Deep Analysis: Mission and Task of Building a Powerful Instr

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in his speech at the Academician's Congress of the two Academies that we need to build a powerful world in science and technology more than at any time in history.

In order to enhance the understanding of the significance of building a strong country in science and technology, the People's Publishing House invited more than 100 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering to compile the book "100 Academicians Talking about Building a Strong Country in Science and Technology", bringing together the important ideas and suggestions of Academicians as one of the important grasps to promote the construction of a strong country in science and technology.

Academician Tan Jiubin wrote the article "Mission and Task of Building a Powerful Instrument Country in the World". The first sentence of the article is: "Building a Powerful Instrument Country in the World, First of all, must build a Powerful Instrument Country in the World", which is the main argument of the article.

Academician Tan Jiubin first put forward and discussed this viewpoint. The main contents of this paper include: the necessity and urgency of building a powerful instrument country in the world, the current situation of the development of Instrument Science and technology in China, the three major challenges faced by building a powerful instrument country in the world, and the four major tasks that must be accomplished in building a powerful instrument country in the world. Note: The book "100 Academicians Talking about Building a Powerful Country in Science and Technology" was published in February 2019. The article "Mission and Task of Building a Powerful Country in Instruments" was published in pages 447-458 of the book.

To build a powerful world in science and technology, we must first build a powerful world instrument country. Building a powerful world instrument country is the necessary foundation and prerequisite for building a powerful world in science and technology.

Under the specific conditions of our country, the construction of a powerful instrument country in the world will face three major challenges: incomplete measurement and testing system; fragmentation of instrument system; poor quality awareness of the whole people, and unclear understanding of the basic and leading role of measurement and instrument.

To build a powerful instrument country in the world, four key tasks must be accomplished: to establish a scientific, advanced and complete national measurement and testing system, to cultivate high-quality and sophisticated instrument enterprises with complete system and reasonable structure, to establish a national research and development base for high-quality and sophisticated instruments, to establish a national expert consultation center, to unify planning and guiding the construction and development of measurement and testing system and instrument system; Improve the quality consciousness of the whole people and foster the spirit of experts.

The Necessity and Urgency of Building a Powerful Instrument Country in the World

It is of great necessity and urgency to build a powerful instrument country in the world in China. In order to build a powerful country in science and technology in the world, we must rely on the strong overall ability of instrument innovation. Instrument innovation will inevitably lead scientific and technological innovation, which is mainly manifested in the following three aspects.

(1) Major instrument inventions will promote major scientific discoveries and breakthroughs in basic research

The world's powerful scientific and technological country must be a powerful country in basic research, and the powerful country in basic research must be a powerful country in measurement and instrument. Mendeleev said, "Science begins with measurement", "Without measurement, there will be no science, at least no precise science and true science", "Measurement is the basis of science".

Instrument is the carrier of measurement and the means of breakthrough in scientific discovery and basic research.

As of 2017, 371 Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine have been awarded, with 594 winners.

The total number of projects awarded directly for measuring scientific research achievements or inventing new principle instruments was 42 (11.3%) and 64 (10.8%) including electron microscopy, mass spectrometer, CT tomography, scanning tunneling microscopy, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, laser interferometer, etc. At the same time, 72% of physics prizes, 81% of chemistry prizes, 95% of Physiology or medicine prizes were awarded. The awards were awarded with the help of sophisticated instruments.

Richard Ernst, who won the Nobel Prize for inventing high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance instruments, said: "The progress of modern science is increasingly dependent on the development of sophisticated instruments."

(2) High-end precision instruments are the basis for high-quality development of science and technology industry

Instrument science and technology play an increasingly important role in supporting the orderly development of modern science and technology industry, national security, human health, environmental protection and social life. Instrument technology and engineering support the whole modern science and technology industry, national economic and social management.

Academician Wang Daheng has highly summarized the role of measuring instruments: "Instruments are pioneers of scientific research, multipliers of industrial production, military combat effectiveness, and physical judges in social life."

In the early 1990s, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), affiliated to the U.S. Department of Commerce, showed that 250 million measurements were made every day to ensure the quality of product manufacturing and to implement effective control.

