Telecom recently successfully completed the world’s first co-fiber transmission experiment of over 100 kilometers using hollow-core optical fibers, setting a new record in this field and marking a milestone breakthrough in China’s quantum-classical co-fiber transmission technology. It is reported that the co-fiber transmission of quantum and classical signals is a core bottleneck for the large-scale deployment of quantum communication. In traditional solid-core optical fibers, the two signals easily interfere with each other, making it difficult to balance security and capacity. The research team innovatively proposed a spectrum collaborative allocation mechanism and multi-source crosstalk suppression strategies, achieving efficient and stable co-fiber transmission of quantum and classical signals, solving the industry pain point of mutual interference between quantum and classical signals in traditional solid-core optical fibers, and endowing the system with comprehensive advantages of low noise, high security, large capacity, and low complexity, clearing key obstacles for technology implementation. The four core indicators achieved in the experiment have reached a globally leading level: first, the transmission distance reached 101.6 kilometers; second, supporting high-power transmission of 21 dBm; third, the transmission capacity reached 37.6 Tbps; fourth, the secure key rate remained stable at around 5 kbps, significantly improving compared to existing data, meeting business application needs.
Key Points:“This breakthrough is expected to inject innovative momentum into multiple fields. In network construction, it can significantly reduce the integration deployment costs of quantum communication with existing classical communication networks; in the security field, it can provide “information-theoretically secure” ultra-high security communication guarantees for critical industries such as financial transactions, government data, and energy dispatch; at the industrial level, it will promote the commercialization of hollow-core optical fibers from the laboratory to large-scale applications, driving upgrades across the entire industrial chain of optical fiber manufacturing, quantum devices, and ICT, nurturing new economic growth points.”
[Nuclear Power]Haiyang Nuclear Power Units 1 and 2 Achieve 100% Localization of Spare Parts
Recently, Haiyang Nuclear Power Units 1 and 2 have achieved 100% localization of spare parts, marking a comprehensive breakthrough in key equipment and materials for China’s third-generation nuclear power AP1000 independent projects. The main pump frequency converter is a “heart” level device of the third-generation passive nuclear power units, which has long relied on imports. Once a failure occurs, it can easily lead to unplanned shutdowns, posing severe challenges to nuclear safety and the economic operation of the power plant. According to statistics, among the third-generation passive units that have been put into operation in China, unplanned shutdowns caused by frequency converters once accounted for over 60%. Between 2023 and 2025, Haiyang Nuclear Power will successively complete the localization replacement of four main pump frequency converters. So far, the domestic frequency converters have successfully avoided four unplanned shutdowns, and their technical performance has reached an internationally advanced level. This breakthrough not only fills the industry gap but also provides a replicable technical solution for 12 similar units in the country.
Key Points:“In recent years, Shanghai Electric, China First Heavy Industries, Dongfang Electric, and others have achieved breakthroughs in the main equipment of the nuclear island, pressure vessels, and steam turbine generator sets. In the future, continuing to deepen the research and development of key components and standardization in the nuclear power field, promoting the localization of nuclear power equipment to a higher level, is not only a reflection of technical capability but also an overall enhancement of the collaborative and controllable capabilities of the industrial chain, providing a solid guarantee for China’s energy security and green low-carbon development.”
[Nonferrous Metals]Global Recycled Nonferrous Metal Industry Undergoing Comprehensive Restructuring
Recycled nonferrous metals are characterized by green recycling, energy saving, and low carbon. Currently, the global recycled nonferrous metal industry is in a critical period of “policy-driven + technological breakthroughs + demand explosion.” It is predicted that by 2030, the global recycled nonferrous metal recycling market will exceed 2.2 trillion yuan, with China accounting for over 40%. The European Union promotes the “Clean Industry Agreement” to advance the 2026 “Circular Economy Act,” aiming to increase the material recycling rate to 24% by 2030 and achieve a recovery rate of 50% for key raw materials by 2040; the “Critical Raw Materials Act” and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) state that by 2030, at least 25% of strategic raw material consumption must be obtained through recycling, and all packaging in the European market must be recyclable. Additionally, the European Commission has initiated a monitoring mechanism for waste metal exports and is studying a 30% tariff to control the large-scale outflow of waste metals and protect local resources. Furthermore, the United States is legislating to incentivize domestic recycling, providing tax breaks for companies that mine, recycle, or reuse critical minerals and metals domestically, requiring that the use of recycled nonferrous metals in federal infrastructure projects exceeds 30%. Malaysia has raised the purity standards for imported waste copper and aluminum to 94.75%; countries like Thailand and India are studying new policies to strengthen the management of recycled raw material imports, etc.
Key Points:“By 2024, the output of recycled nonferrous metals will account for 25% of China’s total nonferrous metal output, and one-third of the global recycled nonferrous metal output, playing an important role in promoting resource security and green low-carbon development. In particular, for rare metals, China leads the world in the recycling and utilization of rare and precious metals. By 2024, the recycled output of rare earths, lithium, tungsten, tin, gallium, germanium, indium, and platinum group metals will continue to grow. Among them, the recycled output of rare earths, lithium, and indium will reach 90%, 75%, and over 70% of the global market, respectively, while the recycled output of tungsten, tin, and germanium will also exceed half of the global total.”
This information is sourced from public media and is for reference only.
