On August 4, Professor Harjit, a leading expert in thermal insulation materials from the United Kingdom, along with Professor Chen Zhaofeng of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, paid a visit to Guangdong Damao Niu. They held a focused seminar on advancing the implementation of a cutting-edge project involving high‑performance, sound‑insulating, noise‑reducing, high‑strength, rigid, lightweight foam materials, thereby accelerating the domestic substitution of advanced functional new materials.

At the seminar, Zhang Yuanting, Chairwoman of Guangdong Damao Niu, provided a detailed overview of the company’s research team, its technological achievements, and the supporting hardware‑development infrastructure. Professor Chen Zhaofeng then systematically outlined the current state of core technical requirements for advanced sound‑insulating, high‑strength, rigid, lightweight foam materials. Damao Niu has now successfully mastered the nation’s only proprietary low‑moisture‑absorption foam‑material process, effectively addressing the industry‑wide challenge of low‑temperature condensation and water seepage in the cavities and piping of high‑end equipment. This foam material is lightweight, hydrophobic and moisture‑resistant, fire‑retardant and thermally insulating, with exceptional rigidity and strength; it can be integrally molded to produce a full range of pipe‑fitting components for various types of equipment, thereby eliminating condensation and leakage at the source. Its overall performance ranks among the best in China.

Professor Harjit from the United Kingdom shared his team’s cutting-edge global experience in the research and development of adiabatic and sound‑insulating foam materials. For three decades, his group has been deeply engaged in the field of thermal insulation, maintaining long-term, close collaborations with numerous industry partners worldwide and successfully bringing to fruition several benchmark industrialization projects in high‑end equipment, cold‑chain logistics, and constant‑temperature energy storage. At the conference, he announced that in September 2027, the UK will co‑host an International Conference on Adiabatic and Sound‑Insulating Materials with leading global industry organizations, extending a warm invitation to the DamaoNiu research team to visit the UK for academic exchanges. He also expressed a strong intention to collaborate with DamaoNiu and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics to establish a joint laboratory and jointly tackle key challenges in developing next‑generation composite materials that combine high strength with superior sound insulation and thermal performance.

Leveraging China Southern Airlines’ deep research expertise in high‑end composite functional materials and Damaoniu’s proven capabilities in industrial-scale implementation, the three parties will conduct joint R&D focused on advanced applications, establish a collaborative innovation platform for high‑end new materials that integrates industry, academia, research, and end‑use, and open up channels for connecting with international technology markets in Europe. Going forward, China Southern Airlines graduate students will be deployed in phases to the Leizhou production and R&D base, working together to overcome technical challenges such as foam‑structure forming and performance‑reliability validation, thereby accelerating the transition of laboratory prototypes into qualified, high‑end component parts for advanced equipment. In parallel, the three parties have reached consensus on collaborative initiatives—including joint project submissions, co‑building an innovation platform, and linking university–enterprise talent internships and employment—thus breaking down barriers to translating cutting‑edge academic research into practical industrial needs.

Technology knows no borders, and innovation resonates across cultures. We look forward to taking this China–UK academic exchange as a fresh starting point, bringing together the world’s leading scientific expertise to deepen our work in Leizhou, and swiftly achieving full domestic production of cutting-edge, high‑performance soundproofing and high‑strength rigid foam materials—providing lighter, stronger, and safer core functional materials for a wide range of advanced equipment.