In the field of manufacturing, only by measuring can we know where the product is unqualified; only by accumulating a large number of measurement data can we find the root cause of the unqualified product; only by establishing an industrial Internet based on on on-line sensors and instruments, can we establish intelligent equipment and intelligent factory and realize intelligent manufacturing;

Only by establishing a complete measurement and testing system and instrument system oriented to advanced manufacturing can we fundamentally solve the "four-base problem" that has plagued our country for decades (i.e., basic materials, basic processes, basic components and quality technology basis), and ultimately form the manufacturing capability of high-end equipment.

In the field of national defense, it is impossible to locate and locate enemy targets without detection instruments, and it is impossible to strike accurately without precise navigation and guidance instruments.

In the medical field, precise medical treatment cannot be implemented without precise diagnostic and therapeutic instruments.

In the field of environmental protection, without thousands of distributed sensors, environmental monitoring information can not be obtained timely and accurately.

Likewise, it is not pervasive in urban water.

Development of Instrument Science and Technology in China

Our country has missed the first and second industrial revolutions, and there is hardly any accumulation of relevant science and technology in the modern sense as the basis.

The development of instrumental science and technology in the modern sense started very late, and went through the initial period of 20 years from 1949 to 1969. A preliminary discipline of instrumental science and technology was established.

During the period of the third industrial revolution, from 1970 to 2010, Instrument Science and technology developed slowly in the first 20 years because of weak foundation.

In the latter 20 years, because of the rapid development of science and technology in China, Instrument Science and technology have entered a period of rapid development. During this period, a large number of advanced instrument technology achievements have been made, which have supported and led a number of major scientific and technological innovations and the development of major high-tech projects, such as the self-developed cesium atomic fountain clock, light clock, quantized Hall resistance reference and Josephson voltage reference. A number of sophisticated measuring instruments have supported the development of Beidou system engineering, Power Electronics Engineering and electrical engineering in China. A number of large-scale and high-end special measuring instruments, represented by self-developed ultra-precision engineering measuring instruments, have supported the development of strategic missiles, nuclear submarines, aeroengines and aerospace high-grade projects in China.

Generally speaking, China's instrumental science and technology lag behind the United States, Germany and Japan, and lag behind a large extent. However, in some fields of special instruments, China has approached the advanced international level and has been in the forefront of the world in some directions.

From the perspective of development trend, the independent innovation ability of Instrument Science and technology in China is increasing, the catch-up speed is accelerating, and the gap is gradually narrowing.

Three Challenges for Building a Powerful Instrument Country

Reviewing the development course of China's modern industry and instrument industry will help to understand the particularity and imbalance of China's Instrument Science and technology development, and help to clarify what challenges China will face in building a powerful instrument country in the world.

From 1949 to 1969, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, China set up several instrument factories, such as Harbin Measuring Tools and Blade Tools Factory, which can produce measuring tools and low-end measuring instruments.

Precision instrument specialty has been set up in several universities. In some specialty fields, it has gradually entered the stage of precision measurement.

After the reform and opening up, the scale of development of middle and low-end manufacturing industry in China has expanded rapidly, but the precision measurement means have not kept up with it. The development of precision measurement ability is unbalanced, unsystematic and has not formed the overall capacity, so the product quality can not be guaranteed to improve synchronously. In the field of aerospace and national defense, although part of the ultra-precision measurement capability is formed, it is not systematic.

The overall situation is that the precision level measurement capability needs to be complemented as a whole, and the ultra-precision level measurement capability needs to catch up in a wide range. To catch up with German industry as a whole

Fourth, we will face the following three challenges

(1) Incomplete measurement and testing system

Although China has established a national statutory metrology system with the National Institute of Metrology as its core, it has formed the capacity of scientific metrology, Legal Metrology and engineering metrology. However, from the perspective of national, intermediate and workshop level, the measurement and testing system of our country is incomplete.

Taking geometric measurement as an example, there are 80 engineering parameter measurement standards in China's National Institute of Metrology, while 123 in Germany.

If we consider that Germany has the choice to develop manufacturing industry, and China is developing manufacturing industry in an all-round way, we lack more measurement standards.

