with new technologies continuously subverting traditional production lines.
On July 8th, as learned by Gaogong Robot, Zengguang Intelligence recently completed a new round of financing totaling nearly 100 million yuan, led by Yida Capital, one of the most influential venture capital institutions in China, with follow-up investments from Qigao Capital and Nachuan Capital.
A responsible person from Zengguang Intelligence’s team stated that Zengguang Intelligence is an innovative technology-driven core component supplier. Since its establishment, it has been a domestic leader in the electric actuator market, and has maintained a leading position in precision force-controlled electric actuators.
The company possesses 100% self-developed advanced precision motion control technology, as well as extensive and mature customer resources and rich product application scenarios, with an in-depth understanding of the actual industrial application needs of customers in different industries.
Based on its mastered advanced motion control technology and high-speed communication protocol stack, Zengguang Intelligence took the lead in launching the “Maglev Magic Carpet” in China in September 2023. After nearly two years of continuous technological iteration and market expansion, the company has now secured a new round of nearly 100 million yuan in financing, which is a sign that its products have been recognized by both the market and capital.
Breaking into the “no-man’s land” of automation technology
Speaking through the most hardcore products has always been the style of Zengguang Intelligence’s team. Different from traditional horizontal multi-joint robots and mobile robots, and also different from the currently popular but slow-in-commercialization embodied intelligence and humanoid robot products, Zengguang Intelligence has resolutely chosen to blaze a new trail, moving towards the “maglev intelligent conveying system” – a technological no-man’s land, and successfully tackled the most technically challenging “planar maglev” technology.
Since the Maglev Magic Carpet made its debut at the Shanghai Industry Fair in September 2023, the product and technology have been continuously refined by the team, achieving standardized production, and are currently operating on different production lines in multiple industries.
The Maglev Magic Carpet integrates key technologies such as magnetic field dynamics model modeling and precision magnetic force control, high-speed multi-master communication protocol, and artificial intelligence reinforcement learning scheduling algorithm. It has 6 degrees of freedom and comprehensive motion capabilities from 1D to 6D. This “dynamic processing” mode can complete multiple precision processes during high-speed movement, featuring high speed, high precision, zero wear, and high cleanliness, realizing “transportation as processing”.
Different from the problems of traditional manufacturing automation lines, such as complex mechanical structures, separated processing and transportation links, and redundant processes, the planar maglev conveying system integrates transportation operations, refined processes, and process connections into an integrated control system, truly realizing “software-defined automation”.
The Maglev Magic Carpet adopts a modular combination of “stator + mover” and, combined with maglev planar motor control technology, can complete 6-degree-of-freedom levitation movement in a magnetic field, with the levitation height freely adjustable from 0.5 to 5mm. Its self-developed controller can support over 200 mover-stator units to operate on the same production line.
Free from the transmission limitations and interference of mechanical structures such as reducers and guide rails, and relying on precision algorithms to schedule magnetic fields and electromagnetic forces, the current positioning accuracy of the Maglev Magic Carpet can reach the 5-micron level. When matched with over 100 types of precision electric actuators independently developed by Zengguang Intelligence, it can perfectly replace the high-precision operations required by numerous processes.
The planar maglev intelligent conveying system can be applied in filling production in the medical, food, and daily chemical industries, as well as in precision testing, precision dispensing, and loading/unloading in the 3C, semiconductor, and lithium battery industries. Zengguang Intelligence has established in-depth cooperation with leading enterprises in multiple industries.
How high are the technical barriers to planar maglev?
Maglev technology was first known to the public for its use in rail transit. In the 1990s, it entered the field of semiconductor industrial applications to solve ultra-precision positioning problems in lithography machines of semiconductor equipment. Since then, maglev technology has achieved rapid commercialization in the industrial field, with a surge in linear maglev products that rely on linear guide rails for transmission.
However, the planar maglev intelligent conveying system, which requires no guide rails and can be freely combined and moved, has only been overcome in the last 10 years due to its high barriers and advanced technology. Public information shows that currently, there are about 20 companies worldwide engaged in maglev flexible conveying systems, but only 3 have developed planar maglev products, and Zengguang Intelligence is the only domestic enterprise.
The planar maglev technology has extremely high control technology barriers, requiring mastery of multi-degree-of-freedom precision maglev system dynamics models, complex and efficient magnetic field control algorithms, and also having extremely high requirements for industrial communication technology.
At the beginning of its research and development, Zengguang Intelligence targeted the technological evolution direction of the planar maglev transmission system. Huang Anjie, founder and general manager of Zengguang Intelligence, said that the technical threshold of the planar maglev intelligent conveying system is high enough to better schedule and give play to Zengguang Intelligence’s technical advantages in motion control and communication.
