Molds from Taizhou's Huangyan propel Shenzhou XIX into space
Molds for the visor on astronaut helmets are displayed at Taizhou Huangyan Jingtian Mold Co. [Photo/Tide News]
The Shenzhou XIX manned spacecraft sent three astronauts to the Chinese space station on Oct 30. Something worth noting is that the visors on the astronaut's helmets were produced by Taizhou Huangyan Jingtian Mold Co.
The Shenzhou XIX helmet visor is a sophisticated product with a four-layer structure, providing anti-fog, impact resistance, and radiation protection. To enhance the astronauts' field of vision, the helmets are equipped with a skylight. All six molds required to produce these visors were manufactured by Jingtian Mold.
The visor is a critical component of the spacesuit. To ensure optimal light transmission and visibility, variations in the thickness of the visor must be ten times thinner than a human hair, which poses significant challenges for mold production.
"Our company has produced the visor molds for every mission from Shenzhou IX to Shenzhou XIX," said Huang Zhiqing, deputy general manager of Jingtian Mold.
Since 2010, Jingtian Mold has maintained a long-term collaboration with the National Engineering Research Center for Rubber Plastic Mould Technology at Zhengzhou University. The partnership has continuously innovated and upgraded their mold products to enhance the lifespan and safety reliability of the space helmet visors.
"Originally, it took six months to produce a single visor mold. Now, we can complete a set of six molds within two months," said Huang.