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

After Ye Bingwen had arranged everything,

Chen An went to Harbin Institute of Technology in the afternoon without a moment's rest.

After finding Professor Cai, Chen An, due to the urgency of the situation, did not exchange pleasantries with Professor Cai and directly explained the situation.

After listening, Professor Cai adjusted his glasses and said:

"High-temperature resistant coating, the kind we use for hot-pressing tests, can withstand 300 degrees Celsius."

"Could you give us some?"

"Yes, but it requires allocation, which will take at least three days."

"Okay, I'll wait."

Seeing that Chen An was very nervous, Professor Cai asked again:

"You took on a job from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense?"

"Yes, 100 pieces, one month."

"What about the yield rate?"

99.9%.

Professor Cai fell silent upon hearing the yield rate.

After a few seconds, Professor Cai began to speak:

"I'll expedite the coating process for you; it'll be ready within three days."

"Thank you, Professor Cai."

After finalizing the details, Chen An didn't stay and talk to Professor Cai any longer. Instead, he left Harbin Institute of Technology and rode his bicycle directly to the city's largest mold factory.

Chen An disregarded etiquette and rushed to the front desk.

"I want to order a mold, urgently."

The receptionist was startled and then led Chen An to the technical department.

After arriving at the technical department, Chen An didn't waste any words and immediately took out the blueprints and spread them out on the table.

The engineer picked up the blueprints and looked at them, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

After reading it, he stared at Chen An and said:

"Do you want to enable this level of precision?"

"Yes, expedited. What's the fastest turnaround time?"

"It will take at least 20 days, and that would require our entire factory to work overtime for you."

"How much does a 20-day trip cost?"

The engineer spent a long time calculating the blueprints and then wrote down a number.

When Chen An saw that number, he gasped.

The price was twice as high as he had expected.

"So expensive?"

"This level of precision, these materials, and this production time is already the minimum. If it were another company, they might not be able to finish it in 30 days."

Chen An gritted his teeth:

"Okay, open."

"Pay half the deposit first."

Chen An pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket. Ye Bingwen had asked him to bring it; it represented all the factory's working capital.

I counted half of them and handed them over.

The engineer issued a receipt and stamped it with the message "Delivery in 20 days".

After receiving the receipt, Chen An didn't dare to delay for a moment and immediately rode his bike back to the factory.

It was already dark when Chen An arrived at the factory.

Ye Bingwen was still waiting for him in the office, and he wasn't sure if the mold could be made.

"How is it?"

"The mold factory takes 20 days, and the rush fee is not cheap. I've already paid half the deposit. Professor Cai's coating will be ready in three days."

Ye Bingwen nodded.

The lights were still on in the workshop at that time.

Liu Xiaojun squatted down next to the two mixers and checked them again.

Master Li didn't go home; he and Old Hu, the carpenter, were picking out wood in the warehouse.

Old Hu the carpenter examined each piece one by one with a flashlight.

"This one won't do, it has knots."

"This one won't do either, the texture is too coarse."

They spent a long time picking and choosing, but in the end they only picked out six pieces.

Master Li saw that he had only picked out six pieces in the end and said:

Is that enough?

"First, carve three molds. After the coating arrives, test the pressure. If it works, then continue carving."

Master Li moved the six pieces of wood to the side of the worktable and stacked them up.

Old Hu the carpenter picked up the wood and looked at it under the light, muttering to himself:

"After working as a carpenter for so many years, this is the first time I've worked for the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense."

Mr. Li felt the tense atmosphere instantly lessen.

"What kind of spacecraft are you making—one that will soar to the heavens or sink to the earth?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not an ordinary thing."

The atmosphere in the factory was different the next morning.

Ye Bingwen gathered everyone in the workshop.

"100 items, 30 days, all must be up to standard."

The workers couldn't believe their ears after hearing this, and no one spoke.

Just as no one was saying anything, a young worker asked in a low voice:

"Director Ye, what if we can't finish this work?"

Ye Bingwen looked at him and said very seriously:

"If we don't finish this work, our factory won't have a future."

The workshop instantly returned to silence.

Master Li then stepped forward to encourage him:

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work."

The workers returned to their respective posts.

Ye Bingwen called Chen An, Liu Xiaojun, and Master Li to his office and began scheduling the work.