At the same time, being a pioneer is the nature of Zengguang Intelligence’s team. The team’s persistent goal is to develop an original and disruptive product.
Huang Anjie told Gaogong Robot that Zengguang Intelligence is not concerned about the technical routes of other enterprises, but returns to and focuses on deducing the most basic process principles to achieve 100% independent research and development.
For example, to achieve millisecond-level multi-agent cluster scheduling of multiple stators and movers, Zengguang Intelligence independently developed a high-speed multi-master communication protocol, which can solve the communication synchronization problem of thousands of axes at the microsecond level, and achieve compatibility with industrial control network communication protocol standards such as EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, and CANopen without relying on third-party chips.
“We are not just developing technology from ‘0 to 1’ in a self-indulgent way, but also completing the implementation of corresponding scenarios from ‘1 to N’, and working with customers to explore the infinite possibilities of production line combinations,” said Huang Anjie.
What is the market space?
Although linear maglev and planar maglev are similar in name, the technical difficulty between those with and without guide rails is worlds apart, and their working methods are also quite different.
Linear maglev systems on the market, which use magnetic drive on circular or linear guide rails, can be regarded as small cars with single-degree-of-freedom movement capabilities, more like traveling on a fixed train.
In contrast, planar maglev can move in a three-dimensional space with arbitrary six-degree-of-freedom trajectories without guide rails and with free combination, featuring non-contact drive, high cleanliness, zero mechanical wear, and high flexibility in production line changeover.
In 2017, PMI demonstrated the first planar maglev flexible conveying line, completely breaking away from the constraints of linear operations, and the maglev flexible conveying industry moved to a new technological height. Currently, the global enterprises that have released planar maglev intelligent conveying systems include PMI, B&R, Beckhoff, and Zengguang Intelligence.
Especially with the rising demand for refined operations in China’s automotive, 3C electronics, semiconductor, medical and pharmaceutical fields, end users of manufacturing enterprises are constantly seeking more efficient, more precise, and more cost-effective solutions.
Disruptive innovations in the industry often come from external forces. Huang Anjie said that the Maglev Magic Carpet is not a collection of multiple engineering complexities, nor is it an optimization of traditional process combinations, but adopts a new and distinctive technology to solve the contradictions between complexity, cost, and process stability.
Compared with production factors such as the floor space, supporting equipment, positioning accuracy, conveying speed, service life, mechanical design, and debugging time of traditional production lines, the planar maglev conveying system is a disruptive existence.
In terms of low-load applications, the maglev flexible conveying system can be used in industries with high precision requirements and light load requirements, such as electronics, semiconductors, medical devices, and cosmetics. For medium-load applications, the Maglev Magic Carpet can be adapted to industries such as lithium battery cell testing, printing and packaging, food and beverage, and mechanical processing of auto parts.
Where is the next growth point?
Zengguang Intelligence has completed 5 rounds of financing so far. Previous investors include not only professional investment institutions such as Fanchuang Capital but also multinational industrial investors like Bosch Ventures and state-owned capital such as Foshan Jintou and other industrial funds. The lead investor in this round, Yida Capital, is also an investment institution with the background of Jiangsu Provincial State-owned Assets.
It is understood that the funds from this round will be mainly used for research and development investment, talent team building, capacity expansion, and the expansion of domestic and foreign sales networks.
“As a leading domestic supplier of planar maglev intelligent conveying systems and intelligent electric actuator solutions, Zengguang Intelligence has a vibrant team and outstanding R&D capabilities. It can help manufacturing enterprises improve their automation level, quickly respond to changes in market demand, updates in product design, and switching of production lines, realizing flexible production,” said Cheng Cheng, partner of Yida Capital. “We hope to work with Zengguang Intelligence through this investment to contribute to the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry.”
The name Zengguang Intelligence is derived from the “augmented matrix” in linear algebra, representing that Zengguang Intelligence has always been a technology-driven enterprise. Huang Anjie said that “Zeng” (augmented) represents the company’s continuous breakthroughs to new heights in the field of precision force control; “Guang” (extensive) refers to the continuous expansion of the company’s products in various application scenarios as a key core component provider.
It is worth mentioning that on July 9th, at the Shanghai International Industrial Assembly and Conveying Design Exhibition, booth E2, Zengguang Intelligence will take the lead in demonstrating the application of its “Maglev Magic Carpet” in production lines of multiple industries such as pharmaceuticals, 3C, and semiconductors. The audience will intuitively experience the high flexibility and controllability of planar maglev, expecting its technology and products to promote “Made in China” to a broader global manufacturing stage.
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