Longitudinally, due to the lack of measurement means, the transfer chain of many parameters breaks, and the value of measurement can not be transmitted to the measuring instruments of the factory; even if some values are transferred to the measuring instruments of the factory, but due to the current annual inspection and periodic calibration system in our country, the value of measurement can not be transmitted to the products in real time. The monitoring of product quality is out of control.

In fact, there are blind areas of "one kilometer in the middle" and "the last kilometer" in the measurement and testing system of our country, from the top benchmark and standard instruments to the value transfer chain of product-level measuring instruments.

At the level of product quality, the measurement and testing system in our country can not guarantee the accuracy and consistency in many quantities.

Generally speaking, the existing measurement and testing system in China can not support the development of huge manufacturing industry, especially high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing and strong foundation engineering.

(2) The instrumentation system is fragmented

From the successful experience of developed countries, we can conclude the general rule that the whole manufacturing process must be strictly and precisely measured, and the process, including material processing technology, parts processing technology and assembly technology, must be continuously improved and perfected according to the measured data.

Whose measurement data is more accurate and comprehensive, who is more solid in all aspects of technology, who is more perfect, whose product quality is better.

In the stage of high-end manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing, the basic supporting role of ultra-precision measurement with integrity and adequacy is more prominent because it mainly relies on more accurate and comprehensive long-term accumulated large data to achieve higher quality, higher efficiency and more changeable personality.

Academician Wang Daheng summarized the successful experience of advanced manufacturing countries such as the United States, Germany and Japan. In a report, he pointed out that the investment in measuring instruments accounted for one third of the total equipment investment. But our country lacks this kind of experience as well as the understanding of other people's experience.

When investigating the manufacturing of high-end equipment, the precision manufacturing process can be roughly divided into four parts: parts processing, parts assembly, whole machine assembly and machine performance test. Each link has a large number of measured parameters, which requires a number of measuring instruments. Taking large-scale precision rotary equipment as an example, there are about 25,000 parts, 65% of which are ultra-precision parts, and more than 200,000 measuring parameters. In addition, the measurement in component assembly, the measurement of working characteristics of components, the measurement in whole machine assembly and the measurement and test of machine performance require at least 500 special measuring instruments.

In fact, the instruments on our existing production lines are still less than one-tenth, and the intrinsic correlation of measuring instruments configuration is very poor, which is not systematic and shows serious fragmentation.

Considering the stage of intelligent manufacturing, manufacturing rises to ultra-precision level, the parameters needed for ultra-precision measurement with the characteristics of accuracy integrity and adequacy are refined, and the measured parameters are multiplied or increased by orders of magnitude, the number of missing instruments on the production line will be more, and the measuring instruments will be more unsystematic, that is, the measuring instrument system. Debrification will be more serious.

There are three main reasons leading to the fragmentation of measuring instrument system:

· There are very few experts and engineers in China who really understand measurement requirements and measurement technology.

· Lack of overall planning for measuring instrument system;

· As a whole, the research and development ability of high-end measuring instruments in China is poor, and there is a lack of long-term team and base for systematically developing high-end measuring instruments. Many projects are not done by the most advantageous people. There are few enterprises producing high-end measuring instruments. Only a small number of scientific research institutes can develop some special measuring instruments and high-end measuring instruments. More than 95% of the devices depend on imports.

It can be seen that the fragmentation of the measuring instrument system makes it impossible to constitute the overall measurement capability. Without the overall measurement capability, we can not support the improvement of product quality and the development of high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing and strong foundation engineering.

(3) Lack of quality awareness and professionalism

Quality consciousness is mainly embodied in two aspects: first, whether we can consciously adhere to the principle of quality first; second, whether we can grasp the methods and means to improve quality.

On the one hand, people pursue rapid success, rapid expansion, impetuous, unwilling to concentrate on the quality improvement work that requires a lot of basic skills and slow results; on the other hand, people who value product quality can not explain why product quality can not be done. In this respect, we should learn from Germany.

German quality and German brand are not inherent, but have experienced the transformation process of rebirth.

