Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 486 Connecting with Technical Schools

What the hell!

How did the conversation suddenly escalate to the topic of city-level commendations?

With the question "Is he trying to fool me?" still lingering in my mind,

He Zhenghua examined the photocopy in his hand carefully, over and over again!
After reading it,

He Zhenghua's eyes became clear.

What the hell!

This young man is quite skilled!

The last time they came to me, they were begging for my help.

So coming today means I'm taking them flying?
Chen Luyang was helpless in this matter.

Although he had already received the official document from the Municipal Economic Commission for the pilot project, Liang Zhongwei's promise to help connect him with a cooperating technical school had not yet been fulfilled.

As for whether it will be approved, which company will be approved, and when it will be approved—all of these are unknowns.

Once the project is officially launched, the biggest fear is "waiting".

Waiting for approvals, waiting for personnel to be approved, waiting for scheduling—that wait can take ten days to half a month.

Not to mention that during the cooperation process, equipment needs to be coordinated and teachers need to be trained. If any problems arise during the cooperation, it can lead to a chain reaction of problems.

No one can predict what might happen.

The trial production is imminent, and time is of the essence.

Instead of just waiting for approvals and being assigned tasks,
Why not take action now!
Seize the time, press the deadlines, and push forward what can be pushed forward first.

Anyway, the direction is right, and the formalities can be completed.

As long as the results are achieved, who can say anything then?
“We are willing to participate in the project, but students are students, they cannot be used as laborers.”

He Zhenghua made his point clear first.

“We will adjust the teaching schedule this Friday, and start scheduling machine tools next Monday. I will free up three lathes, one drilling machine, and one vertical milling machine for you, and also set aside a teaching and research room for technical coordination.”

"I've assigned two practical training classes to the teaching team, one for turning and the other for drilling and milling. They're mainly second-year students, six in each class, plus myself and two training instructors, making a total of fifteen people."

"If your project expands in the future, I can draw another group of people from the third grade to form a backup team."

"We've set the start date for next Monday afternoon. We'll produce three items in the first round and go through the process once we're ready."

“If you could send a craftsman over, our two instructors could coordinate the process details in advance.”

“Okay!” Chen Luyang nodded immediately. “I will arrange for two experienced workers to come over. They are both veteran workers who have worked in the workshop for more than ten years and have experience in process and error control.”

"The drawings are handled by Zhang Nan from our project team. He will also participate in the entire trial production process and explain the structural design and process arrangement on-site."

"I will refine the process flow and prepare a handover schedule this weekend, based on the actual equipment and manpower situation."

He paused here, then added:

"There are two other points that I need to make clear to you in advance."

"First, this batch of trial production is the first physical output after our project was approved, and the timeframe is very tight. We need to report the interim results to the Municipal Economic Commission within a month, and we must control both the output efficiency and the pass rate."

"Secondly, regarding materials, our repair shop only keeps a fixed quota of materials, which are all whole blanks picked out one by one from the scrap inventory. They are large enough and hard enough, but the quantity is really not abundant."

"Unlike teaching, where you can practice with multiple pieces, if one piece fails, it could directly disrupt the subsequent assembly process."

When the topic of "materials" came up, Chen Luyang's smile faded, and her expression became much more serious than before.

He pieced together all this information by digging tunnels, racking his brains, and piecing it together from all sides.
They really can't withstand even the slightest harm.

"Don't worry about that."

He Zhenghua said earnestly, "Since our school has taken on your project, we will definitely ensure quality and quantity and get it done well!"

“I will personally hand over these materials. Before formal production, let the students practice with the scrap materials and sign a training commitment.”

“If any student produces a defective part, I will make them write a self-criticism.”

ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh.

Hearing this, Chen Luyang couldn't feel at ease.

He lowered his head and sighed silently.

If a defective part is produced, it's the materials that are wasted.
What's the point of writing a self-criticism!

The project is stuck in this trial production stage. If one part breaks, it means the entire process is interrupted.
If the construction is delayed and the application cannot be submitted, it will not pass the approval of the Municipal Economic Commission.

But he couldn't say that to her face.

Technical schools are not factories, and students are not workers.

Educational institutions are not allowed to impose economic penalties or punishments on students.

"Writing a self-criticism" is already the most severe form of punishment in the practical training phase.

Chen Luyang turned her head and looked at Zhang Nan, whose eyes were a little red:
"Senior, we need to keep a teaching version of the blueprints. All the necessary markings must be clearly marked, even if it takes a few more pages."

"Students don't understand the structure, and the biggest fear is that they will make random cuts based on their experience."