Chen An held the calculator and pressed buttons on it for a long time:

"We'll use the improved wooden molds for trial production for the first 10 days, aiming to produce 20 pieces. The steel molds will arrive in 20 days, and we'll use the steel molds to punch 80 pieces in the remaining 10 days. That's a daily production capacity of 8 pieces. With the equipment running 24/7, that's enough."

Liu Xiaojun said:

"The equipment runs 24 hours a day, so someone has to keep an eye on it."

"You're keeping an eye on things?"

"I'm keeping an eye on it."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment, then looked at Liu Xiaojun:

"You can't keep an eye on everything by yourself, so take turns."

"Then I'll take turns with Master Li."

Master Li nodded:

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on the night shift, and Xiaojun will keep an eye on the day shift."

Chen An then said:

"Inspection must also keep up. Every piece must be tested, including dimensions, surface finish, and internal defects. No one can be overlooked."

"Can you handle all of this by yourself?"

"I'll ask Sister Zheng to come along; she's meticulous and can help."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment and replied:

"Okay, I'll tell her."

When Ye Bingwen returned home in the evening, Zheng Shuyun was cooking.

An'an lay on the table drawing.

Ye Bingwen walked over to Zheng Shuyun and explained what had happened.

After listening, Zheng Shuyun turned off the stove, turned around, and looked at Ye Bingwen with a surprised expression:

"100 items, one month, all qualified?"

"right."

Are you sure you can do it?

"no."

Zheng Shuyun remained silent.

"I need your help with scheduling, logistics, and testing. Chen An can't handle it all by himself."

"I'll finish my work with the publishing house this week, and I'll start taking leave next week."

An'an raised her head:

"Is Mom going to work at Dad's factory?"

Zheng Shuyun patted An'an's head:

"Yes, go help your dad."

An'an was happy:

"I'll go too!"

"You should focus on your kindergarten studies."

On the third day, Professor Cai's coating was ready.

Chen An rode his bicycle to retrieve it, and when he returned, there were two iron buckets tied to the back seat.

When everyone gathered around and opened it, they found a grayish-white, viscous liquid inside, which had a strange smell.

Master Li asked:

"Does this thing even work?"

"Professor Cai said it works and can withstand 300 degrees Celsius."

Old Hu the carpenter has already carved the three wooden molds. The shapes are the same as last time, with smooth curved surfaces and neat edges.

Master Li used a brush to evenly apply the coating to the surface of the wooden mold, applying it three times, letting each coat dry before applying the next.

After brushing, I left it in a well-ventilated place to air dry for a day.

On the fourth day, everyone will be taking a stress test.

Liu Xiaojun also brought out the spare mixer, and the two machines were placed side by side.

Master Li put the coated wooden mold into the press, and Chen An began to lay the layers.

The layup scheme is the same as last time: twelve layers of carbon fiber cloth, arranged in alternating directions.

After laying the material, close the mold and place it in the press.

With a nervous heart, Liu Xiaojun pressed the start button, gradually increasing the pressure and causing the temperature to rise slowly.

Once the set temperature is reached, the heat preservation timer will begin.

This time was different from the last; everyone was staring at the press and no one was saying a word.

Sixty minutes later, the mold was opened.

When the wooden mold was taken out, the color of the surface coating had changed from grayish-white to dark gray, but the shape remained intact without carbonization or deformation.

After removing the irregularly shaped part from the wooden mold, Chen An quickly took measurements.

"All dimensions are correct."

Chen An checked the surface finish again; it was a little better than last time, but still didn't reach ▽7.

Chen An wrote down the data.

"Director Ye, the dimensions are acceptable, and the finish is better than last time, but it's still one grade below."

Ye Bingwen looked at it; the surface felt fairly smooth to the touch, but you could see fine lines when you looked at it in the light.

"Did the wooden mold hold up?"

"It held up; the coating worked, and one piece of wood mold can still be used after it's finished."

"How many times can it be used?"

Master Li walked over to Ye Bingwen and said:

"Judging from the degree of coating wear, it should be fine to use it two or three more times."

"Then let's continue using it. First, use wooden molds to make the initial batch, and then polish it to a smooth finish once the steel molds arrive."

Chen An nodded and turned back to work.