With 2025 already halfway through, if you ask me how motor manufacturing enterprises can “make money/save money” in today’s environment, the answer will likely be: “Domestic substitution + cost reduction and efficiency improvement.”

Why these two keywords? Why are they so critical right now?

In recent years, many motor manufacturing enterprises have been highly dependent on imported key components and core technologies. As international uncertainties grow and trade barriers increase, foreign suppliers not only charge high prices but also suffer from long delivery times, slow service responses, and in some cases, even monopolies—creating a “bottleneck” situation for businesses.

This is especially true in fields like precision equipment and automation control systems, where the cost of imported components often represents a significant portion of overall investment. When facing supply interruptions or price increases, the production rhythm and profit margins of motor manufacturers can be severely impacted.

In addition to external supply chain issues, internal operational costs are also rising. Raw material prices, labor costs, and energy costs are all compressing profit margins for manufacturing enterprises.

The more immediate issue is that some intermediary suppliers, taking advantage of their dominant position, have begun raising prices or delaying delivery, forcing enterprises to passively accept high costs. This “cost shifting” phenomenon puts businesses at a disadvantage in pricing power, delivery capabilities, and more.

As a device manufacturer in the field of motor intelligent manufacturing, ZEKTA, facing both internal and external pressures, also found itself contemplating:

Should we continue the old path of “outsourcing + integration,” or try a harder but more valuable road?

In the end, we chose a path: “Independent R&D to break the dependency.” We didn’t want to prove “what we can do,” but rather understand one key question: “If a piece of equipment always has problems, is it the equipment problem or the design philosophy problem?”

Thus, we began dissecting, reconstructing, and verifying the commonly encountered problems in custom automation production lines.

We found that many “bottlenecks” were not due to poor equipment, but poor adaptability; some “critical points” didn’t require expensive imported components but rather a more process-aware custom automation design; and some seemingly unsolvable problems became much simpler and more controllable when viewed from a different angle.

Below, we will introduce several of ZEKTA’s self-developed achievements in custom automation, showcasing our practice and technological breakthroughs in “domestic substitution + cost reduction and efficiency improvement.”

1. Ring Line Platform – Distance Chain

Ring line platforms commonly come in two types: synchronous belt ring platforms and chain-type ring lines. These are mainly used for material transportation and positioning, ensuring seamless connection between production stations, and are an essential component of custom automation production lines.

In traditional assembly machine first-generation ring line platforms, belts are commonly used as the transmission medium. These platforms typically suffer from poor belt transport accuracy, rapid wear, easy stretching and deformation, leading to increased positioning errors and negatively affecting assembly quality. Furthermore, the lack of a standardized transplant platform design makes it difficult to reuse across different custom automation projects, resulting in high development costs, long debugging cycles, and complicated maintenance.

To solve the production pain points of the ring line platform, we independently developed and validated an automatic transmission mechanism—Distance Chain—which can be used in universal assembly platforms for components like glue covers and motor assemblies, suitable for various custom automation scenarios.

This Distance Chain has a transmission efficiency of 2.2 seconds (including transportation and positioning), saving 1.6 seconds compared to traditional systems, greatly improving overall production line efficiency. It can support loads up to 16 trays × 8 kg each, with precision reaching ±0.05 mm, much better than the ±0.1 mm of synchronous belts. Maintenance is simple, requiring only periodic lubrication, and the total cost is 46% of the synchronous belt ring platform, significantly reducing initial investment and long-term operational costs.

2. Flexible Vibratory Bowl Feeding Platform

As a key device for automatic feeding of small parts, the flexible vibratory bowl can efficiently separate various shapes and sizes of parts from disorganized states and accurately deliver them to designated positions. It is a core component of custom automation feeding systems.

However, some manufacturers have not established a standard structural library, and there is no unified standard between different custom automation projects. This leads to high costs, long maintenance chains, and poor supplier response times when issues arise.

We independently developed a flexible vibratory bowl feeding platform (including camera programs) that resolves many problems found in traditional purchased equipment, offering a more customer-tailored custom automation feeding solution.

With the same cycle time (CT) efficiency, this self-developed system has a faster response time. As both the vision system and mechanical components are self-developed, our internal team can quickly address and resolve issues. We ensure 24-hour issue identification and provide solutions, ensuring stable operation of custom automation systems.

3. Resistive Clamping Welding Structure

The resistive clamping welding structure is primarily used for automatic clamping and welding operations at the ends of motor windings and lead wire connections, crucial for motor custom automation assembly.

During resistive clamping welding, issues like poor welding strength, misalignment, and inadequate clamping often arise. The root cause is often not adjusting the current parameters but rather an inability to monitor clamping force in real time or adapt to different-sized cores.

We restructured the entire clamping and welding system and developed a resistive clamping welding structure suitable for high-precision custom automation production lines. This system is equipped with a pressure monitoring system to provide real-time feedback on clamping force, ensuring precise control and avoiding welding defects due to under or over clamping.

4. Cage-Type Fixture

Cage-type fixtures are used in processes like motor core welding and stator pressing, ensuring welding roundness and dimensional consistency, which are crucial for enhancing the welding quality in custom automation.

Previously, a servo motor was used to push a block to clamp the core for welding, causing instability in welding, large roundness deviations, and difficulty in adjustments. We developed a fixture to replace the lead screw slide block, making mold changes easier and more adaptable to the harsh conditions of custom automation production.

5. Winding Machine

The winding machine is the core equipment in the motor manufacturing process, used for automatic winding of stator and rotor windings. It has stringent requirements for winding speed, tension control, and layout consistency, making it a key factor in the yield and stability of custom automation production lines.

We self-developed a high-performance winding machine system, addressing common problems such as slow winding speed, large tension fluctuations, and high material waste, and meeting the rigorous requirements of high-end custom automation production lines.

Conclusion

In the face of international uncertainties, supply chain risks, and rising internal costs, “domestic substitution” and “cost reduction and efficiency improvement” are no longer just strategic slogans but are the practical paths to survival and development for businesses.

Against this backdrop, ZEKTA remains committed to driving innovation with technology at the core, focusing on custom automation solutions that break dependence on imported equipment and build a more stable, efficient, and controllable domestic production system. From the Distance Chain for ring platforms to the flexible vibratory bowl feeder, from resistive clamping welding structures to cage-type fixtures, and high-performance winding machines, we have not only solved long-standing issues of precision, efficiency, maintenance, and cost in traditional custom automation solutions but also achieved technological breakthroughs and standardization in key processes.

These achievements are built on our deep understanding of customer process needs, our firm choice of the custom automation technology path, and our unwavering belief in the rise of domestic equipment.