boyutpedia Chapter 153 The Blueprints Show Their Power, He Is Appointed to a Critical Mission
Chapter 153 The Blueprints Show Their Power, He Is Appointed to a Critical Mission
As dawn broke over the brick walls of the Zhangcheng Agricultural Implements Factory, the roar of machines filled the workshop. Lin Chen, clutching a newly printed technical parameter sheet, walked briskly through a corner piled with semi-finished plowshares. In the distance, he saw Factory Director Zhou Ming standing beside a newly assembled high-efficiency spinning machine, his brows furrowed. The machine's operation was erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, accompanied by a harsh metallic scraping sound. It would jam every few revolutions, the cotton thread breaking intermittently or getting tangled in the gears, and many broken pieces of thread were already scattered on the ground.
"Lin Chen, you're finally here!" Zhou Ming saw him and rushed over as if he had grasped a lifeline. His voice was filled with anxiety. "After assembling it according to your drawings, problems arose on the first day of trial production. Old Zhou and the others took turns debugging it half the night, but the gear meshing was still not right. Look at this output, it's not even half as high as the old equipment." He pointed to the counting board next to him, on which "Output: 86 jin, Scrap Rate: 37%" was written in chalk. The handwriting was messy, obviously a temporary record.
Lin Chen didn't speak, but walked straight to the spinning machine, squatted down, and carefully examined the gear meshing. When the machine was running, he could clearly see that the teeth of the driving and driven gears would slightly misalign at the moment of contact, and each misalignment would cause jamming. He gestured to Lao Zhou to stop the machine, put on gloves, and gently turned the gears. His fingertips could feel tiny burrs on the edges of the teeth, and although the tooth pitch of the two gears was marked the same, actual measurement revealed a deviation of 0.2 millimeters—a fatal error in precision machinery.
"The gears aren't machined precisely enough. The pitch deviation, combined with the burrs on the edges, causes uneven force during meshing," Lin Chen said, taking off his gloves and pointing to the gears as he spoke to the gathered technicians. "The old equipment could still be used because of its low speed and high tolerance for error. Our high-efficiency spinning machine runs at twice the speed of the old one, so this slight deviation is magnified infinitely."
Old Zhou blushed and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's my fault for not checking properly. The blacksmith I found said he could process it to the precision of the blueprints, but I didn't expect..." Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ming interrupted him, "It's no use talking about this now, Lin Chen. Is there any way to remedy this? The commune has already heard that we've developed a high-efficiency device, and they're sending an observation team tomorrow. If they see this, our factory will lose all face."
Lin Chen stood up, his gaze sweeping over the pile of scrap materials in the corner of the workshop. There were many old gears and manganese steel shavings that had been replaced previously. "There's a way, but it requires materials and time." He paused, then spoke rapidly, "Director Zhou, have someone prepare these things immediately: fifty kilograms of alloy scrap, containing chromium and manganese; twenty kilograms of refractory clay; and find a ceramic crucible with a diameter of thirty centimeters, the bigger the better. Old Zhou, take two technicians to sift through the old gears in the scrap pile, picking out those with intact teeth, sanding them clean, and delivering them to the laboratory in the backyard in ten minutes."
Seeing his confidence, everyone immediately sprang into action. Zhou Ming personally went to the logistics department to allocate supplies, while Old Zhou led the technicians to sift through the scrap heaps, sorting through old gears. The previously oppressive atmosphere in the workshop became tense yet orderly. Lin Chen strode towards the backyard; he had reinforced the small furnace the night before and was now checking its seal—the fusion process required an absolutely airtight environment, otherwise the purity of the metal would be affected.
Just after inspecting the furnace, Lin Chen heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Su Qing standing at the courtyard gate, carrying a thick ledger, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, clearly having run all the way there. "Lin Chen, I found the alloy scrap list you requested." She handed him the ledger, the open page detailing the raw material purchases over the past six months in red pen. "Last month, we imported a batch of chromium-manganese alloy scrap from the Shanghai Steel Plant. We originally intended to make plowshare blades. We have thirty-five jin left. If that's not enough, I'll contact Old Wang at the scrap yard; he might have some."
