Aerial photography of KAN Corporation @Zhang Zhang
This year, several newly revised national standards, including GB/T 22920-2021 "Electrolytic Capacitor Paper", GB/T 2678.2-2021 "Determination of Water soluble Chlorides in Paper, Paperboard and Pulp", GB/T 26187-2021 "Grained Paper", GB/T 22869-2020 "Cold Rolled Metal Sheet Backing Paper", GB/T 454-2020 "Determination of Paper Burst Resistance", GB/T 2679.1-2020 "Determination of Paper Transparency - Diffuse Reflection Method", have officially begun to be implemented, The leading drafting and drafting unit for these authoritative national standards mentioned above is KAN Corporation, which demonstrates KAN Corporation's supreme position and technological strength in the paper industry.
Focusing on the research and development of special paper, forging industry unicorns
In the early 1970s, China's electrolytic capacitor paper industry was extremely backward, and only three types of single-layer electrolytic capacitor paper (single dry electrolytic capacitor paper) could be produced domestically, with poor performance and only suitable for high-voltage products. The production technology of high-end electrolytic paper products has been blocked by foreign countries. Due to the monopoly of Japan and other countries on electrolytic paper products, prices have become abnormally high, and the country is eager to independently research and develop production.
Electrolytic capacitor paper belongs to high-tech special paper products, and its applications in military, aerospace, wind power generation, automotive, and artificial intelligence fields are almost ubiquitous. But it has a very high technical threshold, not only requiring strict physical indicators and extremely high chemical purity, but also excellent electrical performance to meet the performance requirements of electrolytic capacitors at different voltages, temperatures, and long lifespan. The difficulty in its development and production technology was the greatest in the paper industry, and at that time only a few foreign enterprises were able to produce it in series.
With decades of experience in the papermaking industry, Suichang Paper Mill (predecessor of KAN), which used to focus on long fiber papermaking, bravely took on important tasks in response to the urgent needs of the country. After arduous research and development, in 1971, Suichang Paper Mill successfully produced absorption type electrolytic capacitor paper for bast pulp production, which solved the problem of capacitor matching paper for normal use in military industry at -55 ℃ low temperature; In 1975, Suichang Paper Mill cooperated with the Paper Research Institute of the Ministry of Light Industry to jointly complete the research and development task of military supporting equipment, which was assigned by the Military Industry Office, namely the research and development of -55~125 ℃ wide temperature electrolytic capacitor paper. The product passed technical appraisal in 1977 and was put into operation at Suichang Paper Mill. The project also won the National Science Conference Award in 1978. This product has high chemical purity, broadened the usage temperature, and good absorption performance, reaching or exceeding similar foreign products at that time.
In 1976, Suichang Paper Mill undertook the research and development task of double-layer double density electrolytic paper issued by the Ministry of Light Industry. The product was successfully developed and passed technical appraisal in 1981, winning the third prize of the Ministry of Light Industry's scientific and technological achievements and the National Light Industry Quality Product Award. This paper has many unique features compared to single-layer paper, reducing thickness while also considering penetration and absorption performance.
In order to meet the production requirements of small capacitors in automatic production lines, the development of new (S1 type) electrolytic capacitor paper was listed as a national key scientific and technological research project in 1984. The small-scale trial was carried out by the Paper Research Institute of the Ministry of Light Industry, and the medium-sized trial was carried out by Suichang Paper Mill. After four years of effort, the project passed technical appraisal in October 1988 and was put into production in 1990. The product has good tensile strength, good absorption, high chemical purity, reached the international advanced level, filled the domestic gap, and was awarded the third prize of scientific and technological progress by the Ministry of Light Industry and the title of National New Product in 1991.
In order to solve the problem of importing a large amount of paper for supporting medium and high voltage electrolytic capacitors every year, the Military Industry Office of the Ministry of Youth Industry in 1987 listed "WM2 type electrolytic capacitor paper" as a departmental project and issued it to Suichang Paper Mill. After laboratory and production tests, low impedance (SM2 type) electrolytic capacitor paper with low impedance, high purity, and good absorption was developed, and its performance reached the contemporary international advanced level, This product has unique manufacturing processes internationally and fills the domestic gap. In 1995, it won the Zhejiang Province Hundred Excellent Science and Technology Product Awards and the National New Product Award in 1995. After laboratory and production experiments, a high purity, good absorption, high tensile strength, and resistance to medium and high voltage (WM2 type) electrolytic capacitor paper was developed. Its performance reached the contemporary international advanced level, and it has a unique manufacturing process in the international market, which also fills the domestic gap. In 1996, it was awarded the Third Prize of Science and Technology Progress by the China Light Industry Association and the title of National New Product in 1996.
In order to meet the needs of national defense equipment, the Ministry of Electronics proposed that in 1993, the Military Industry Office of the Light Industry Association and Suichang Paper Mill signed a contract for the trial production of light industry military technology new products using low impedance (SM2 type) electrolytic capacitor paper for the "No. 10" project. Through laboratory and production experiments, low impedance (SM2 type) electrolytic capacitor paper with high purity, low impedance, and good absorption has been developed. Its performance has reached the contemporary international advanced level, and it has unique manufacturing processes internationally, filling the domestic gap. In 1995, it was awarded the Zhejiang Province Hundred Excellent Science and Technology Product Awards and the National New Product Award in 1995.
With the successful development and production of a series of high-tech new products, KAN took the lead in stopping the production of straw pulp in the province, completely eliminating low-end cultural paper products, and switching to producing special paper with pollution-free commercial pulp. The enterprise fundamentally cut off the source of pollution. In 1996, Zhang Qimei, then Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, personally presided over KAN's ball sealing ceremony, and KAN's contribution to environmental protection was recognized by the provincial government. Technological innovation has given enterprises the initiative to develop.
