Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 214 God's Lens
In late November, the once tranquil lake of the mountain city's manufacturing industry was suddenly shattered by the boulder "Chengke Micro Motor".

The ripples it created not only shook the local industry but also drew the attention of the entire domestic glass industry.

This rising star, which had just begun to make its mark in the field of precision micromotors and gyroscopes, suddenly surged forward against the tide with tremendous force.

They have invested heavily, extending their reach into the optical glass industry, which is currently experiencing a severe downturn, and their first move is to create a complete industrial chain covering melting, die casting, and coating!

The news caused an uproar in the industry.

"Chengke Micro Motor? Never heard of it? Do they even know anything about glass?"

"Smelting, die casting, coating. Are they trying to do it all in one go? Are they crazy? Do they really think no one has done this before?"

"In the current market, everyone else is tightening up to survive, and they actually dare to expand against the cycle? They're really like newborn calves that don't fear tigers!"

"Remember Sanjing and Jingdongfang from back then? They actually relied on counter-cyclical expansion, losing a fortune before finally becoming global giants. Is Orange Technology just trying to replicate that miracle?"

"Everyone has their own expertise! The field of optical glass is incredibly complex, how could Chengke possibly be an expert in everything? The performance of the final product is determined by the weakest link!"

Doubt, curiosity, and observation—all eyes are focused on the mountain city.

In conclusion, by acquiring the entire optical glass industry chain, Orange Technology has finally made a name for itself among its domestic manufacturing peers!
No one understands the true intention behind Orange Technology's move, nor do they believe that they are simply betting on their self-developed capabilities.

Orange Technology used its most core fixed assets as collateral for the loan: the factory buildings and equipment, including the incredibly valuable five-axis CNC precision machining center.

The leadership of Chongqing gave great support to Orange Technology, a local "rising star in high-end precision manufacturing," and provided it with the green light all the way, quickly helping it secure a bank loan of 4.2 million yuan.

Over the next two weeks, under Lin Junfeng's efficient management, Orange Technology, like a calm predator, completed three precise "hunts" in the midst of the glass industry's winter.

First, they acquired Xijiang Phoenix Glass's optical glass production line (including 3 coating lines), a 25-person R&D team, and 12 optical coating patents.

Secondly, it acquired Fuyao Glass's optical glass division (including two precision die-casting production lines), a 40-person technical team (including five neon experts), and a portion of its specialty glass formula library.

Finally, they acquired the entire optical glass business asset package of Qibo Group (including 4 melting production lines), a team of 50 people, and even the right to use a provincial-level optical materials laboratory.

The massive production line equipment began to be dismantled and packed up, and slowly transported by heavy trucks to the second phase of the new plant of Shancheng Orange Technology.

Meanwhile, the technical backbone scattered across the country was quickly gathered together in the mountain city.

Orange Technology's newly established optical glass factory urgently needs a large number of workers, as the local labor force is insufficient. Recruitment notices were quickly sent throughout the Southwest region.

At the same time, the thermal management technology team of Micro-Sheng Electronics, which was acquired from HYC, was also summoned.

Two technological storms are brewing in two conference rooms at the Orange Technology Phase II plant.

Conference Room 1: Micro-cooling System Mobilization Meeting.

Zhou Mingzhe stood at the front of the stage, with the core members of the newly joined MicroSheng heat dissipation technology team and the original elites of the Orange Technology Micro Motor Laboratory sitting below.

He got straight to the point.

"Hello everyone, I am Zhou Mingzhe, Technical Director of Orange Technology."

Welcome everyone to join us!
Time is tight and the task is heavy, so I'll keep it brief.

OrangeTech is a company whose main business is manufacturing core components for Orange mobile phones.

The next-generation Orange 3 phone may use a chip with strong computing performance, but also high power consumption and heat generation.

Therefore, we need a highly efficient miniature active cooling system.

These words left the engineers from Weisheng looking at each other in bewilderment, and some couldn't help but raise their hands.

"Mr. Zhou, please forgive my bluntness."
Is it a bit of putting the cart before the horse to develop a complex cooling system for a phone that is positioned as... well, affordable?

Why not just replace it with a chip that has better heat management?

Zhou Mingzhe didn't explain much, but calmly said, "This is a strategic decision of the company. The upcoming research and development involves highly confidential business information and requires the signing of strict confidentiality agreements and non-compete agreements!"

"Now is your last chance to choose whether to stay or leave!"

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.

Before arriving, these technicians had already gained a preliminary understanding of Orange Science's capabilities.

OrangeTech's ability to collaborate with global precision machining giants such as ASMI, Senjing Machinery, and Dermatech speaks volumes about its technological prowess.

In the end, no one left.

"Very good!" Zhou Mingzhe nodded and turned on the projector: "Everyone! The core concept map for the research and development has been finalized!"

"What we are developing is a brand new system codenamed YML1.0 (Vein Cooling System 1.0), which is based on the principle of liquid circulation heat dissipation."

"Liquid circulation? Like an air conditioner?" A surprised and doubtful voice rose again from the audience: "A miniature air conditioner tucked into a mobile phone?"

Current mobile phone heat dissipation technologies either use centrifugal fan technology, VC liquid cooling technology, or a combination of both.

This YML1.0 is like Orange Technology taking a different approach to put a miniature "air conditioner" inside the phone. How could these thermal engineers not be surprised?
“That’s right, a very apt analogy!” Zhou Mingzhe affirmed. “This is exactly Orange’s technological philosophy—to take unconventional paths, bypass existing patent barriers, and use entirely new technologies to catch up with or even surpass a century of accumulated experience!”

