78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

The workers gradually finished their work and left, and the factory area became quiet in the evening. Not long after, the construction team arrived on time with cutting machines and pneumatic drills. Chen An had already drawn the construction lines, and everyone took their positions and got to work.

Master Li stood not far away, watching with his brows furrowed and his face looking rather grim. The ground had only been poured not long ago, and now it was going to be cut open. Anyone would feel bad in that situation. But he also knew that if the vibration problem of the precision machine tools in the workshop wasn't solved, there would definitely be a lot of trouble in future production. This process was simply unavoidable.

Ye Bingwen didn't stand and watch from a distance. Instead, he squatted down by the newly dug trench, holding a flashlight and steadily shining it into the trench. He kept a close eye on the construction progress the whole time, his expression very serious. He repeatedly instructed everyone: "Just follow the dimensions set by Professor Zhao. The width and depth cannot be off by even a fraction." Vibration isolation is extremely important for precision machining. If the dimensions are off by even a little bit, the precision of the final product will be significantly different.

The construction team continued digging and soon reached the usual depth of thirty centimeters. However, they suddenly encountered a dense layer of gravel, making it extremely difficult to shovel. The construction foreman immediately ordered a halt to the work.

He walked up to Ye Bingwen and said, "Director Ye, the ground below is full of gravel, and the soil is incredibly hard. We really can't dig any further. I think we've dug down to thirty centimeters so far, that should be enough, right?"

Many workers nearby chimed in, all feeling that there was no need to waste any more effort digging deeper. Ye Bingwen shook his head directly, saying with a particularly firm attitude, "No, we must dig to the specified size. This layer of gravel is precisely the key place for transmitting vibrations. If we try to save time by digging a little less now, all the work we've done today will be for nothing."

His tone wasn't harsh, but his certainty was undeniable. Seeing his attitude, the construction team didn't say anything more and gritted their teeth to continue digging. Liu Xiaojun and Chen An didn't rest either, pushing wheelbarrows back and forth, carrying away the excavated concrete and debris. Several older workers from the factory who were already preparing to leave work stayed to help clean up the waste, seeing that the work was tiring and there weren't enough people.

After working for several hours, the entire vibration isolation trench was finally dug smoothly, and all the dimensions met the standards. Then everyone started backfilling the trench with dry sand. After all the procedures were completed, Chen An immediately took out the vibration tester and repeatedly tested the area of ​​the precision machine tool several times.

He stared at the instrument's screen for a while, then exclaimed happily, "Factory manager, the results are fantastic! The vibration error was 0.8 microns before, but now it's down to 0.08 microns, completely meeting the requirements for precision manufacturing!"

Ye Bingwen leaned over and glanced at the data. His heart, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed. By the time all the finishing work was completed, it was already 11 p.m. The workers left one after another, leaving only Ye Bingwen in the workshop. He inspected the entire vibration isolation trench section by section. Before leaving, he specially brought a bottle of baijiu for Old Zhou, who was guarding the factory area, to thank him for staying up late at night to cooperate with the construction.

The next morning at nine o'clock, Professor Tan arrived at the factory on time with two graduate students. Ye Bingwen was already waiting at the factory gate to greet them.

As soon as the group entered the workshop, Professor Tan's eyes were drawn to the brand-new, gleaming vibration isolation trench on the ground.

He quickly walked forward, squatted down, and carefully examined the structure of the trench and the material filled inside. He then asked, "How deep and wide is this trench? What material is used to fill it?"

Ye Bingwen answered truthfully: "It was done according to the plan given by Professor Zhao. The trench was 30 centimeters deep and 10 centimeters wide, and it was filled with dry sand throughout."

Professor Tan nodded repeatedly after listening, his eyes full of approval.

"Well done," he said approvingly. "This is a classic example of doing big things with small costs. It solves the core vibration problem in precision machining at a very low cost. It is extremely practical. I can put this case into my teaching materials so that students can learn more about this kind of practical technical thinking."

The two graduate students accompanying them immediately took out their notebooks and carefully wrote down the layout of the workshop and the parameters of the equipment. Their eyes kept falling on the carbon fiber layup fixture.

Professor Tan took all this into account and spoke up to Ye Bingwen, saying, "I'll have these two kids take turns coming to the factory to work alongside you, assisting with the resin toughening experiments. What they learn in the classroom is all theory, so they can use these real-world scenarios in the factory to connect and complement theory with practice."

Ye Bingwen immediately agreed: "Thank you so much, this is exactly what I wanted. I'll have Chen An personally coordinate with them and guide them through the entire process to ensure a smooth experiment."

Before leaving, Professor Tan gave a few more instructions: "I will send you the complete toughening experimental protocol next week. Try making a small sample first. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me."

In the afternoon, Ye Bingwen returned to his office. As soon as he sat down, he saw a kraft paper file folder in the center of his desk. He reached out and opened the folder, which contained the neatly prepared application materials for the Science and Technology Commission. The materials were in a very neat format, with meticulous layout. Even the cover was a newly designed style. There was also a handwritten note tucked inside the materials. The handwriting was neat and beautiful. It was written by Zheng Shuyun and read: "I have already coordinated with the graphic designer. His father is a retired lathe operator from our factory. When he learned that it was a factory project, he readily agreed to come and help." Looking at the note, Ye Bingwen felt a warmth in his heart.

In the evening, Zheng Shuyun picked An'an up from school and brought the little girl directly to the factory. As soon as An'an entered the workshop, she immediately noticed the smooth vibration isolation ditch on the ground. She squatted down next to it and looked at it with great curiosity. After a while, An'an ran over with her little schoolbag on her back, excitedly took out a drawing, and handed it to Ye Bingwen.

"Dad, look, this is what I just drew," An'an said, looking up at Ye Bingwen with a proud expression.

Ye Bingwen looked down and saw the outline of his new factory, which he knew all too well. However, there was a long groove in the middle of the factory. Before Ye Bingwen could speak, An'an earnestly explained, "I drew a little river for Daddy's factory. Isn't it beautiful?"