Daming Crazy Emperor

Chapter 304 Spear and Shield

After the successful development of lathes, the development speed of various machine tools has indeed accelerated a lot.

A few days later, Bi Maokang ran over excitedly and told Taichang that the press machine had also been developed!

To be honest, Taichang was taken aback.

Because in his impression, the platen press is a large machine tool or a heavy machine tool, not to mention anything else, it is not easy to make just the huge press roller.

It is almost impossible to develop a press machine in a few days!
What kind of surprise will Bi Maokang and the others give him?

Taichang followed Bi Maokang into the foundry workshop of the steam engine factory and looked at it, and his face was filled with confusion.

He didn't see the big guy he imagined, there was no machine bigger than a furnace in the entire foundry, but Wang Zheng, Song Yingxing and others were discussing something excitedly around a guillotine-like shelf.

Could that be the plate press they made?

Taichang walked over and took a look, he couldn't help but have a strange look on his face.

Well, this is indeed a platen press.

However, the size of this platen machine is too small.

It was like, he thought he would see a super strong man in his early two meters, but what appeared in front of him was just a newborn baby!
This press machine is really too small, the diameter of the press roller is only half a foot at most, and the width is only about one foot.

How big a board can such a small press press out?
Don't think about it, boards up to a foot wide.

Can a board with a width of one foot be called a board?
To be honest, he really didn't expect that the chance of the first pressing plate developed by Bi Maokang and Wang Zheng's people was so small.

So why did such a pocket press machine be developed?

After thinking about it for a while, Taichang understood, because the lathe developed a few days ago was only that big, and it was already the limit to be able to produce such a large pressure roller.

Can this pocket-sized plate press machine press out the plates?
This is for sure, if Bi Maokang can't be suppressed, he won't be excited to invite him to come and see.

It's still the old rule, now that it's done, let's see if it can realize the expected function first, and as for the improvement, we can talk about it later.

Start your show now.

Taichang nodded slightly, then raised his hand as a signal to ask Bi Maokang and others to demonstrate how the plate press works.

This time, Bi Maokang and others did not take part in the battle in person, because the platen machine was not processing ordinary things, but red-hot copper ingots, and non-skilled craftsmen really dare not play with that thing.

Bi Maokang gave an order, and a craftsman immediately pulled the rope, pulled a triangular iron block about one foot high along the guillotine-like iron frame by about half a foot, and then stuck the end of the rope into a special slot.

This original punch press is similar, except that what is pulled up is not a mold.

What is this triangular piece of iron used for?

Taichang craned his neck curiously to take a look, and instantly understood.

It turned out that they designed two pressure rollers, and the two pressure rollers stood side by side.

In other words, the red-hot copper ingot must have been placed on the two pressure rollers, and the triangular iron block pressed the red-hot copper ingot down.

After all, it is impossible for a red-hot copper ingot to flow down like copper water, and it is difficult for a smooth roller to bring the red-hot copper ingot down. Do not enter the narrow gap between the two rollers.

As soon as he retracted his neck, Bi Maokang waved his hand again, and immediately a disciple opened the valve of the steam engine, and the two pressure rollers also started to rotate.

This is considered ready.

Immediately afterwards, Bi Maokang waved his hand again, and a strong craftsman in full armor immediately picked up a large tong, opened the door of the furnace next to it, and directly took out a red-hot copper ingot from inside, and clamped two pressure rollers superior.

Another craftsman picked up a wooden hammer and knocked it down with one hammer.

With a sound of "bang", the hanging triangle iron block fell down, and the red-hot copper block was also smashed into the middle of the two pressure rollers.

Immediately afterwards, a copper plate pressed like a dough piece came out from under the two pressing rollers.

"呵呵呵", a burst of mist rose, and the pressed copper plates quickly fell into the sink below.

Is this the end?
Taichang stared dumbfounded at the triangular iron block above the two rollers. The red-hot copper ingot under the iron block had disappeared!

