“With the world in mind”, Sinopec produces far more than oil products-Interview with Mr. Li Lei, project manager and senior engineer of Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical High-tech Technology Co., Ltd.

“3D Printing World” News/October 2018, China Petrochemical Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “Sinopec”) Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical High-tech Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yanshan Petrochemical”) was invited to lead the Sinopec 3D printing team , Participated in the 6th Asia 3D Printing Exhibition held in Zhuhai. At the exhibition, Sinopec’s 3D printing booth attracted many professional buyers to stop for a detailed view, and consultants were in an endless stream. Their 3D printing team meticulously demonstrated 3D printing technology to the audience, explained relevant theoretical knowledge in detail, patiently answered hot issues, fully demonstrated the company’s outstanding scientific research and development capabilities and profound scientific and technological cultural heritage, and presented the future scientific and technological life to the visitors. Convey a good vision.

In the crowd, there is a petite figure that is particularly noticeable. She is Li Lei, the project manager and senior engineer of Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical High-tech Technology Co., Ltd. When I first saw Li Lei, her face was filled with a sweet smile, and her words revealed her love for scientific research. The small body contained infinite passion, which changed the author’s dull stereotype of scientific researchers. For the general public, when mentioning Sinopec, they think of gas stations everywhere. Therefore, when interviewing Li Lei, the author’s first question was “Is Sinopec also doing 3D printing?”

Later, Li Lei talked about the history of Sinopec and 3D printing, which not only solved the doubt in the author’s mind, but also showed a different Sinopec. Petroleum is everywhere in life. China Petrochemical Corporation was established in 1983. In July 1998, the state reorganized and established a super-large petroleum and petrochemical enterprise group on the basis of the original China Petrochemical Corporation. At present, Sinopec is China’s largest supplier of refined oil and petrochemical products, the second largest oil and gas producer, the world’s largest oil refining company, and the second largest chemical company. The total number of gas stations ranks second in the world. In 2017, Ranked third among the Fortune Global 500 companies. Its main business includes petroleum trading, petroleum development and chemical industry. Ordinary people’s impression of oil is that of car filling stations, but in fact, only a small part of oil is refined from gasoline and diesel, and the rest is mostly chemical raw materials. However, Sinopec produces not only common gasoline and diesel, but also uses every drop of oil to the extreme to form a complete chemical industry chain. From gasoline used in cars to filter materials in faucets and toothbrushes used in daily life, our lives are inseparable from petroleum.

It even appears in places you can’t imagine. For example, the packaging of the mask may be made of Sinopec’s materials. As one of the “eldest sons” of China’s industry, Yanshan Petrochemical was established in 1970 and is my country’s first refining and chemical conglomerate. At that time, out of consideration for war preparations, they chose to be in a ravine. It was the relatively remote geographical environment that forced them to become the leaders in the field of scientific research. Through the unremitting efforts of several generations of builders, Yanshan Petrochemical has now developed into a large-scale integrated refining and chemical enterprise with a refining capacity of 10 million tons and an ethylene production capacity of 800,000 tons. From barren hillsides filled with rocks and mountains to green petrochemical cities full of modern atmosphere, Yanshan Petrochemical has undergone a reborn transformation for more than 40 years. The ancient Yanshan has become more beautiful and more harmonious in the hands of a new generation of builders… Many people are wondering why Sinopec would want to do 3D printing. “Sinopec has continued to do something to replace imports while increasing product output and high product quality. So that all Chinese companies can use our own The products are no longer restricted by foreign technology.” Li Lei said.

As 3D printing is a technology that will bring disruptive changes to the manufacturing industry, it is inevitable for Sinopec to enter this field. They don’t want Sinopec to be absent when this technology breaks out. Sinopec formed a complete layout at the beginning of the 3D printing project, from materials, processes, and applications. However, as the industry matures day by day and unlimited investment in scientific research, the entire industry is facing a period of transition from scientific research to application, as is the case with Sinopec’s 3D projects. Therefore, Li Lei changed his mind and the direction of the project gradually shifted to terminal applications, whether it was applied in the petroleum industry or the plastics processing industry, and started to promote the application from within Sinopec. Today, the 3D project has matured, but the significance of this project to Sinopec is far more important than profitability. Sinopec invests a lot in 3D projects every year, and hopes that one day it will be able to achieve the full industrial chain coverage from materials to end applications.

And they did the same. The 3D printing consumables were developed and applied internally, and the effects after use were compared in real time. Although the use of 3D printing may incur higher costs, compared to traditional processes, the use of 3D printing takes less time. Due to the special nature of the company, it will take a long time to repurchase if individual parts of the equipment used are damaged, and some special equipment parts may be out of stock, which will cause this equipment to fail to work. In this case, 3D printing can play a role. Although the cost of 3D printing parts is high, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the loss of profits caused by the idle equipment.

