I built an armada.

He uttered those four words slowly and deliberately, with unwavering resolve.

"What...printing?"

Lu Guangjun and the room full of experts were completely dumbfounded, their eyes filled with confusion. Printing paper? Printing this? How do you print on metal?

"It's not printed on paper."

Su Dingping strode to the smooth metal blackboard, picked up a pen, and forcefully wrote down the keywords.

"3D metal additive manufacturing! Ultra-precision CNC machining! AI intelligent control!"

The pen tip scraped across the metal plate, making a harsh grinding sound, as if it were chiseling open a barrier of thought.

The pen tip rapidly sketched a dynamic diagram on the blackboard.

His voice rose, carrying an undeniable power.

"The traditional approach won't work! We'll break it! Why go through the trouble of dividing the cavity into small pieces and assembling them like building blocks? Powder! High-purity metal powder!"
Treating it as a kind of 'ink,' and with precise computer guidance, lasers or electron beams, layer by layer, thread by thread... directly 'print' a solid, integral embryonic cavity in space!

He pointed sharply at the indicated position of the 3D model in the center of the blackboard.

"It's like drawing a sketch, but instead of using a pen, it's using light or an electron beam to layer metal at a microscopic level!"

The pupils of everyone in the audience suddenly contracted, as if they had seen an invisible veil being suddenly torn apart!
A disruptive manufacturing concept pierced their established cognitive iron curtain like the dawn of a new world!

"Then."

Su Dingping turned around.

"The printed blank will inevitably have slight surface undulations."

This is the battlefield of 'CNC machining'!

He pointed to a prototype of a domestically produced high-precision CNC lathe, "Pangu No. 1," which was under development and improvement.

"Use sharper, tougher, and more obedient 'knives'—carbide or even more advanced tools—to grind and polish at the atomic level along paths controlled by AI intelligent algorithms! Let machines replace the uncontrollable trembling of human hands!"
They completely smooth out those tiny imperfections, down to a fraction of an atom! The force, angle, and temperature of each cut are all optimized and controlled in real-time by a closed-loop algorithm, requiring no human intervention throughout the entire process!

He slammed his hand on the blackboard.

"One ten-thousandth of a grain of rice is not a dream; it is a future we can reach!"

The entire laboratory was like a powder keg that had been set ablaze!
“Print…smooth…AI…” Lu Guangjun was so excited that his breathing became rapid, and he slammed his fist on the table.

"Great idea! A decisive solution!"
One step at a time!

“But…Director.”

Li Yun raised her hand, her voice filled with excitement yet also shrouded in the cold, hard reality.

"3D metal printer... ultra-precision CNC grinding machine..."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"We don't have any..."

The silence lasted only half a second.

Su Dingping scanned the young faces before him, their excitement barely concealed by worry. Through the trials and tribulations of the 'Dragon Star' project, these once green assistants had been transformed, their eyes now sharpened by theoretical knowledge and honed by practical experience.

A sharp, resolute curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. Without uttering a single superfluous sentiment, he issued the command directly, each word like a command code that had been tempered in fire.

"If not, then make them!"

"Lü Guangjun, Liu Huajian, and Chen Yong, you three groups!"

"Target.

Ultra-precision CNC machining lathe technology!

Theoretical basis.

"High-Precision Machine Tool Dynamics," "Vibration Control and Error Compensation," "Intelligent Control Systems"... bring them all out! Based on the existing 'Pangu No. 1' prototype, deduce and optimize it for me! Identify all the joints that need upgrading and modification—spindle, guide rails, drive system, thermal deformation compensation! Produce feasible, in-depth design solutions!"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

The three men straightened their backs, their eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit, and without a second's hesitation, they accepted the order in unison.

Su Dingping turned his gaze to another group of people.

"Zhang Mingyuan, Wang Haitao, Xu Jie! Your group!"

"Target.

3D metal printing!

"Follow me! Let's tackle the key challenges—fluidization control of metal powder! Energy field distribution of laser or electron beams! Strength of interlayer metallurgical bonding points!"

After issuing the order, Su Dingping walked straight to his core workbench, and the moment his finger touched it, the holographic projection design interface appeared. Without a moment's hesitation, his fingertips glided across the virtual projection keyboard like butterflies flitting among flowers, and lines of precise material fluid simulation equations and mathematical models of energy beam fluctuations instantly filled the entire space.

Working tirelessly for days and nights, the entire 'Dragon Heart II' laboratory was transformed into a crucible of thought and code.