Lin Chen took the ledger and looked at the clear records on it, feeling admiration in his heart. "Thirty-five catties is enough. We can make up the rest with old gears." He pointed to a pile of materials next to the furnace. "You've come at the right time. Do me a favor and divide these manganese steel scraps into five-catty portions, wrap them into small balls with refractory clay. I'll need them later." Su Qing nodded, put down the ledger, and started sorting. Her movements were very efficient. The sorted scrap balls were of uniform size and wrapped tightly with refractory clay. It was clear that she was used to doing meticulous work.
"How did you know I needed this list?" Lin Chen asked casually while adjusting the furnace's damper. Su Qing paused, then whispered, "Last night, Factory Director Zhou mentioned you wanted to improve the gears. I guessed you needed to know about the factory's existing materials. These alloy scraps are 30% cheaper than pure steel, but much harder, making them perfect for gears." She looked up, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "I calculated that if we can successfully improve the gears using these scraps, the cost per machine can be reduced by twelve yuan. If we mass-produce them, we can save a lot of money."
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Su Qing to not only keep such meticulous accounts but also understand cost control and material properties. "You're right, cost control is very important," he said with a smile. "Once the equipment is sorted out this time, I'll suggest to Factory Manager Zhou that you officially take charge of the factory's cost accounting and also manage material procurement. That will definitely be better than this temporary arrangement." Su Qing's cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her head to continue working, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
Ten minutes later, Old Zhou and his technicians brought over the sorted old gears. Lin Chen selected three with intact teeth, sanded them clean, and placed them in a ceramic crucible. He then evenly spread the shards of alloy around the gears. "Everyone, step back, three meters away from the furnace," he instructed, before lighting the coal beneath the furnace. As the fire grew stronger, the metal in the crucible slowly turned red, and a pungent smell of rust filled the air.
The system panel appeared in his mind. Lin Chen concentrated and selected the "Directional Fusion" function. "Fusion target: old gear + alloy shavings, optimization direction: improve tooth pitch accuracy to 0.01 mm, enhance surface hardness, eliminate burrs." The system prompted: "This fusion will consume 80 points and 50 points of mental energy. Confirm?" Lin Chen selected "Confirm" without hesitation. A light blue halo instantly enveloped the entire crucible, and the temperature of the furnace suddenly rose. Even Su Qing next to him felt the heat wave coming towards her.
The fusion process lasted a full hour. Lin Chen stared intently at the crucible, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead and evaporating instantly. Su Qing silently handed him a towel and poured him a glass of cool water, saying softly, "Don't rush. I just checked the thermometer; the temperature is stable at 1500 degrees Celsius, which is the optimal temperature for alloy fusion." Lin Chen took the glass and took a sip. The cool water flowed down his throat, and he relaxed slightly.
The moment the system announced "Fusion Successful," Lin Chen shut off the furnace's air vents, allowing it to cool naturally. "How much longer before we can use it?" Zhou Ming asked, leaning closer. He'd been watching for an hour, not daring to blink. "At least two hours. It must cool naturally; we can't pour water on it, or the gears will crack," Lin Chen said. "While we have time, let's prepare the assembly tools and double-check the other parts of the spinning machine to make sure there are no other problems."
