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

Chen An stood next to the press, holding the blueprint in his hand, repeatedly checking the dimensions.

Meanwhile, Master Li leaned against a pillar and smoked a cigarette.

Old Hu, the carpenter, squatted silently at the doorway.

When Ye Bingwen walked outside the workshop, he saw Wang Jianguo and a few others standing under the shade of a tree. They came up to him and asked what was wrong.

"Xiao Ye, how are you?"

"It's holding, there are still more than fifty minutes left."

Engineer Sun didn't speak, but instead looked down at his watch.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Professor Zhang went over and asked.

"You used wooden molds?"

"Yes, it was Master Li's idea."

"Can you handle the pressure?"

"The pressure is 30% lower than usual. The wooden mold can withstand it, but it can only be used once."

Professor Zhang nodded upon hearing this.

"Your ability to adapt has exceeded my expectations."

Ye Bingwen didn't respond to this, but instead turned around and went back to the workshop.

Time passed by, minute by minute.

Liu Xiaojun checks the temperature and pressure every ten minutes to see if the parameters are stable at the set values.

Chen An didn't sit down to rest. Instead, he placed the testing tools aside, ready to measure the finished product as soon as it came out.

Mr. Li was uneasy and uncertain. After finishing his cigarette, he lit another one.

Everyone waited anxiously.

Beep! The press's heat preservation timer has run out.

Liu Xiaojun went over to take a look but didn't rush to open the mold. Instead, he waited for another five minutes.

"Alright, let's start making the mold."

He stepped forward and pressed the switch, and the compressor slowly turned on.

Several people gathered around.

The mold was still hot, steaming.

The wooden mold has turned a bit black, and the surface has been carbonized by the high temperature, but the shape is still there.

Master Li put on gloves and carefully moved the upper mold away.

The irregularly shaped part inside is attached to the wooden mold. The curved side is very smooth, while the other side is slightly rough, but the overall shape is intact, without cracks or air bubbles.

Chen An carefully picked up the pliers and removed the parts from the wooden mold, placing them on the worktable.

Chen An then quickly began taking measurements.

The first dimension is length.

219.5 mm, the drawing requires 220 mm, tolerance ±0.5 mm.

Passed.

Width: 109.8 mm, drawing requires 110 mm, tolerance ±0.5 mm.

Passed.

Thickness, the thickest part is 35.2 mm, the drawing requires 35 mm, tolerance is ±0.5 mm.

Passed.

Chen An measured all the holes, and thankfully they were all within the tolerance range.

After taking the last measurement, Chen An looked up. His eyes held an indescribable mix of excitement, relief, and...

"All dimensions are correct."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaojun breathed a sigh of relief and squatted down on the ground, as if all his strength had been drained.

Master Li stubbed out his cigarette and stood there chuckling.

Old Hu the carpenter stood up from the doorway, patted the dust off his backside, and slightly raised his head, looking quite proud.

"I told you there was nothing wrong with the mold I sculpted."

Ye Bingwen didn't say anything, just glanced at them, then picked up the part and walked outside the workshop to show it to Wang Jianguo and his group.

Wang Jianguo was talking to Professor Zhang when he saw Ye Bingwen come out and stopped. They both stared intently at the parts in Ye Bingwen's hand.

Ye Bingwen handed over the parts with both hands.

"Director Wang, it's done."

Wang Jianguo took it, looked at it over and over, and then handed it to Engineer Sun.

Engineer Sun took it without saying anything; he examined it very carefully.

Engineer Sun held the part up to the light to examine its surface, and then touched the inner walls of the holes with his fingers.

Then he placed the part on the ground and stomped on it hard.

Ye Bingwen watched his actions, wanting to stop him, but in the end he said nothing.

Engineer Sun picked up the parts and checked them repeatedly.

Suddenly he looked up at Ye Bingwen.

Ye Bingwen saw the corner of Engineer Sun's mouth twitch.