Meanwhile, Su Dingping led Zhang Mingyuan's team in a day-and-night battle to overcome the microscopic physical barriers of metal printing.

How does the minute convection of metal powder in an inert gas affect the accuracy of the drop point?
How can residual stress during instantaneous solidification be accurately predicted and offset?

What if the precision and surface finish of the printed holes do not meet the requirements of the cavity?
Every problem is like a towering mountain overgrown with thorns.

Data cascaded down the screen like a waterfall, and complex equations resembled tangled vines.

"Director! The 17th microgravity flow field simulation has failed! Unexpected turbulence is occurring at the nozzle inlet!"

Zhang Mingyuan's voice was tense.

"The internal cone structure of the nozzle has been readjusted. The outlet diameter has been reduced by 0.5 mm, and the outlet flow rate has been decreased by 10%."

At the same time, increase the argon pressure in the protective wall by 10%. Let's calculate again!

Su Dingping's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the screen. The next set of simulation curves finally became stable and controllable, and a sharp glint flashed in his tired but bright eyes.

"Feasible! Design a new nozzle based on this plan! Make it within three days!"

On the other side, the "Pangu Project" team led by Lü Guangjun was also undergoing a profound transformation.

The trembling of the old lathe spindle, the deformation error of the guide rail at high speed, the overshoot of the drive motor when starting and stopping instantly...

One after another, deep-rooted problems in traditional processing fields are brought to the forefront, and are being detected with more advanced instruments and deconstructed with more in-depth dynamic models.

The whiteboard in the conference room was covered with formulas and proofs.

"Engineer Lü! The dynamic and static stiffness matching scheme for the spindle bearing is still not working! The noise and vibration are exceeding the standards again at high speeds!"

Young engineer Chen Yong stared anxiously at the footage captured by the high-speed camera.

"Don't panic!"

Lu Guangjun's voice was hoarse but carried a deep, resolute quality. "Last time we overlooked the cumulative effect of temperature drift. We've reduced the bearing installation preload by 0.005 Newtons, and improved the spindle box temperature control accuracy by half a degree! We've added a miniature compressor to the liquid cooling system! Also, the material for the guide rail slide has been changed to a special alloy with an X-shaped molecular structure, increasing torsional stress resistance by 30%. We've recalculated the vibration modes!"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"We must eliminate the source of error in every step! An accuracy of one ten-thousandth of a meter means that every step must be close to perfection!"

A week slipped away quietly amidst countless failures, demolitions, and reconstructions.

Finally, at the moment when another dawn was just breaking through the horizon, in the conference room of Lü Guangjun's team.

With a "whoosh" sound!
Reports, each a testament to everyone's wisdom, hard work, and even a few strands of hair pulled out by fingers, were neatly piled up in front of Su Dingping.

On the Application of High-Precision Composite Ceramic Materials in Spindle Bearings and Detailed Lubrication Optimization Principles

"A Compensation Algorithm for Precision Linear Motor Drives Based on Multiple Feedback Mechanisms"

"Toolpath Planning and Thermal Deformation Mitigation Model for Machining Core Cavity Surfaces with Superhard CBN"

Feasibility study of magnetic levitation platforms in high-precision lathe guideways

A thick stack of papers, filled with hard data and technical charts, weighed heavily on the table.

Behind every page lies the sharp edge honed through countless days and nights of hard work!
Su Dingping flipped through the pages one by one, not very fast, but he gave positive feedback to every key improvement and every targeted design optimization.

Finally, he closed the last page.

"very good!"

He looked up and surveyed the faces that were filled with hope yet also barely concealing their tension.

"The direction is accurate, the argumentation is thorough, and the technical entry points are all spot on!"

Instead of offering much praise, he immediately took out a special drafting pen from the side and quickly sketched and annotated in the blank spaces of the report.

Design Outline for In-Depth Improvement of the Ultra-Precision CNC Lathe 'Pangu II'!
"The spindle system—increases the maximum speed by 30%, and adopts our newly breakthrough magnetic levitation preload bearing to actively counteract thermal deformation drift!"

"Control system - implanted with real-time deep learning neural network kernel, not only compensates for known errors, but also predicts potential future fluctuations!"

"Tool changing device - a fully intelligent tool magazine that automatically switches between seven types of tools with different hardness!"

A series of more precise, bolder, and more cutting-edge technical solutions, like the finishing touches, were quickly infused into these solidly grounded solutions!
He put down his pen and glanced at the two groups of people in front of him.