Back in the workshop, Lin Chen led the technicians in inspecting each component of the spinning machine. Su Qing, meanwhile, was keeping a ledger, noting down small parts that needed replacing. "Lin Chen, the bearing clearance here is a bit too large, which might affect the rotation speed," Su Qing said, pointing to the spinning machine's drive shaft. "I checked the blueprints; the standard clearance should be 0.1 millimeters, but the actual measurement is 0.3 millimeters." Lin Chen measured it with a feeler gauge, and it was indeed as Su Qing had said. "You even understand mechanical blueprints?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
"I learned a little from my father before. When he ran a cloth shop, he had several textile machines that often needed repair." Su Qing's eyes darkened. "Later, the cloth shop was taken over, and those machines were also taken away, but I secretly kept a few blueprints." Lin Chen comforted her, "It's good to know blueprints. In the future, when the factory upgrades its equipment, we'll need your help to read the blueprints." He asked Old Zhou to find a new bearing and personally replaced it, his movements skillful and efficient.
Two hours later, the furnace in the backyard finally cooled down. Lin Chen put on heat-resistant gloves and carefully took out the crucible. The three gears inside the crucible had become brand new, their surfaces smooth as mirrors, without a single burr, and the teeth's patterns clear and regular. He measured the tooth pitch with calipers, and it was exactly 0.01 millimeters, perfectly meeting the design requirements. "It's done!" Old Zhou shouted excitedly, and Zhou Ming also breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face.
The new gear was carried back to the workshop, where Lin Chen personally directed the assembly. He instructed the technicians to first clean the gear shaft, then apply special lubricant to it, and finally gently slide the new gear onto it, slowly tightening the fixing screws with a wrench. The entire process was carried out smoothly, while Su Qing stood by with the blueprints, constantly checking the assembly position to ensure there were no deviations.
As the last screw was tightened, the workshop was so quiet you could hear each other breathing. Lin Chen walked to the control panel of the spinning machine and pressed the start button. The spinning machine hummed smoothly and powerfully, without the previous stuttering and harsh friction. The cotton thread wound evenly from the spindle, of uniform thickness, without any breaks. Old Zhou stood beside him with a counter, muttering, "One hundred and twenty, one hundred and thirty, one hundred and fifty..."
"How's the output?" Zhou Ming asked impatiently. Old Zhou stopped the counter in his hand and said excitedly, "180 revolutions per minute, the output is more than double that of the old equipment! The scrap rate is almost zero!" Cheers immediately broke out in the workshop. The technicians surrounded the spinning machine, discussing it all at once, their faces full of pride and excitement.
Just then, footsteps sounded at the workshop entrance. Commune Secretary Li Jianguo led the observation group in, followed by a dozen commune cadres and heads of other agricultural implement factories. "Director Zhou, we heard you've developed a high-efficiency spinning machine, so we came to see for ourselves," Secretary Li said in a loud voice. His gaze swept over the spinning machines in the workshop, and his eyes lit up when he saw the smoothly running machines and the neatly stacked cotton threads on the floor.
Zhou Ming hurried forward, about to explain the previous malfunction, when Secretary Li waved him off, saying, "Don't say anything yet, let's see the actual results." He walked to the spinning machine, observed it carefully for a few minutes, picked up some cotton thread from the ground and touched it, then turned to the people behind him and said, "Look at this output, this quality, it's even better than the equipment we bought from Shanghai!"
At this moment, a bespectacled cadre came out. He was Zhang, the commune's technical consultant, who had previously been skeptical of the farm implement factory's independent modifications. "Director Zhou, where did you buy the core components of this equipment? I see that the gears are very precise; they don't seem like something we could manufacture locally." His words carried a hint of doubt, clearly indicating that he didn't believe the farm implement factory had made the improvements themselves.
Zhou Ming looked somewhat nervous, but Lin Chen stepped forward and said with a smile, "Hello, Engineer Zhang, this gear is made from scrap materials and old gears from our factory. The raw materials are all leftover alloy scraps." He handed over the old gear and the improved new gear. "You can compare them. We improved the gear's precision and hardness through fusion technology, and the cost is also reduced by half compared to the new gear."