The successful development of these projects and multiple national level new products not only fills the gap in China's military electronic materials, but is also widely used in China's aerospace, communication electronics and other fields. Among the successfully launched Shenzhou VI, Shenzhou VII, Shenzhou VIII, and Shenzhou IX spacecraft, these electrolytic capacitor paper products have been applied. These products have also broken the monopoly of foreign paper products on electrolytic capacitor paper in China, perfectly replacing imports and participating in international competition. The overall level has reached the world's advanced level, and KAN has become a banner of national industry.
Keep a close eye on cutting-edge technology and continuously seize technological highlands
KAN has always regarded technological innovation as the lifeline of the enterprise. As we enter the new century, KAN's new products continue to appear frequently and develop rapidly, maintaining the leading advantage in the industry. In 2000, the company's new product S2 electrolytic capacitor paper won the second prize of provincial scientific and technological progress and the title of national key new product; In 2002, WS2 electrolytic capacitor paper won the third prize of provincial scientific and technological progress; In 2010, ultra-low loss electrolytic capacitor paper was awarded the title of National Key New Product.
Electrolytic paper, as an important technical paper, belongs to the basic materials of the electronic industry. With the continuous development of aviation and aerospace, national defense and military industry, artificial intelligence, 5G aircraft stations, green energy, integrated circuits, and household appliances, the application scenarios of electrolytic paper products are becoming increasingly diverse and unique. This constantly puts forward new requirements for the performance of electrolytic paper products, and the difficulty of technical research and development is increasing.
KAN deeply understands that only the strong can win the market. Guided by KAN's commitment to "domestic first-class, world advanced" and KAN's pursuit of "surpassing oneself and challenging the future", KAN Corporation continuously explores the technological peak in its high-tech industry.
The company has its own independent research and testing institutions, and has been committed to the production and development of special paper and related products with strong technical strength. It has now developed into the "Zhejiang KAN Special Paper Enterprise Research Institute" and "Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Electrical Special Paper", covering an area of 5500 square meters, with advanced domestic testing equipment and paper performance testing equipment.
In 2019, the company also established a postdoctoral workstation and established long-term cooperative relationships with research institutes such as South China University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, and Zhejiang University of Technology.
Dr. Li Lizi is working
KAN's R&D investment in recent years accounts for about 7% of its annual revenue, far exceeding the industry average. In recent years, new breakthroughs have been continuously made in the research and development of new products.
The supercapacitor separator is a scientific research project initiated by the company in 2006. Just by selecting raw materials, the company's technical team has spent nearly 5 years continuously designing and experimenting, constantly denying and innovating, and repeatedly summarizing meticulously. The effort pays off. The company's supercapacitor separator has been supplied to well-known domestic supercapacitor manufacturers such as Jianghai Group and Shanghai Aowei for testing and development, marking a significant leap for the company in the technical field.
In recent years, with the development of 5G technology, a high-voltage electrolytic paper mainly used in 5G stations has become a new favorite in the market. This product must meet many harsh conditions such as long lifespan, high temperature resistance, miniaturization, and low loss, making research and development extremely difficult. Against the backdrop of sudden changes in the international trade environment, customers have a very urgent demand for localization. As a leading enterprise in the special paper industry, KAN is duty-bound to overcome the difficult environment of insufficient production capacity and spare no effort to accelerate the research and development pace. The product passed the trial in 2020 and has now entered the stage of mass trial production.
At the same time, the company is also closely monitoring the research and development and production of low-voltage electrolytic paper. This product is mainly used in the field of new energy and will have a wide market prospect. The technical requirements for safety and uniformity of the product are quite high. After nearly two to three years of technological breakthroughs, the company has finally succeeded in research and development. Since the beginning of this year, the product has been officially put into production and sales, and has become a new economic growth point for the company.
Due to his persistence in cutting-edge technological innovation, KAN has continuously achieved remarkable and fruitful results that have attracted worldwide attention. The company has successively developed over 100 varieties of low, medium, and high voltage electrolytic capacitor paper, with the vast majority of products filling the domestic gap and being the first and exclusive production in China; Multiple products have obtained national level new product certificates and provincial and ministerial level scientific and technological progress awards. The technical standards of the products are superior to those of the IEC International Electrotechnical Commission, and the quality has reached the world's advanced level; The company has undertaken and completed multiple national key scientific and technological research projects, light industry and military industry key scientific research projects, and national torch program projects; The company has become a high-tech enterprise certified by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences as "double high". It has formed a unique core technology in the fields of electrical paper, special long fiber paper, etc., with unique technical theory, product formula and production process.
At present, KAN Corporation (including its controlling subsidiaries) owns more than 30 invention patents and more than 50 utility model patents, and has successively led the formulation of more than 20 national standards, military standards, and industry standards. The national or industry standards for the main products of the enterprise are basically formulated under the leadership of our company.
In 2018, the company also led the drafting of the "Zhejiang Manufacturing" group standards "Supercapacitor Diaphragm Paper" and "Electrolytic Capacitor Paper". Since 2019, the company has been deeply involved in the revision of international standards for electrolytic capacitor paper, actively striving for the voice of industrial development for the country.
Anchoring technological innovation without wavering has provided KAN Corporation with an inexhaustible and powerful development engine, maintaining its youth and vitality after more than 80 years. Nowadays, KAN Corporation is the world's largest production base for electrolytic capacitor paper. The special paper produced by the company, such as electrolytic paper, is one of the few high-tech products in the field of special paper in China that can compete with similar foreign products, making important contributions to the development of China's national industry.