The first Industrial Revolution took place in Britain, with leading technology and the most competitive product quality. Germany is in the stage of catch-up and imitation, at which time "made in Germany" is synonymous with low price and poor quality.

In August 1887, the British Parliament passed an insulting Trademark Law clause that all goods imported from Germany must be clearly labeled "Made in Germany" to distinguish inferior German products from high-quality British products. This humiliating practice of Britain shocked the whole country of Germany and aroused national reflection. It was realized that there was no way out for German industry without improving the quality of its products. Strong quality consciousness has become the common understanding of the whole German nation and the conscious action of everyone.

So how to improve product quality? Experts realize that there is no precise product without precise measurement. The founder of Siemens invested in the establishment of the world's first modern German Federal Institute of Physical Technology (PTB). From this point of view, Germany has gradually established a strict and complete industrial standard system, measurement and testing system and quality assurance system, supported the development of a number of world-class precision instrument enterprises represented by Zeiss and Leica, and established a complete measurement instrument system. One inevitable result is that Germany has successfully shifted from "Made in Germany" to "German Quality" and "German Brand".

By contrast, our awareness of quality and the role of measurement remained at the German level at the beginning of the Second Industrial Revolution.

The essence of the spirit of concentration is to concentrate on doing one thing well and to achieve the utmost.

China has the largest group of scientists in the world, but has not developed a corresponding number of world-class basic research results; China has the largest group of experts in the world, but has not developed a corresponding number of world-class sophisticated equipment; China has the largest group of engineers and technicians in the world, but has not produced a corresponding number of world-famous products.

One important reason is that most people lack expertise, repeat at at a low level, try to stop, keep track of hot spots, and fail to make a decent achievement all their lives.

In order to realize the transformation from "Made in China" to "Quality in China" and "Brand in China", we must fundamentally change the quality consciousness of the whole nation, "Quality First, Measurement Data First" and integrate it into the blood of every Chinese.

"Concentrating on doing one thing well and achieving the ultimate goal" is one of the greatest challenges facing us in building a world powerful country in science and technology and instrumentation to become the unremitting pursuit of every Chinese.

Five Major Tasks for Building a Powerful Instrument Country

To build a powerful instrument country in the world, we must meet the above three challenges and accomplish the following five key tasks.

(1) Establishing a complete national measurement and testing system

Based on the development trend of international measurement technology and instrument technology, and the overall needs of science and technology, industry, national defense and other industries in China in the next 30 years, the national measurement and testing system should be planned in time. The system must be systematic, complete and scientific.

For the seven basic quantities, we should improve and upgrade the ability and level of quantization and flattening to ensure accurate consistency throughout the country, and be in the forefront of international comparison.

For engineering measurement standards, when transferring quantity values downwards, they should be seamlessly docked with scientific experimental instruments and engineering measurement instruments to ensure that the quantity values are accurately transferred to scientific experimental instruments of scientific research institutes and enterprise engineering measurement instruments, and to products through engineering measurement instruments.

This system can integrate the national measurement system with the scientific experimental measurement system of scientific research institutes and the enterprise engineering measurement and test system, which is called the national measurement and test system.

This system not only satisfies the framework of "National Quality Foundation" (jointly initiated by the International Federation of Surveying and the International Organization for Standardization), but also has Chinese characteristics and is conducive to solving China's problems.

The system has no lack of engineering parameters and no blind area of "one kilometer in the middle" and "the last kilometer".

The system can effectively support the high-efficiency and high-performance operation of scientific experimental measurement system and enterprise engineering measurement system, and can effectively support the high-efficiency and high-performance operation of various industry standard system and quality assurance system.

The system is the cornerstone of "China Innovation", "China Quality" and "China Brand".

(2) Establishing a complete instrument system

A complete national measurement and testing system must be supported by a complete instrument system. Facing various industries, system planning, cultivation of a complete system of all kinds of scientific instruments, all kinds of engineering measuring instruments, all kinds of special high-end instruments and medical instruments and other independent brand manufacturers.

In the process of implementation, we should focus on rectifying the market environment problems that hinder the development of high-quality self-brand instruments, such as the irregular market competition of instruments.