The fate with 3D printing was destined early in 2003, when Li Lei joined Yanshan Petrochemical after graduation. Li Lei that year, because of the freshness of every first entry into the workplace, because of the surprise of every successful experiment, every gesture is full of youthful vitality. More than ten years later, Li Lei, who chose to fight in a field where men get together and is highly professional, still does not forget his original aspirations. With a background in polymer materials and engineering, she has participated in a wide range of projects. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene… dozens of brands of products are widely used in agricultural film, food packaging, wire and cable, fiber, foam and other fields. In 2015, with the establishment of Hi-Tech Corporation, Li Lei, who has already emerged, formed his own team and established the first project team. The work content has shifted from R&D-oriented to production, sales and research. In the same year, due to the establishment of the project team and the precise control of the market trend, Li Lei, who has always been committed to the research and development of new products, had a little thought-can I do 3D? 3D printing is recognized by the industry as the next industrial revolution. As a scientific researcher, if he can’t participate in it, Li Lei will regret his life. By coincidence, Li Lei took over the 3D project. After taking over, Li Lei found that the 3D project was near the end of the road, and the most basic 3D printing consumables had not been made for the two years of the project.

Li Lei, who has always been determined, faced the reality of no progress, and immediately decided to change the designated product. Fortunately, based on years of accumulated research on basic materials, the project team successfully developed PLA, a basic consumable for 3D printing, only two weeks after changing R&D ideas and development directions. Subsequently, the project team set out to optimize it-the strength is not good, solve it! Resilience is not good, solve it! Sustainability is not good, solve it! At the same time, ABS, another basic consumable for 3D printing, attracted the attention of the project team because of its good characteristics. However, high-quality ABS wire rods were not produced by domestic manufacturers at that time. Although they were better than PLA in performance, the internal stress of the material during printing caused cracks in the middle of the product. Therefore, based on the introduction of foreign ABS, Li Lei led the 3D project team members to take the lead in solving the defects of ABS itself, and then implemented the localization test. In one month, the project team successfully realized the localization of ABS wire materials using Sinopec’s products. Compared with the lack of progress in the previous two years, the Yanshan Petrochemical 3D project achieved such remarkable results in such a short period of time, which caused a sensation throughout Sinopec. Subsequently, Li Lei took a 3D project team to win a seat in the China 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance, and exhibited research and development results. The news spread like wildfire. Everyone in the industry knows the fact that Yanshan Petrochemical has 3D. NS! Sinopec has 3D! Out of fame, people come here naturally in an endless stream. The 3D printing pen came into Li Lei’s vision in this way. “We already had development intentions in this area, and it happened that a manufacturer found us because of cooperation.” Li Lei’s team decisively bought the two patents of the manufacturer, and the 3D project team has more physical support for the research and development of the project. In one year, under the leadership of Li Lei, the 3D project team established the brand, made a name, and formed three major product series, with more than 20 brands of products, and customized materials with special requirements can be developed for users. .

In 2016, Li Lei led the team to find a pen to draw a three-dimensional self; to find a silk to weave gorgeously. She led the team to secure a top spot in the world of 3D printing. At the beginning of 2017, Sinopec gathered all 3D projects in the system and set them as key special projects, and Li Lei was appointed as the project leader. “The world of 3D has just opened a door, and I am fortunate to stand here, to pursue my poetry and the distance.” Li Lei said. Keep your original aspirations and cheer for a better life Sinopec, as the leading chemical giant in China, spares no effort in the field of environmental protection. In 2017, Sinopec’s biodiesel was officially promoted to the society. According to analysis, after vehicles use biodiesel, pollutant emissions such as heavy metals and fine particles can be reduced by more than 10%, and nitrogen oxide purification efficiency can reach more than 80%. Their green enterprise action plan is the largest domestic green enterprise creation action for the whole industry chain. As a subsidiary of Sinopec, Yanshan Petrochemical adheres to the development path of “resource-saving, environment-friendly, technological innovation, and intrinsically safe”, speeds up the transformation of development mode, and establishes a full, comprehensive, and full-process environmental management The system enables energy conservation and emission reduction work to penetrate into all areas of production and operation.

As a petrochemical enterprise located in the capital, Yanshan Petrochemical has firmly established the concept of green development for a long time, and earnestly fulfilled its social responsibility of protecting the environment. Autumn and winter are the most severe seasons for the prevention and control of air pollution throughout the year. Yanshan Petrochemical attaches great importance to the prevention and control of air pollution in autumn and winter. In order to implement the detailed plan for comprehensive treatment of air pollution in autumn and winter, the company has set up a leading group to promote air pollution prevention and control. Organization leadership and supervision and inspection accountability. Whether it is Sinopec or Yanshan Petrochemical, the investment in environmental protection is undoubtedly huge. There are many scientific researchers like Li Lei who do not forget their original intentions. What they see is not only the decades before them, but their eyes are on the more distant future, and they are thinking of the descendants of mankind. With the original intention and mission of “Love China, Revitalize Petrochemical” and “Cheer for a Better Life”, they are committed to the operation of the entire industry chain, providing society with high-quality energy and chemical products, and serving the people’s clothing, food, housing and transportation. , And strive to meet the needs of the people for a better life.