On September 26th, the Inauguration Ceremony and the First Meeting of the Management Committee of the Tsinghua University (Department of Mechanical Engineering) - Zhongding Rubber & Plastic Sealing Joint Research Center (hereafter referred to as the "Research Center") were grandly convened at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University. The event was attended by Professor Wang Yuming, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University; Professor Wang Jiadao, Deputy Director of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Professor Fang Hongwei, Dean of the Office of Research Administration; Mr. Xia Yingsong, General Manager of Anhui Zhongding Sealing Parts Co., Ltd.; as well as leaders of the Joint Research Management Committee, the Research Center, and key research personnel. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Wang Zixi, Director of the Research Center.
During the unveiling ceremony of the Research Center, distinguished leaders delivered significant remarks. Professor Wang Yuming presented the research outcomes of the sealing research team at Tsinghua University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering across various research directions and sealing configurations, highlighting the University’s advancements and strengths in basic research and high-end sealing applications. He emphasized that the establishment of the Research Center, through the integration of Tsinghua’s academic expertise with Zhongding’s advantages in rubber & plastic sealing manufacturing and processes, would provide an expanded platform for rubber & plastic sealing research. Professor Wang further urged the Research Center to distill cutting-edge scientific questions from applied research on rubber & plastic sealing, conduct systematic and integrated studies that bridge materials, processes, sealing mechanisms, and product design, and thereby address the critical equipment demands of the nation while fostering the healthy development of China’s rubber & plastic sealing industry.
Mr. Xia Yingsong reviewed the fruitful collaboration between Tsinghua University and Zhongding Company through diverse channels, including technology service projects, joint applications for key scientific and technological research programs, the establishment of an academician workstation, postdoctoral training, and doctoral students’ social practice. He noted that the Research Center would offer a broader arena for bilateral cooperation. Additionally, he stated that the Research Center would focus on national strategies and major needs such as new energy vehicles, conduct basic theoretical and applied research, enhance China’s independent innovation capabilities in the rubber & plastic sealing field, and establish an indigenous innovation-based standard system. Furthermore, through innovative research, the Center would provide high-caliber talent support for the development of China’s rubber & plastic sealing technology sector.
In his address, Professor Fang Hongwei emphasized that the collaboration between Tsinghua University and Zhongding Company in the rubber & plastic sealing field—particularly in the sealing domain of new energy vehicles—would serve as a crucial pillar for the advancement of China’s automotive parts industry. Professor Wang Jiadao expressed his hope that the Joint Research Center would provide a more extensive platform for academic exchange, develop distinctive strengths in the research of rubber & plastic sealing mechanisms and applications, establish widely recognized sealing standards, and amplify China’s voice on the international stage, thereby enabling China’s automotive parts industry to transition from a position of weakness to strength.
Subsequently, the First Meeting of the Research Center’s Management Committee was successfully held, during which the 2018–2019 work plan and budget of the Research Center were approved, and the first resolution of the Management Committee was signed.