Zhang Nan was feverish and unsteady on his feet, but upon hearing this, he still nodded: "I have already reorganized the blueprints."

“After the official start of work, I supervised every key process. This included the clamping direction, the reminder of the allowance section, the position of the mating section and the stop, which parts were precision fitting, and which parts were forming processes... I explained everything to them one by one, drawing by drawing.”

"Especially for the limit ring, guide post, and precision fitting hole, the error must be controlled within 0.05, not even half a millimeter can be wrong. I will stay in the workshop the whole time, walking around and explaining."

After speaking, Zhang Nan pulled out a blueprint that she had been holding in her arms:

"This is a simplified version for teaching purposes. Complex annotations have been moved to the corners, and the direction of every cut is clearly marked."

"We'll post a few copies at your workstations. If anyone has any questions, I'll answer them on the spot."

He Zhenghua nodded: "Okay, I'll also arrange for a teacher from the training group to work with you throughout the process."

"If we really encounter process problems, we'll weigh the options and make changes right here in the workshop."

"In the end, you drew this diagram, you proposed the project, and we are pushing it forward in the direction you set out for."

Seeing that the two sides had almost finished their talks, He Zhenghua spoke up:

"That's settled then! Our machine tools will be available by Friday. You deliver the materials on Saturday, we'll debug the equipment on Sunday, and we'll officially start work next Monday."

"I will be present during the handover of materials and make sure to register everything. If there are any changes on your end, please let me know in advance."

"Okay!" Chen Luyang nodded in agreement.

After discussing Fengnan Technical School, Chen Luyang turned around and saw Zhang Nan leaning against the door, looking dizzy from the fever.

"Can you keep going?"

"can!"

Zhang Nan gritted her teeth.

Ever since the municipal economic commission issued the project approval document, Zhang Nan has felt immense pressure.

Now that the materials and production technical school are almost settled, the problem is that he's stuck on a stack of drawings that he hasn't finished proofreading yet.

I was so angry that my throat swelled up that very night.

Now that he's finally finished his drawings and can move the project forward, he'll stick to it no matter what!
After leaving Fengnan Technical School, the two went straight to three more schools.

A company specializing in small-part milling and turning, surface milling, and groove milling;
A company capable of handling heat treatment and simple quenching;
Another school-run workshop has outdated equipment, but it can handle internal hole machining and precision grinding. Each school has different conditions and varying levels of staff skill.

However, the brake push rod has a complex structure, and it's not something that a single school can handle alone.

Fortunately, Zhang Nan was there with me.

He was responsible for communicating everything clearly, from how to prepare the material base, how much allowance to leave, how to clamp it, which end to grind, and which hole to ream.

After Zhang Nan finished explaining the blueprints and processes, the rest was up to Chen Luyang to discuss cooperation with several schools.

The tone of cooperation is the same.
Chen Luyang immediately revealed his hand, presenting a sign that read "A demonstration project of industry-education collaboration jointly applied for by Peking University and Jinba Repair Center and registered with the Municipal Economic Commission and the Municipal Science and Technology Commission," making a decisive statement and giving the school a shock.

Then, the discussion proceeded step by step, covering sample production, student grouping, material usage, and workshop arrangements, with a very tight schedule.

After a whole day of visiting four technical schools, it was already dark when I arrived at the last stop.

Neither of them smiled when they boarded the bus back to the repair shop.

I really can't feel happy.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the brake push rod is just a small strip about the width of a palm and the length of two palms; the craftsmanship inside is quite elaborate.

The outer shell needs to be milled, drilled, and machined with a stop; the middle limiting ring needs to have a shoulder left by the tool; the internal guide pillars, pressure sleeves, and nuts are all assembly-level mating parts.

Some holes require H7 grade precision reaming, some shaft sections need to undergo external cylindrical precision grinding, and there is also a complex internal conical angle structure that requires no less than three types of cutting tools to complete.

Zhang Nan leaned against the bus window, sweat beading on his forehead. He was burning up and his eyes were glazed over, but he still managed to say:
"Xiao Chen, those sections of the guide post need to be ground with a precision grinding machine. The allowance must be controlled within 0.03. These machine tools simply cannot handle the hardness."

"I understand, I'll think of something." Chen Luyang glanced back at him, her tone very soft. "Close your eyes and rest for a while, I'll wake you when we get to the station."

Zhang Nan nodded, as if she could finally hold back, leaned against the car window, closed her eyes and sank down.

Chen Luyang didn't say anything more, sitting to the side staring at the flickering lights outside the car window, but her heart was heavy.