Immediately afterwards, Bi Maokang waved his hand again, and ordered a strong craftsman to clamp the pressed copper plate out of the sink.

This copper plate is really like a piece of dough, the thickness is relatively uniform, but the shape is not very regular.

Bi Maokang pointed to the copper plate on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, such a copper plate can be used as at least a dozen steam engine baffles. If it turned out, it would take at least one day to knock a copper ingot into such a copper plate, and the thickness is not so uniform. .”

Well, the efficiency has indeed increased by more than ten times.

No, if you count the time, it should be more than a hundred times!

But the shape of this copper plate really doesn't look like an industrial product.

Taichang thought for a while, then nodded in appreciation and said: "Well, not bad, this copper plate is pressed out, but the shape is really a bit irregular. You can think of a way to add baffles on both sides of the pressing roller so that the copper plate can be pressed. When it comes out, the two sides are straight. Also, the copper plate is too narrow, you can think of a way to make a few larger lathes, and the lathes will be bigger and wider.”

Hearing this, Bi Maokang couldn't help nodding his head and said: "I understand, the emperor can rest assured that in the future this plate press will definitely become bigger and bigger, and the copper plates it presses out will definitely become wider and wider."

Okay, this is actually pretty good.

At this point, even if all the machine tools required for mass production of steam engines have been developed, the production speed of steam engines will also become faster and faster. Next, the application of steam engines should be considered.

The main purpose of Taichang's crazily promoting industrialization is actually to manufacture weapons and equipment. At least, the focus of this stage is to manufacture weapons and equipment.

Because Ming has not yet become the hegemon of the world.

At this moment, even Daming and even the Dutch, the maritime overlord, may not be able to do it.

After all, they have hundreds of warships and tens of thousands of armed merchant ships. In the Far East, because of the distance, so many ships did not come here. If the two sides had a war in a sea area with a similar distance, Daming might not be able to beat the Netherlands.

At this time, it is natural to develop the military industry quickly and develop more and better weapons and equipment.

The question is, at this moment, should we develop new types of artillery or ironclad warships first?

This is a question of spear and shield.

The new artillery is like a spear, the sharper the spear, the stronger the attack power.

Once the new type of artillery with a longer range is mass-produced, the attack power of the Daming Navy will be terrifying.

If a new type of artillery with an attack distance of more than five miles or even ten miles is built, how terrifying will it be against the enemy?
The enemy may be about to eat shells before seeing the fleet of the Daming Navy!
An armored warship is like a shield, the stronger the shield, the stronger the defense.

Once the armored battleship is built, the defense of the Daming Navy will be terrifying.

At this moment, there is no artillery that can smash the iron-clad battleship.

If the ironclad battleship can be developed, the enemy will only be beaten up!

To be honest, Taichang wanted to develop the armored warship as soon as possible.

Because once there is an iron-clad warship, the Ming Dynasty will basically be invincible, and the navy officers and soldiers will not suffer too many casualties.

However, the shape of the pressed copper plate is really not easy to install on a battleship.

Moreover, the pressed boards are too small, how many pieces have to be pressed out for such a large battleship?

Obviously, even if this small press machine is used to press the iron plate, it will not take ten days, half a month or even a month or two to complete the armor plate of an iron-clad battleship.

This platen machine must be made bigger.

As for the development of new artillery, it is relatively simple.

Because they have removed the main guns and secondary guns on the Dutch gunboat.

The range of the Dutch's artillery is indeed quite terrifying. The range of the [-]-jin cannon is almost the same as the [-]-jin Thor cannon.

As for the reason, as long as you think about it or imitate it, and test it, you will definitely be able to find it.

That is to say, it is not difficult for Ming Dynasty to develop a cannon with a range of more than five miles or even more than ten miles.

Moreover, all kinds of machine tools are almost developed at this moment, and as long as the new artillery is developed, it can be mass-produced.

(End of this chapter)