dkrc Chapter 17 is complete.
Chapter 17 is complete.
Jiang Cheng pressed the switch, and the model started operating. There was some noise at first, but he adjusted it, and the noise disappeared. Then he placed a piece of test material on the model, and it began cutting. The cut surface was smooth and flat, with almost no burrs.
"It's done!" Professor Qian slapped his thigh. "It really is done!"
Zheng Huaiyuan laughed and patted Jiang Cheng on the shoulder: "Good lad, you've got some skills."
Jiang Cheng looked at the model, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Three months of hard work had finally yielded results. But this was only the first step; there was still a long way to go before true success.
"What do we do next?" he asked.
Zheng Huaiyuan pondered for a moment: "The next step is to conduct a real machine test. We need to find a real planer, install your improved device, and see the effect."
"Are the planers in our college usable?"
"It can be used, but that machine is too old. Even if it's improved, it won't be convincing enough," Zheng Huaiyuan said. "The best one is the one in the factory, the one you mentioned. It's on the production line, and the improvement will be immediately noticeable."
Jiang Cheng fell silent. That planer in the factory, in the machine repair shop, was Sun Jianguo's territory. How could he get in? How could he install it? How could he test it?
Professor Qian saw through his thoughts and said, "This isn't urgent. Let's figure out a way slowly. Once the product is made, opportunities will come."
Jiang Cheng nodded, but he knew in his heart that opportunities wouldn't come on their own; they had to be seized.
The opportunity came faster than expected.
A week later, a major incident occurred at the factory.
That old planer has completely broken down.
When the news arrived, Jiang Cheng was carrying a ladle of molten iron in the foundry workshop. Director Ma ran over, his face beaming: "Jiang Cheng, have you heard? That broken planer in the machine repair shop is broken, and it can't be fixed!"
Jiang Cheng was taken aback: "What's going on?"
"I heard some spindle broke and there are no spare parts to repair it. Sun Jianguo is frantic; the factory has so much work waiting for him!" Director Ma gloated. "Serves him right! Let him show off!"
Jiang Cheng's heart skipped a beat. The spindle was broken... If it were just broken, he could simply replace it. But the spindle of this old planer was a special model that had long been discontinued and was impossible to buy. In other words, this planer was basically beyond repair.
unless……
A thought flashed through his mind. If he took this opportunity to present his improved plan, it might work. But the risk was high; if it failed, it would only make things worse.
He hesitated for an entire afternoon. When he got off work, he went to find Huang Deqing.
After listening, Huang Deqing remained silent for a long time before asking, "Chengzi, how confident are you?"
"Eighty percent," Jiang Cheng said. "If I have time to fine-tune it, ninety percent."
Huang Deqing nodded: "Then what are we waiting for?"
Jiang Cheng was taken aback: "Master, you mean...?"
"Go," Huang Deqing said. "Go find your proposal, go find Director Zhou. This is a chance from heaven for you. Seize it, and you'll turn your life around. If you don't, you'll stay put. It's your choice."
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath: "I understand."
The next morning, Jiang Cheng went to see Director Zhou.
Factory Director Zhou was worrying about the planer when he saw him arrive. He said irritably, "What is it now?"
"Factory manager, I wanted to talk about the planer."
Factory Director Zhou frowned: "Can you fix it?"
"It's not repair, it's modification," Jiang Cheng said. "I have an improvement plan that can bring that planer back to life and make it even better than before."
Factory Director Zhou was stunned: "You? An improvement plan?"
Jiang Cheng took out the blueprints and model photos from his bag and placed them on the table. Factory Director Zhou picked them up and looked at them, his brows furrowing even more deeply: "You did this?"
"Yes. I've been working on it for three months. The theoretical verification and model testing are all done, and all that's left is the actual machine testing."
Factory Director Zhou remained silent for a long time. He thought about the rolling mill, what Sun Jianguo had said, and the report from the province. He knew that if he let Jiang Cheng do it, he would offend many people. But if he didn't let him do it, the planer would be completely ruined, and the factory would suffer even greater losses. He couldn't bear that responsibility, and he couldn't take that risk.
"How confident are you?" he asked.
"Eighty percent," Jiang Cheng said. "If given time, ninety percent."
Factory Director Zhou looked at him with a complicated expression. After a long while, he said, "I can't make this decision myself; it needs to be discussed at the meeting."
Jiang Cheng's heart sank; he knew this was an excuse. He said, "Factory manager, that planer is needed. We'll have to discuss it at the meeting; it'll take at least a week. How much will the factory lose in that week?"
Factory Director Zhou remained silent.
"Factory manager, I don't ask for anything else, I just want a chance," Jiang Cheng said. "Let me try. If it succeeds, it's the factory's credit. If it fails, I'll take the blame alone."
As Director Zhou looked at him, he suddenly remembered how he himself had been in his youth, willing to risk everything for an opportunity.
"Fine," he said. "I'll give you three days. Within those three days, you can use any planer you like. After three days, whether it works or not, you have to give me an explanation."
Jiang Cheng was overjoyed: "Thank you, Factory Director!"
Leaving the factory manager's office, Jiang Cheng headed straight for the machine repair workshop. Sun Jianguo was there; seeing him, his expression changed: "What are you doing here?"
"The factory manager sent me," Jiang Cheng said. "I'll give that planer a try."
Sun Jianguo sneered: "You want to try? Do you even know what the problem is? The spindle is broken, and there are no spare parts. What are you going to use to try?"
Jiang Cheng ignored him and went straight to the planer. The old machine lay there quietly, like a dying beast. He squatted down, examined it carefully, and got a sense of what was going on.
"Director Sun, can I borrow a few people?" he said.
Sun Jianguo snorted, "There's no one here."
"I'll do it myself," Jiang Cheng said, and began to disassemble the machine.
Sun Jianguo's face turned ashen, but he dared not object. The factory director had given the order, and no matter how arrogant he was, he dared not openly disobey.
Jiang Cheng worked alone all morning to disassemble the spindle. The spindle was indeed broken, with a clean fracture, indicating fatigue fracture. He measured the dimensions and compared them with the parts he had designed; they were basically identical.
In the afternoon, he went to see Engineer Wu.
Engineer Wu reviewed his design and then examined the broken spindle. He nodded, "It's feasible. However, several parts need to be re-machined, which will take two days."
"I'll wait," Jiang Cheng said.
For two days and two nights, Jiang Cheng barely slept. He spent his days dismantling machines at the factory and his nights processing parts at the research institute. Engineer Wu stayed with him the whole time, sometimes handing him tools, sometimes pouring him a glass of water. By the early morning of the third day, all the parts were finally processed.
Jiang Cheng carried the parts back to the factory; it was already dawn. In the machine repair workshop, several workers were discussing something. When they saw him arrive, they all gathered around.
"Jiang Cheng, can you really fix it?"
"I heard you've got something new up your sleeve?"
Jiang Cheng didn't speak and began the installation. Sun Jianguo stood by, watching coldly. He couldn't wait for Jiang Cheng to fail, to see how he would handle the aftermath.
The installation lasted four hours. Around noon, the last screw was tightened. Jiang Cheng straightened up, his body covered in sweat, his hands trembling.
"Give it a try," he said.