[Interview] HCD: From Cotton to Ceramics

Like a monk living in seclusion on the mountain, Chen Ping silently leads his team, escorting the consumer experience. The story of cotton and ceramics is just the beginning.

China's cotton, as a "lucrative export product", quietly supported the silver treasury of the Ming and Qing dynasties; China's porcelain became the "white gold" of Europe. The wheels of history rolled forward, and presently, cotton and ceramics have entered the homes of ordinary people, and the color of myth has faded.

The legend of cotton and ceramics continues to be told from generation to generation. 2FIRSTS interviewed Chen Ping, GM of HCD, to bring you the next story of cotton and ceramics.

A Bad First Encounter

14 years ago, Chen Ping saw a new thing. He took a deep breath, the burning smell hitting his throat.

That was an electronic vapor in 2008. Back then it was only a conceptual prototype, and there was nothing to say about the user experience. Chen Ping took it apart and saw that the twisted cotton thread was wrapped around the vaporizing heating wire, which was sparse, dense, and very uneven. One could imagine the haste and roughness of the handiwork.

Chen Ping did not complain about the inferior quality of the product. With a technical background, he is used to solving rather than complaining. He thought: "Can machines be used to solve this problem?" Chen Ping led his team to use automated equipment for a standardized production, and the quality of the products was greatly improved. HCD can be said to be the first company to industrialize, automate, scale and standardize the vapor coil industry.

The new legends of cotton and ceramics in the high-tech vapor industry is being written by HCD. Presently, HCD’s products and clients have covered more than 100 countries and regions around the world, directly or indirectly supplying vapor core components for the top four international tobacco brands, the top ten brands in the domestic brands, and more than 500 small to medium-sized electronic cigarette clients. The total number of vapor cores exported exceeds 10 billion.

The Battle Between Cotton and Pottery

The vapor core is the core device of the atomizing product. At present, there are mainly two types of vapor cores on the market: cotton core and ceramic core. The different materials can also make the vapor taste different. The cotton core has a high degree of taste reduction, but it is easy to burn. It is the mainstream vapor core material for large e-cigarettes at present. The ceramic core is stable and durable, and the taste reduction degree is less, which is favored by pod vape manufacturers.

HCD’s vapor core products lines cover both materials, which not only better solves the problem of oil leakage, but also brings better taste consistency to users. In Chen Ping’s view, the cotton core and the ceramic core are like a pair of hands, and the two are in a relationship of coexistence. Consumers in different eras will have different choices, and maybe there will be better new materials in the future, bringing consumers a more perfect experience.

HCD’s most competitive product at present is AX ceramic core, which combines the characteristics of ceramic and metal mesh, with purer vaporization and more delicate taste. Chen Ping said: "At the beginning of the design, we took into account the particularity of the product's volume and use environment, and accurately calculated the product size. We carried out research on the development of raw materials. Take ceramics for example, there are several types of it. Hundreds of different types of ceramic powders are produced from all over the world, and the minerals contained in them are different. The taste of vapor cores made of different materials will be very different. Therefore, the development of raw materials is a very important task for our company. As long as this material is helpful to us, we will do whatever it takes to get it.”

A New Mission for Cotton and Ceramics

Chen Ping strives for his products to be the most “safe, pure, and stable.”

"Safe" means passing food-grade tests to confirm that the production materials are safe and harmless. Chen Ping said: "Recently, we have added a new function to our vapor core. Temperature control, which can prevent dry burning and bring consumers a healthier vaporization experience. This is a reflection of our company's mission and social responsibility.”

Regarding "pure", Chen Ping explained: "How can I make my vapor core pure and tasteless, so to release the flavors of various e-liquids and atomizing liquids completely and accurately? This is a very important vaporization technology. A difficult problem. So we have been breaking, challenging, creating miracles.”

It is HCD’s commitment to provide "stable" quality to e-cigarette consumers. Chen Ping believes that the biggest problem in the development of the e-cigarette industry for last 20 years is that the product experience is not stable enough. "We hope to bring consumers a more unified vape experience. In order to meet the differentiated needs of customers, we will continue to pursue more perfect vaporization products.”

Epilogue

Consumers can appreciate the luminous casing and logo of the vape, but seldom think about where the cotton or ceramic inside the casing comes from.

"There are too many people suggesting that I become a brand. The technical threshold of vapor cores is high, the profits are low, and it is thankless. But there are too many players in the market, and we have already achieved to be the top of the vaporization core field. If we transform, we may not necessarily succeed."

"I don't like to take it easy. I like focus and depth. Exploring new technology is like walking a maze, it's a fun process."

Like a monk living in seclusion on the mountain, Chen Ping silently leads his team, escorting the consumer experience. The story of cotton and ceramics is just the beginning.