That wasn't a smile, but it was better than a blank expression.

"for how long?"

Ye Bingwen turned around and looked at Liu Xiaojun. Liu Xiaojun instantly understood what Ye Bingwen meant when he saw his gaze.

Liu Xiaojun glanced at his watch and quickly stepped forward to speak.

"From receiving the drawings to producing the finished product, it took one hour and fifty-eight minutes."

Engineer Sun nodded after hearing this, then resumed his previous expressionless demeanor.

Engineer Sun put the parts into a bag and then into his briefcase.

Then Engineer Sun looked at Ye Bingwen and said the longest sentence he had uttered that day.

"Our research institute spent a month working on this part, creating three sets of molds and scrapping more than twenty parts before finally producing a qualified one."

He paused for a moment, staring intently at Ye Bingwen. Ye Bingwen couldn't tell whether he was happy or unhappy.

"But you made it in two hours using a wooden mold."

Wang Jianguo laughed and then joked.

"Old Sun, the person answered your extra question quite well, didn't they?"

Engineer Sun didn't respond, neither saying that Xingye had said it was impossible.

Seeing this, Professor Zhang walked over to Engineer Sun, took the part from Engineer Sun, and examined it carefully.

"The surface roughness is a little off, but all the core dimensions are up to standard, and the fiber continuity is maintained. Who designed this layup scheme?"

Upon hearing this, Chen An quickly poked his head out of the workshop and said:

"It's me, Professor Zhang."

Professor Zhang glanced at him, looking somewhat surprised.

Are you a student at Harbin Institute of Technology?

"Yes, I'm a senior majoring in mechanical engineering."

Where do you plan to go after graduation?

Chen An looked at Ye Bingwen and said firmly:

"Right at the Hongqi Factory."

Professor Zhang nodded and returned the parts to Engineer Sun.

Seeing that he had achieved his final goal, Wang Jianguo smiled and said:

"It's almost two o'clock, Xiao Ye, we have to go."

Ye Bingwen's lack of pride was simply to see them off at the factory gate, just like he had done at the beginning.

Just as Engineer Sun got into the car, he suddenly turned around and looked at Ye Bingwen.

"Director Ye, your method of using wooden molds may be crude, but it works."

"I will truthfully record today's findings in my report."

After saying that, he closed the car door without waiting for Ye Bingwen's reaction.

The two cars drove away one after the other.

Ye Bingwen stood at the factory gate, watching the car slowly disappear into the intersection.

Liu Xiaojun ran out of the workshop.

"Uncle Ye, are you gone?"

"I'm gone."

"That Engineer Sun had a stern face the whole time, it scared me to death."

Upon hearing this, Ye Bingwen turned around and looked at Liu Xiaojun, saying:

He said he would include today's findings in his report.

"What do you mean?"

"That means we might have passed."

Liu Xiaojun stood there, motionless for a long time, probably not having reacted yet.

Master Li walked out of the workshop, still holding the charred wooden mold in his hand.

"Xiao Ye, should we keep this wooden mold?"

Ye Bingwen looked at the wooden mold.

The surface of the wooden mold was charred black, and the edges were slightly deformed, but the overall shape remained intact.

"Keep it and put it in the office."

Master Li smiled, feeling very happy. He didn't know whether he had passed or not; he only knew that he had narrowly escaped danger today.

"Okay, I'll find it a good place."

Old Hu the carpenter walked over with his hands behind his back, grinning.

"Xiao Ye, how's my carpentry skill?"

"Master Hu, thank you so much for today."

"What do you mean by 'thanks'? I'm just a carpenter; carving a mold is nothing special for me."

After the old man finished speaking, he simply walked away with his hands behind his back.

Chen An came out of the workshop, holding the blueprint in his hand.

"Director Ye, I've noted down the process parameters for this part today. If we need to make it again in the future, we won't have to figure it out from scratch."

"Okay, save."