released by the National Intellectual Property Administration shows that a patent titled “An Integrated Ball Joint-Bearing Control Arm and Its Manufacturing Method” was officially granted on January 16, 2026 (Publication No.: CN120828627B). The patent is jointly developed and held by Zhejiang Shitai Industrial Co., Ltd. and Guangxi Mingxin Chassis Components Co., Ltd.
This achievement highlights the continued advancement of domestic manufacturers in the development of critical automotive chassis safety components, and is expected to provide new technical solutions for improving the structural strength, durability, and reliability of suspension systems.
Control arms and ball joints are key safety components in automotive suspension systems. Conventional split-structure designs have long faced several challenges, including stress concentration at connection interfaces that limits structural strength, tolerance stack-up from multi-component assembly affecting precision, and insufficient lubrication leading to noise and premature wear of the ball joint.
To address these issues, Zhejiang Shitai and Guangxi Mingxin combined their respective expertise in material forming and chassis system development to carry out joint R&D and introduce an integrated solution.
According to the disclosed technical scheme, the patent demonstrates innovations in several key areas:
First, in structural design, an integrated forging process is adopted to form the control arm body and ball joint housing as a single unit. This eliminates weak connection interfaces found in traditional designs and significantly enhances both structural strength and assembly consistency.
Second, in functional design, the system incorporates a self-adaptive lubrication mechanism capable of dynamically replenishing grease based on wear conditions, effectively reducing abnormal noise and mitigating premature wear of the ball joint.
Third, in terms of protection, a multi-layer protection system combining electrophoretic coating and rubber sealing is employed to improve corrosion resistance and long-term reliability under complex operating conditions.
In terms of company background, Zhejiang Shitai, established in 1998 and headquartered in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, has long focused on the R&D and manufacturing of automotive components. Guangxi Mingxin, founded in 1989 and based in Guilin, Guangxi, brings over three decades of experience in chassis system development. The granting of this joint patent reflects the strong technical synergy between the two companies in the field of critical chassis components.
From an industry perspective, as the automotive sector accelerates toward electrification, intelligentization, and lightweighting, the integration of control arms and ball joints is emerging as a key development direction. The shift from split assemblies to integrated structures, and from passive lubrication to functional integration, represents an important evolution in chassis technology.
Industry observers note that such innovations also signal a broader transition among domestic suppliers—from traditional build-to-print manufacturing toward forward engineering, structural innovation, and higher-level system integration capabilities.