On one side is the thick "Pangu II Deep Improvement Design Outline", and on the other side is the "Core Architecture of the Super Metal 3D Printing Prototype" floating in mid-air, shimmering with countless parameters that are perfectly converging.

The laboratory was quiet, with only the low hum of the machines and the clear heartbeats of everyone present.

The air was filled with the faint scent of metallic dust and the bitter smell of engine oil—traces of battle.

Su Dingping rested his hands on the edge of the metal tabletop, his deep gaze sweeping over the blueprints, the data stream, and the faces soaked with sweat yet ignited by thought, finally settling on the weighty project plan and the vibrant three-dimensional virtual architecture.

"The rest is up to us."

Every word he uttered was like a cold metal ingot striking a steel anvil, clear and heavy.

"It's about turning what's on paper and on the screen into something tangible, usable, and useful in your hands."

The room was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

That day, the lasers in the laboratory were still hissing in the 3D modeling area, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of vaporized metal powder.

Su Dingping was almost completely immersed in the densely scrolling data stream of the holographic interactive platform, and the blood vessels in his temples were throbbing.

The continuous high-intensity research is like slowly frying your brain over a low flame; every logical calculation is painfully intense.

Just as he pressed his knuckles against his temples, trying to suppress the dull pain—

"Su Dingping!"

A clear, slightly angry voice, like a sharp icicle, decisively pierced the heavy curtain of air in the laboratory.

Su Dingping suddenly looked up, his gaze passing through the floating data screen.

A tall figure stood backlit at the entrance, her well-tailored beige trench coat giving her a commanding presence—it was Qin Mingzhu.

She crossed her arms, her carefully groomed eyebrows slightly raised, and her red lips pursed in obvious dissatisfaction.

"Manager Qin?"

Su Dingping was somewhat surprised and subconsciously rubbed his throbbing temples, signaling to pause the work area.

"How could you..."

"How did I get here?"

Qin Mingzhu strode forward in her stiletto heels, completely ignoring the stunned researchers beside her, her gaze sharp and piercing.

"Director Su, you have such a bad memory! The threshold of my Zhongchuang Technology is almost worn down by people making appointments, just waiting for you, our great Buddha, to come and give us your guidance! But what about you? We haven't seen a single person since the promised visit and exchange. I've been waiting for you every day, and I've practically turned the phone into a hotline!"

The barrage of complaints left Su Dingping no chance to interject.

Only then did he belatedly realize that there was indeed such an appointment, but for the past week or so, his mind was filled with nothing but winding machines, vacuum chambers, metal powder flow, and tool path optimization!
"I'm so sorry."

He wiped his face, his weariness tinged with genuine apology.

"I've recently run into a major hurdle in the project, and I'm really tied up. There are so many things going on in the lab, I can't stop for even a moment."

"A major hurdle?"

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the deep weariness between his brows, Qin Mingzhu realized it didn't seem fake. Her anger subsided slightly, and she stopped dwelling on his broken promise, replaced by a bit of curiosity.

"What kind of problem could possibly trouble you... cough cough, make you so worried? Tell me, maybe I can help you out. Don't forget, I'm a formally signed memorandum of understanding with the lab, I'm high enough to have a right to know, right?"

She spoke half-truths in the second half of her sentence, but her eyes held a probing look.

After a moment's thought, Su Dingping realized that the Qin family's resources and connections in the field of high-end precision equipment were indeed not to be underestimated. The metal printing technology in front of him was not the most core national defense secret, so he could try to find out what they were talking about.

"Row."

He pointed to the slightly quieter rest area next door.

"Speak over here."

In a few words, Su Dingping explained the predicament of the vacuum cavity being stuck on the critical line of "one ten-thousandth of a meter" precision, and the "two-pronged approach" he and his team came up with to break the deadlock: 3D metal printing of the overall embryo, and then grinding it into place using an ultra-high precision CNC machine tool.

"Now."

The frown lines between his eyebrows had deepened.

"The first challenge, the prototype of this printer, almost drained my brain. The second challenge, that damn machine tool, has ridiculously high precision requirements. Upgrading the existing infrastructure in the lab is too slow, and I'm a bit... powerless."

"3D printing? Printing metal? Directly creating such a large hollow body?"

Qin Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, her face a mixture of shock and awe—a kind of admiration that said, "You bunch of lunatics really dare to think of such things." (End of Chapter)