On the afternoon of 14th October, 2018, the 8th National Numerical Control Skills Competition final was successfully concluded at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Centre. The fierce, seven-day competition, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, and the China Machinery Industry Federation, included 687 participants from 29 provincial teams.

The Department of Human Resources and Social Affairs at Hunan Radio and TV University (Hunan RTVU) selected Tan Zanwu and Xu Konglian as its team’s coaches. Team members included Nie Yanping, a faculty candidate, and students Lv Peng, Ouyang Ding, and Liao Shengfei. Both teachers and students trained diligently before the competition, and responded calmly during the final competition’s challenges. With a strong team spirit and solid technical skills, they achieved remarkable results. The four representatives from Hunan RTVU represented Hunan Province at three events during the computer programming competition focused on digital design and manufacturing, winning the first place national prize in each. As a result, Nie Yanping, a teacher of the Network Technology Department, was awarded the title of "National Technical Expert".

"We are more confident after the provincial competition!"

During the previous summer vacation, under the scorching sun, there were very few students on the silent campus. At most times, only cicadas could be heard buzzing. But, when you stopped to listen, you could hear a busy hustling coming from the intelligent manufacturing training centre. Nie Yanping was leading the students who were to compete in the skills competition, helping them prepare throughout the entire summer vacation.

From September 3rd to 8th, 2018, the 8th National NC Skills Hunan Selection Competition (National First Class Competition), jointly organised by both the Hunan Human Resources and Social Security Department and Education Department, as well as the Federation of Trade Unions, was held at Changde Technicians College.

After training hard for a semester and the entire summer vacation, the teachers and students lived up to expectations. They earned a total of five medals: three first-class and two second-class awards. Nie Yanping won first prize among faculty, and was awarded the title of "Hunan Provincial Technical Expert," and a "Hunan May Day Labour Medal." Hunan RTVU won a "Group Second Prize" award. All of these awards fully demonstrate the strength of the university in the field of numerical control technology.
"After the provincial competition, I no longer panicked, and my confidence returned all of a sudden," said Nie Yanping, who couldn't help smiling at the thought of the match.

"After I won a prize at a national competition, everybody said that my ten years of effort had paid off."

The excitement of successful entrance into the national championship was quickly disrupted by the consequent announcement of the race schedule. One event at the computer programming competition focused on digital design and manufacturing was to design a model of an F1 racing car. This combines forward and reverse design. The design results needed to be rendered and aerodynamically tested, and then the parts were to be processed via 3D printing and five-axis CNC machines before being assembled for a race. In addition to the conventional components, such as forward design, reverse scanning, and 3D printing, processing was upgraded from a four to five-axis machine, which is a newer, more difficult to use technology, all under an imminent competition deadline.

There was no way around the difficulties, except to work as hard as possible. Nie Yanping forfeited every holiday, such as summer vacation and the National Day. He squeezed all of his spare time, devoting himself to training, studying software design from scratch to software manipulation, and repeatedly studying the entire operation process. Every morning he trained, and in the afternoon he led his students in practice sessions. He also went to Beijing for additional training. "I grew up as a team player," Mr. Nie Yanping emphasised many times. During training for the national competition, players dealt with issues such as incorrect drawings, faulty parts, and irregular reverse graphics. However, whenever there were difficulties, a strong support team would immediately find ways to solve them. Deng Nan, vice president of Hunan RTVU, and Shu Dasong, director of the Network Technology Department, visited the team during the National Day holiday to cheer them up and help solve problems. During the holidays, coaches Tan Zanwu and Xu Konglian accompanied the teachers and students, assisting with math training and preparation for the competition.

More than ten years ago, the college applied for the development of a Numerical Control specialty, and began to organise teachers and students to participate in national and provincial level competitions. At that time, the university requested that Nie Yanping, who was still studying computer science, begin studying the CNC specialty and devote himself to teaching CNC. "After I won the prize at the national competition, everybody said that it was the result of ten years of effort," said Nie Yanping.

"Students are more passionate about learning CNC, and I think it's worth the effort!"

The delegates from Hunan RTVU stepped into the national arena, and claimed the first prize at the Hunan Provincial Competition. They stood out as a "black horse" among participating teams from many vocational colleges across the country. Their team won three first prizes, Hunan RTVU’s best performance at the event, and half of the seven first prizes at the Hunan Provincial Competition.

When Nie Yanping returned with honour, he quickly re-devoted himself to the classroom. To his relief, blessed with the honours won at the National and Provincial Competitions, students were more interested than ever in the study of numerical control. Even the teachers were more enthusiastic about studying technology. Nie Yanping said with a smile, "This makes me feel that all my efforts are worthwhile! As a member of the network college, I feel very proud!"

By Zheng Yang,Hunan RTVU