The development of die technology in the future shall cater to the requirements of die products: "short delivery cycle, high precision, superior quality and low cost". To meet these requirements, the following technologies need urgent development:

(1) Full-scale promotion of CAD/CAM/CAE technology Die CAD/CAM/CAE technology represents the development trend of die design and manufacturing. With the advancement of microcomputer software, the conditions for popularizing CAD/CAM/CAE technology have basically matured. Enterprises will strengthen training and technical services for CAD/CAM technology and further expand the application scope of CAE technology. The development of computers and networks makes it possible to promote CAD/CAM/CAE technology across regions, enterprises and research institutes throughout the industry, realize the reintegration of technical resources and enable virtual manufacturing.

(2) High-speed Milling High-speed milling developed overseas in recent years greatly improves processing efficiency and achieves extremely high surface finish. In addition, it can machine high-hardness die blocks and features low temperature rise and small thermal deformation. The development of high-speed milling technology has injected new vitality into the manufacture of large cavity dies for automotive and home appliance industries. At present, it is evolving toward higher agility, intelligence and integration.

(3) Die Scanning and Digitalization System High-speed scanners and die scanning systems provide multiple functions ranging from scanning models or physical objects to machining target models, greatly shortening the die development and manufacturing cycle. Some rapid scanning systems can be quickly mounted on existing CNC milling machines and machining centers to realize rapid data collection, automatic generation of machining programs for various CNC systems and CAD data in different formats, which serves the "reverse engineering" in the die manufacturing industry. Die scanning systems have been successfully applied in automotive, motorcycle, home appliance and other industries and are expected to play a greater role during the 10th Five-Year Plan period.

(4) Electrical Discharge Milling (EDM Milling) Electrical discharge milling, also known as generative EDM, is an innovative technology replacing the conventional method of machining cavities with formed electrodes. It uses a simple high-speed rotating tubular electrode to perform 2D or 3D contour machining (similar to CNC milling). Thus, manufacturing complex formed electrodes is no longer required, which marks a major breakthrough in the field of EDM forming. Machine tools adopting this technology have been used for die machining overseas, and this technology is expected to gain further development.

(5) Improvement of Die Standardization China’s die standardization level is continuously rising. It is estimated that the coverage rate of standard die parts in China has reached approximately 30%, while that in developed countries overseas is generally around 80%.

(6) High-quality Materials and Advanced Surface Treatment Technology Selecting high-quality steel and adopting appropriate surface treatment technologies is essential to extend die service life. Heat treatment and surface treatment of dies are critical links to fully exert the performance of die steel. The development trend of die heat treatment is vacuum heat treatment. For die surface treatment, advanced processes such as vapor deposition (TiN, TiC, etc.) and plasma spraying shall be developed and optimized.

(7) Automated and Intelligent Die Grinding and Polishing The surface quality of dies greatly affects die service life and the appearance quality of finished parts. Research on automated and intelligent grinding and polishing methods to replace manual operations and improve die surface quality is an important development trend.

(8) Development of Automatic Die Machining System This is a long-term development goal for China. An automatic die machining system shall consist of a reasonable combination of multiple machine tools, equipped with follow-up positioning fixtures or positioning plates, a complete NC tool and cutter library, a full CNC flexible synchronization system, as well as a quality monitoring and control system.