Without a complete instrument system, it will be impossible to support the construction of a complete national measurement and testing system, and there will be no means and capacity to support the realization of "China Innovation", "China Quality" and "China Brand".

(3) Construction of a number of national-level major instrument technological innovation research and development bases

Establishing a complete instrument system can not rely solely on buying from abroad, but mainly on independent research and development and production of a large number of high-quality and sophisticated instruments with independent intellectual property rights. Innovative research and development of high-quality and sophisticated instruments is the key, and a number of national-level major instrument technology innovation and development bases must be built. Each base is facing a field, systematic planning, organizing a series of key problems, and systematically developing high-quality and sophisticated instruments. To improve the quality of products as the core, and continuously provide the state and enterprises with a system of core technology and complete solutions to support China's high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing and strong foundation engineering capacity and level of sustainable improvement.

(4) Establishment of a national expert consultation center for unified planning and guidance of the construction and development of the National Metrology and testing system and instrument system

To establish a complete national measurement and testing system and a complete instrument system, we must first make a systematic, scientific and reasonable development plan suitable for the national conditions, in order to guide the construction of a complete national measurement and testing system, guide the construction of a complete instrument system and guide the construction of national major instrument technology innovation research and development base. The plan should be organized by a national expert consultation center. The plan should maximize the collective wisdom of China's strategic scientists, instrument experts, metrological scientists, surveying scientists and experts in related fields, so that they can truly play the role of building a high-level blueprint for a powerful instrument country in the world.

(5) Improving the Quality Awareness and Professionalism of the Whole People

To build a powerful instrument country in the world, the most important thing is that people are tens of millions of scientists, experts, engineers, craftsmen, entrepreneurs and leaders who take building a powerful scientific and technological country in the world and a powerful instrument country in the world as their incumbents. China has the largest intellectual resources and human resources in the world. How to make the largest intellectual resources and human resources in the world produce the greatest innovation ability and the strongest quality promotion ability in the world, and create the world's largest world brands is a major problem that must be solved in the new era.

Therefore, we should not only build up the consciousness of innovation of the whole people, but also build up the consciousness of quality of the whole people. The understanding of "quality first, measurement data first" must become the common concept and working principle of every scientist, expert, engineer, craftsman, entrepreneur and leader.

Specialism requires a person, a team, and an enterprise to do only one thing in their lifetime, to achieve the ultimate, world-class, and this matter should be handed down from generation to generation. If everyone works with expertise, the cumulative effect of maximum resources will produce a leap from quantity to quality. "China Innovation", "China Quality" and "China Brand" will surely be realized! The world powerful instrument country and the world powerful science and technology country will surely be realized!

To build a powerful country in science and technology in the world, we must first build a powerful country in instruments in the world. The powerful instrument country in the world is the cornerstone of the construction of the powerful scientific and technological country in the world, and must give priority to its development.

Building a powerful instrument country in the world is a very difficult, step-by-step, solid basic and systematic work. The biggest difficulty in building a powerful instrument country in the world is to change people's concept, consciously insist that "quality first measurement data first" must become a national quality, and "concentrate on doing a good job, to achieve the ultimate" must become a national character.

The construction of a powerful instrument country in the world is a systematic project. We should clarify our thinking. We should plan both the near future and the long term. The long-term planning should focus on the basic research of Instrument Science and the cultivation of high-end innovative instrument talents. Without major original innovation of instrumental science, there will be no leading instrumental technology in the future. We should strengthen the reform of the training mode of high-end talents in instrumental science and technology, and expand the scale of instrumental science and technology to meet the needs of the construction of a powerful instrument country in the world.

The construction of a powerful instrument country in the world has been progressing slowly. It is not others who have stuck our neck, but mainly ourselves who are not fighting for gas, but ourselves who have stuck ourselves. Understanding the basic and strategic position of measurement and instrument is not clear; understanding the systematic and integral gap between measurement and measurement system and instrument system in China is not clear; and unfavorable mobilization and use of enormous intellectual and human resources in the field of measurement and instrument in China are all our own problems. As long as we have a deep understanding of the key problems that restrict the construction of powerful instrument country, find out the methods to solve the problems and the correct ways to develop, the dream of building powerful instrument country will surely come true.