Craftsmanship as the Soul, Forging a Life -- Remembering Yin Zhibin, a Master Welder and Senior Technician at An Er Si

　　

 

　　In my impression, Yin Zhibin is an advanced worker who has received numerous awards from the group. I truly got to know Master Yin Zhibin because of an article about the company's master craftsman studio achievements that the municipal workers' technical association needed, which is how our paths crossed.

 

　　Yin Zhibin (left), senior welding technician and master craftsman

 

　　Yin Zhibin, born in 1970, graduated from Yunnan Provincial Electromechanical Installation Technical School in 1991 and joined the Provincial Second Installation Engineering Company that same year, where he has worked ever since. In 2016, with his daring spirit of exploration and innovation, he actively conducted research and application of welding processes and technologies, achieving remarkable results. He was awarded "Third Kunming Master Craftsman" by the Kunming Municipal People's Government Office, and the Second Installation Company was also named "Third Kunming Master Craftsman Studio" unit. However, what impressed me most was the story behind these achievements and honors. An ordinary worker, for 26 years, persevered relentlessly, driven by his passion for his work and his persistent pursuit of welding technology and processes, achieving a remarkable life in an ordinary position. Curiosity drove me to explore this mystery; perhaps I could find the answer in the trajectory of his work and life.

 

　　Let's go back to 1993. By then, Yin Zhibin, after rigorous training and several years of hard work, had become a key welding personnel in the company. That year, the company entrusted Yin Zhibin and his team with the welding and installation of the core equipment—the rotary kiln body—for the Dianxi Cement Plant, a key provincial project.

 

　　"The installation of the rotary kiln body has extremely high requirements for welding quality; it's the most demanding job for welding skills, and it also demands the highest level of teamwork from welders. There were about 10 workers, and their welding skills and speed needed to be consistent." This is Yin Zhibin's deepest feeling about this project. The rotary kiln body has a diameter of 3.8 meters, a wall thickness of 16-40 millimeters, a total length of 74 meters, and consists of 9 sections. The connection between sections is entirely done by welding. Welding quality and concentricity are key to whether the entire production line can operate normally and efficiently. During welding, the first priority is to ensure welding quality. There must be no missed welds, poor welds, undercuts, or cracks; the weld seams must be uniform in thickness. During installation, even the slightest flaw can lead to endless problems. The cost of a single shutdown for maintenance, plus the losses from production downtime, can reach hundreds of thousands, not to mention the casualties caused by accidents. Second, after multiple sections are connected, the concentricity of the entire kiln body must be controlled to within 6 millimeters. If it exceeds 6 millimeters, it will cause eccentricity, which could lead to the kiln stopping rotation or even the kiln body collapsing. To ensure that the kiln body concentricity meets the requirements, Yin Zhibin and the company's technical center quickly developed a welding construction plan, adopting an eight-ring seam, single-person sequential spiral welding method (the first person completes 1/8 of the ring seam, the second person starts welding the second ring seam, and so on), effectively controlling the kiln body deformation and ensuring that the kiln body concentricity meets the requirements.

 

　　"At that time, to ensure quality, quantity, and timely completion of the task, the workers worked three shifts a day, and holidays were spent on the construction site. Sweating in the sun, covered in mud in the rain, faces covered in dust and soot every day, the biggest wish was to take a nice hot bath and then sleep all day to recharge." When saying this, Master Yin Zhibin's face showed no frustration or regret, but rather excitement and pride, as if he were back on the construction site. As a skilled welder and team leader, Yin Zhibin, in addition to welding, also took time to check and record the completion of each weld seam of the more than 10 workers, and promptly guided corrections when problems were found. In the evening, he had to organize materials and complete the construction log. Often, after everyone had fallen asleep, the weld seams he had inspected during the day would replay like a movie in his mind. Sometimes, he would toss and turn because of a weld seam that wasn't quite satisfactory, and he would go straight to the site early the next morning to carefully check it again. This zero-tolerance attitude towards welding defects and reverence for product quality has accompanied him throughout his 26-year career.

 

　　During our conversation, Master Yin Zhibin talked most about welding, covering everything from specific construction examples to the development of welding processes and technologies. He recounted everything from the simplest welding knowledge, such as flat welding, vertical welding, spot welding, skip welding, back welding, and alignment, positioning, shaping, filling, and capping, without regard for the fact that he was talking to a complete outsider with no welding experience. He was completely immersed in his own world. His almost obsessive expression piqued my curiosity. When asked what qualities a good welder should have, Master Yin Zhibin said, "First, love; second, intuition; and intuition comes from repeated practice."

 

　　Yes, only with a deep love and passion for this work can one generate endless motivation and unwavering dedication throughout one's life; only after countless practical experiences can one understand the mysteries and become proficient and adept.