This guy hasn't drunk much water since morning, and he's eaten very little.

Even though she was already so sick that she was weak, she still followed me to four vocational schools in one go. Even an iron man couldn't handle that.

I reached out and touched my forehead; it was frighteningly hot.

Going back to the repair shop is no longer appropriate in this situation. Get out of the car and go straight to the hospital!
What's even more troublesome than the fever is the uncertainty surrounding what follows.

The guide post section needs to be machined using an external cylindrical grinding machine. The old machine tool at the technical school simply cannot meet the required precision, so we have to find an external processing plant.

The final assembly is also uncertain.

A repair shop is out of the question.

The factory workshop was already packed with car repair equipment, plus the experimental tables borrowed from the Department of Mechanics at Peking University.

Even people are almost inseparable from it.

Not to mention the assembly station.

Now we can only see if we can set up a "temporary joint assembly point" at one of the technical schools to complete the parts assembly.

Otherwise, I'd have to swallow my pride and go to Liang Zhongwei again, asking him to help me find a small, qualified assembly plant as a backup.

Take another ten thousand steps back!!
If he really couldn't find a place, he would ask his uncle for help.

Damn, at least he has a grandpa who's a 12-meter-tall eagle!

Such a large steel factory, how come it can't assemble even a small part for itself!

Arrived at the station, got off the train.
Chen Luyang practically carried Zhang Nan all the way to the hospital.

After registering, getting an IV drip, and being admitted to the hospital, it was almost midnight by the time the IV was finished.

After settling Zhang Nan in the hospital bed, Chen Luyang braved the cold wind and returned to the repair shop.

As soon as Chen Luyang entered, she was surprised to find that everyone was still awake and waiting on the first floor.

"Why are you still up so late?!" Chen Luyang asked instinctively.

"How can I sleep!" Li He said anxiously.

"Two grown-up people left home before dawn and didn't come back by nightfall."

“If you don’t come back soon, we’re going to go to the railway police station to report you.”

After a long day of work, Chen Luyang plopped down on a bench, rubbing her temples.

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what could possibly happen to a grown man like me?"

"Besides, even if we encounter a bad guy, he can't beat me."

As they were talking, Director Lu looked behind him, then at the door, and asked:
"...Director Chen, why are you the only one who came back? Where is Zhang Nan?"

“I took him to the hospital,” Chen Luyang replied.

"He had a high fever, so I stayed at the hospital with him until he got his injections and settled in before I came back."

"Taken to the hospital?!"

Director Lu, Zhang Guoqiang, and several other experienced workers immediately became serious.

"Which hospital? I'll go take a look." Without waiting for a reply, Director Lu started putting on his coat.

“The child is sick, so someone needs to be with him. We can’t let him be hospitalized alone.”

"I'll go too." Zhang Guoqiang was worried and got up to follow them outside.

In terms of age,
Director Lu and Zhang Guoqiang are old enough to be Zhang Nan's fathers.

We all live under the same roof, and we treat these kids like our own.

Upon learning that Zhang Nan had a fever and was hospitalized, the two of them couldn't sit still and got up to leave immediately.

"Uncle Lu, Uncle Li, I'll go with you."

Jiao Long cleverly put on his coat and followed him outside.

This repair shop can do without Jiao Long, but it cannot do without Director Lu and Guo Qiang.

The next day, Director Lu and Zhang Guoqiang returned to the repair shop, and he could continue to take care of them at the hospital without interfering with the work at the shop.

"I'm going too." Lin Qiming and two other male students from Peking University were also wearing coats, and they were about to head out together.

"You shouldn't go," Director Lu stopped them.

"It's the middle of the night, and if too many of us go, it might disturb the other patients' rest. The three of us going to keep them company is enough."

Seeing that Lin Qiming was still insisting, Chen Luyang said, "Senior brother, just listen to Director Lu."

"There are too many people tonight, we'll have to go tomorrow."

"Director Lu, please be careful on your way."

Seeing that Jiao Long was with them, Chen Luyang felt relieved and let them go.

Seeing Director Lu leading a group of people to the hospital for a medical check-up,
Chen Luyang looked at the remaining people in the room and began to assign tasks.

"The matter of the vocational school has been mostly settled today. Tomorrow we're going to deliver large quantities of materials door-to-door. There's a lot of it, and it's heavy. Everyone should lend a hand if they can."

"Okay!" everyone agreed in unison.

"Okay, go to sleep early. We have a tough battle to fight tomorrow."

Chen Luyang clapped her hands and walked wearily upstairs.

(End of this chapter)