Zhang took the gear, examined it carefully with a magnifying glass, and then measured it with a hardness tester. His expression gradually changed. "The hardness has reached HRC55, which is 5 degrees higher than the standard gear, and the pitch accuracy has also reached the precision level." He looked up at Lin Chen with surprise in his eyes. "Young man, which university did you graduate from? This fusion technology is quite remarkable."
"I came from the Beijing Steel Rolling Mill. I was a key technical worker in the forging workshop before." Lin Chen didn't mention the system, only saying that he had figured out the technology himself. Su Qing handed over the cost accounting sheet at the right time: "Engineer Zhang, this is our cost accounting report. The improved gears only cost eight yuan each, while the new precision gears cost sixteen yuan each. The cost-effectiveness is very high."
Zhang Gong glanced at the accounting sheet and asked a few technical questions, which Lin Chen answered fluently. Finally, he said to Secretary Li, "Secretary Li, this equipment is indeed a good thing. It's technologically advanced and low-cost, and it can be promoted throughout the entire commune." Secretary Li nodded, patted Zhou Ming on the shoulder, and said, "Factory Director Zhou, your factory has made a great contribution to the commune! I've decided to allocate a special bonus to you and give you priority in allocating raw materials so that you can strive for mass production next month and supply all production brigades."
After the observation group left, cheers erupted again in the workshop. Zhou Ming excitedly grasped Lin Chen's hand: "Lin Chen, you're truly our factory's savior! I've already applied to Secretary Li to make you the factory's deputy technical director, responsible for equipment upgrades and technological research and development. Your salary will be increased to eighty yuan, and you'll also be allocated a two-bedroom dormitory!"
Lin Chen quickly declined, "Director Zhou, I've only been here a few days, I can't shoulder such a heavy responsibility. I can take charge of technical research and development, but I don't need to be the deputy director." Zhou Ming insisted, "This is everyone's opinion. If you don't take it, Old Zhou and the others will be the first to object." Old Zhou and the others echoed him, so Lin Chen had no choice but to agree.
In the evening, Su Qing delivered the compiled mass production plan to Lin Chen's new dormitory. The dormitory was a two-bedroom apartment; although simple, it was very clean and tidy. New glass had been installed in the windows, and a potted green plant in the corner gave it a lively feel. "This is the production plan I made based on the factory's equipment and personnel. We can produce five spinning machines per day. The raw material supply has also been confirmed with the scrap yard and steel mill," Su Qing said, handing over the plan. "Also, Factory Manager Zhou has officially put me in charge of the finance and materials departments; we'll be working together frequently from now on."
Lin Chen took the production plan and looked at the detailed production process and personnel arrangements. He couldn't help but exclaim, "You've done a really meticulous job. You even calculated the time for each process. I'll entrust the factory's production planning to you from now on. I'm at ease." He poured Su Qing a glass of hot water. "Thank you for today. If you hadn't found the materials list in time and helped me check the drawings, I wouldn't have been able to finish this so quickly."
Su Qing took the water glass, her fingertips touching the warm glass, a warmth rising in her heart. "We're colleagues, helping each other is only right." She looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky and said softly, "My father used to say that doing business requires integrity, and doing technology requires meticulousness. Now it seems that it's the same in production." Lin Chen nodded: "Your father is right. No matter what you do, being down-to-earth is the most important thing."
After seeing Su Qing off, Lin Chen returned to his room and opened the system panel. It showed that his points had increased to 500, and he had also unlocked the "Batch Fusion" function. Looking at the prompts on the panel, he was filled with anticipation—with this function, mass production of gears would be much more convenient. More importantly, he had found a stage to showcase his talents in Zhangcheng, and he had found trustworthy partners; this was more important than anything else.
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the production schedule on the table. Lin Chen picked up a pen and wrote eight characters in the blank space: "Technology as our foundation, integrity as our core." He knew that the success of the high-efficiency spinning machine was just the beginning. In Zhangcheng, he had a wider world to explore and more technological breakthroughs to achieve. And all of this would begin with mass production tomorrow.