 

　　In the past decade, with economic development and the rapid advancement of science and technology, new challenges have been presented to traditional welding processes and technologies. As the company's "third-generation" welding technology inheritor, Yin Zhibin has accumulated rich experience in long-term welding construction operations. When faced with new materials and processes, he constantly explores and practices, striving for innovation and breakthroughs, overcoming technical difficulties one by one, and achieving remarkable results.

 

　　In 2005, during the construction of the welding project for Yunnan's first caustic soda and PVC production unit, the Yunnan Yanghua "Double Ten" project, faced with the welding of alloy steel pipes carrying new, toxic, flammable, and explosive media, as well as nickel and titanium non-ferrous metal process pipes, especially the emergence of new pure nickel materials. These pure nickel pipes of varying diameters and wall thicknesses were all imported from Sweden, and the entire construction process was monitored throughout by Swedish experts.

 

　　This welding project was the first of its kind in the company and even in the industry. The new material required a new process. After receiving the project, Yin Zhibin led everyone to consult literature and information, brainstorm, and actively explore new methods. After continuous experiments, a practical method was finally found, ensuring that the project was completed on time and in accordance with the quality and quantity requirements, and all welds were 100% qualified after radiographic inspection. When talking about the construction situation at that time, Ma Weijiang, a master welder who participated in the welding construction, said: "When Swedish experts learned that we were contacting nickel material pipe welding for the first time, and the pipeline needed to be high-pressure resistant, especially corrosion-resistant, they kept saying 'NO, NO, NO', with a look of suspicion and even disdain. In their opinion, three months of professional training was essential to complete this type of welding. When they saw Master Yin Zhibin finish the first weld, the Swedish experts repeatedly said 'OK', and their suspicion and disdain turned into surprise and admiration." "It's not surprising, they didn't know the work we did behind the scenes." Yin Zhibin said with some pride.

 

　　During the conversation, I once again felt his unyielding and unyielding spirit. When talking about his master, Yin Zhibin, Ma Weijiang said: "He is enthusiastic and willing to help others, patiently and meticulously teaching skills, fearing that we would not be able to master them. But his biggest characteristic is that he loves to delve into details, and it's not just a little; he often discusses technical or process issues with everyone, talking at work, during meals, and even in bed. When everyone is exhausted and wavering, the master still persists." It is this last bit of persistence that has solved many difficult problems in Yin Zhibin's hands, and perhaps it is this sense of accomplishment that has brought him immeasurable satisfaction.

 

　　The successful completion of this project not only enriched welding experience but also made the team more confident in the face of difficulties. In 2007, in the Xunidian "Double Ten" project of Yunnan Nanlin Group, they encountered almost the same technical problems as Yunnan Yanghua. Yin Zhibin and his team formulated construction schemes and plans in the shortest time, and personnel arrangements achieved optimal allocation, ensuring that the welding work of the project was completed with high quality, and the time was shortened by one-third compared to the expected time, saving a lot of costs for the project and creating good economic benefits. For this reason, the first and second phases of the Nanlin Group's chlor-alkali project won the first prize of the Yunnan Provincial Excellent Engineering Award in 2010.

 

　　Innovation and breakthroughs are the driving force for enterprises to specialize, refine, strengthen, and grow. With the continuous emergence of "four new" technologies, new challenges have been posed to traditional welding processes. Whoever masters new technologies and processes will seize market opportunities and stand in an invincible position. In the face of opportunities and challenges, Yin Zhibin and his team have demonstrated a strong sense of corporate responsibility. With a spirit of daring to explore and innovate, they actively carry out research and application of welding processes and technologies, contributing their utmost efforts to the company's leapfrog development.

 

　　In 2012, the company undertook the construction task of the Fumin section of the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline, a national key project. The main welding difficulties of this project were the materials X70 and X80, short construction period, large welding volume, and high quality requirements. How to complete the work on time while ensuring welding quality, the welding process became the key issue that Yin Zhibin and his team needed to solve. The traditional "upward vertical welding" method, although the technology is relatively mature and mastered skillfully, the construction progress obviously cannot meet the requirements, and the project cannot be completed as scheduled, while the new "downward vertical welding" method can solve this problem. With persistent pursuit of new technologies and a spirit of diligent research, with the strong support of the company, Yin Zhibin went out to learn and seek advice, and quickly mastered this new welding technology. After returning from his studies, he taught this technology to his teammates and successfully applied it to the construction, enabling the project to be completed successfully.

 

　　In the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline project, Er'an people achieved two firsts in welding technology: the first successful application of a new welding process—downward vertical welding—in the provincial industry; and the first successful use of high-strength, high wind-resistant cellulose welding rods. These two firsts, plus the streamlined processes of root welding, filling, and capping, ensured welding quality, improved welding speed, and also filled the gap in downward vertical welding technology and cellulose welding rod application in the province.

 

　　In the Yunnan Plant Pharmaceutical construction, Yin Zhibin and his team faced new challenges, with a large amount of stainless steel welding and special welding quality requirements, which put considerable pressure on them.

 

　　First, the welding material is extremely thin, with a wall thickness of no more than 2 millimeters. Welding on such thin material, the adjustment of current size and the height of arc ignition are very difficult to control. Large current and low arc ignition will burn through the material; small current and low arc ignition will cause incomplete welding and poor adhesion. The operation relies entirely on the usual welding technical skills and tacit understanding. Second, the weld joint requires cleanliness and smoothness, and burrs and weld beads cannot appear, otherwise, slag will be caused, and the drug material will be retained and deteriorated, not only affecting the drug efficacy but also bringing side effects that endanger the user's life safety. Third, argon protection is required during welding to prevent oxygen and other gases from mixing in and causing pores, false welds, oxidation, etc., which greatly increases the welding difficulty. Fourth, the weld seam requires uniform thickness. If it is too thin, the strength is insufficient, and it is easy to peel and leak; if it is too thick, the mechanical properties are affected, causing the joint to become brittle and crack.

 

　　This was another "first" encountered by Yin Zhibin and his team. After repeated practice and comparison, Yin Zhibin found the optimal welding method and taught this technology to his teammates. In welding operations, he was meticulous, not missing any link, paying attention to every detail, with a working attitude that revered quality as important as life. Under his leadership, the team efficiently completed all the welding tasks of thin-walled stainless steel materials with high quality, laying a solid foundation for future thin-walled stainless steel welding projects for Yunnan Baiyao, Xitao Pharmaceutical, and Dianhong Pharmaceutical. In 2015, in the excellent quality management activities organized by the Yunnan Provincial Construction Industry Association, the topics "Improvement and Application of Stainless Steel Gas Shielded Welding Technology" and "Improving the One-Time Pass Rate of Thin-Walled Stainless Steel Pipe Installation" both won the third prize of QC achievements.

 

　　Fearless of difficulties and daring to be the first, when faced with new technical challenges, Yin Zhibin always carefully studies, thoughtfully contemplates, repeatedly practices, and continuously solves technical problems in welding. In construction, he treats every link and every detail with a spirit of striving for perfection and an awareness of creating精品 and establishing brands. From tackling major technical problems, applying new technologies and materials, and learning new processes, to minor details such as the contact angle of welding rods and welding materials, welding current intensity, welding methods, and arc determination, he meticulously researches everything. It can be said that the obsession and persistence with welding processes and technologies, like sunlight and air, have become indispensable spiritual needs in his daily life. In him, career and profession have achieved a perfect combination.

 

　　Through continuous learning and exploration in the welding of new materials, Yin Zhibin has mastered the welding processes and techniques of various nickel, titanium, and duplex stainless steel materials, becoming a leader in advanced technology within the group and Yunnan Province. Under his leadership, the company's welding team, with unwavering perseverance and persistence, has steadily advanced on the path of innovation, achieving milestone after milestone and providing the best interpretation of craftsmanship and dedication to creating high-quality products.

 

　　Diligent work, selfless dedication, and the tireless pursuit and innovative breakthroughs in new processes and technologies have created a remarkable life for him and brought honor to the collective. Yin Zhibin and his team's engineering projects have won numerous national and provincial awards and two patents: In 2010, they won the 2010 China Installation Engineering Quality Award - China Installation Star for their work on the 100,000-ton/year ion membrane caustic soda plant installation project for Yunnan Yanhuashare Co., Ltd. In 2011, they received a provincial-level construction method certificate for nickel pipe installation. In 2012, the installation methods they participated in writing for rotary coolers, large-diameter conical metal pool bottoms, and steel wire mesh reinforced plastic composite pipes were rated as provincial-level construction methods in Yunnan Province. In 2014, Yin Zhibin participated in writing the company's "Rotary Kiln Installation Method," which received a national-level construction method certificate. In 2015, Yin Zhibin himself received two utility model patents, namely a new welding fixture and a welding arc-shaped drag cover.

 

　　"In our view, promoting new processes and technologies to a wider range of industries and benefiting society is the responsibility of a craftsman with a strong sense of social responsibility, and it should also be the unwavering duty of the master craftsman's studio." Yin Zhibin said this when introducing the studio. With its high level of knowledge, professionalism, and industry-leading standards, the studio has cooperated with the company's welder examination institution to obtain authorization from the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Provincial Quality Supervision Bureau, becoming the only institution in Yunnan Province authorized to provide training and certification for conventional metal, non-metal, and oil and gas pipeline welding. The studio has done a lot of work in promoting new processes and technologies, training and assessing no less than five batches of personnel annually for the company and society, and cultivating more than 150 qualified welding technicians. Today, these technical personnel trained by the studio are active in their respective fields, contributing their strength to the country's economic construction.

 

　　Past achievements and honors serve only as motivation. Starting from scratch, the road ahead is full of thorns. Only by focusing on perseverance and pursuing excellence can we continuously innovate and overcome various challenges on the journey. New peaks await Yin Zhibin and his team to conquer.

 

　　Party Committee Work Department/Wang Si Zhao