These words carried a strong sense of confidence and mission, allowing the new engineers to experience the unique character of "Orange Technology Manufacturing" for the first time.

This is the new fruit that Zhou Mingzhe brought to Orange Science Manufacturing after bringing the spirit and cultural seeds of oranges to the company.

Next, Zhou Mingzhe began to break down the tasks.

Liquid cooling circulation system:

This includes the main pulse copper tube (which needs to be developed in-house, but a general structural design is already available), the diaphragm pump (planned to be modified using the MYW-2.0 micro motor), and the coolant (a small batch of Honeywell products has already been purchased).

This part was led by the Orange Micro Motor team and involved copper tube pulse laser engraving, graphene coating process, micro motor modification, and hardware system integration.

Intelligent temperature control system:

Requires a response time of <50ms, an accuracy of ±0.5℃, and integrated micro thermocouple technology.

This part was handled by the Micro-Sheng Thermal team, who are more familiar with it.

"YML1.0 is mainly for technical verification and may not be ready for mass production, but if it can be completed before the end of the year, our project team will receive a bonus of 100 million yuan!" Zhou Mingzhe concluded with encouragement.

After the meeting, the two teams immediately began their intensive collaboration and division of labor.

Second conference room: Optical glass mobilization meeting.

More than a dozen key optical glass technology personnel from the three acquired companies are seated here.

Liu Zhiyu, the technical director seconded from Orange Home Smart, is responsible for coordinating research and development work.

Liu Zhiyu first gave a brief self-introduction, and after having the technical experts present sign confidentiality agreements, he immediately began assigning tasks.

"Welcome, everyone."

Our next goal is to develop OrangeTech's first generation of proprietary optical glass – Phoenix Glass FH-1.0.

"The smelting group, the die-casting group, and the coating group, each with their own responsibilities, this is your preliminary task list."

The battle to overcome technical challenges quietly began in the laboratory of Orange Technology's new factory area.

In December, at the Orange Science and Technology Center in Chongqing, after tireless work day and night, the first prototype of the "Phoenix Glass" FH-1.0 and the "Leaf Vein Micro-cooling System" YML1.0 were finally completed in the laboratory!
After obtaining data through simple testing, these small batches of samples from the laboratory were airlifted to the headquarters of Orange Technology in Shenzhen.

The technical department immediately began working hard to adapt and develop the Orange 3 phone.

The first to achieve a breakthrough was the Orange+ Orange Home design team led by Li Qiaoli.

She brought the initial draft of the Orange 3's appearance, meticulously designed by her team, to Chen Mo's office to report.

"Mr. Chen, this is our initial design draft for the Orange 3!"

Li Qiaoli opened the renderings on her laptop and began to explain them one by one.

"On the front, we use a 4.3-inch TFT screen with a strictly symmetrical aesthetic, with the earpiece and front-facing camera centered."

Below the screen are three physical capacitive buttons with amber backlighting.

COG packaging achieves an ultra-narrow 7.2mm bezel, resulting in a 65% screen-to-body ratio, far surpassing competitors in lower-tier markets!

"The most distinctive feature of the device is its 2.5D curved tempered glass back cover, which has a smooth and warm feel."

The right side features a one-piece metal power button and volume buttons, the left side has a SIM card slot, and the bottom has all the necessary ports.

"The biggest design highlight and the visual heat dissipation system are here!"

Li Qiaoli emphasized the back of the phone in the rendering.

"We drilled a hole in the center of the back and innovatively designed the copper pipes of the external cooling system into the outline of the orange logo. The surface of the copper pipes is also covered with a special graphene coating!"

With a hint of excitement in her voice, she said, "When the phone's CPU temperature exceeds 45°C, this coating will gradually change from a deep black to a bright fluorescent orange through electrochromic technology!"
At the same time, as the coolant flows and the temperature changes inside the copper pipe, the entire 'orange' logo will present a dynamic flowing light effect, as if an 'orange is ripening'!
This will definitely be a unique and cool selling point in next year's market!

"In addition, we have etched a fine diamond-shaped anti-slip texture on the edge of the glass back cover. The initial plan is to offer three color options: 'Obsidian Black', 'Starry Blue', and 'Vibrant Orange', all of which have a subtle shimmering effect under light!"

"The overall design logic is to create a differentiated appearance that combines a strong sense of technology and practicality in the lower-tier market through a high screen-to-body ratio glass body and a unique dynamic and visual heat dissipation system!"

After listening, Chen Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The renderings do look very cool, with a high-tech feel and distinctive features, which is very appealing to young people.

But he quickly grasped the key issue, his brow furrowing slightly: "Director Li, this design is very bold, and the visual effect is also stunning."

However, with the cooling copper pipes placed externally and dynamic color changing required, how can safety be guaranteed?
Is there a risk of electric shock or burns to the user?

Also, what are the yield rates and costs associated with drilling holes in the copper tubing on the glass back cover?

Li Qiaoli was clearly prepared and calmly replied, "President Chen, please rest assured that safety was our primary consideration from the very beginning of the design!"

"First, the materials are safe."

The copper pipes are made of TP2 oxygen-free copper with nickel plating, fully complying with RoHS environmental standards.

The vessel walls are also coated with a graphene coating provided by Orange Creation, which further enhances thermal conductivity.

Most importantly, even in full cooling mode, the temperature of its exposed surface remained consistently below 42℃ in multiple tests, far below the dangerous threshold for burns (typically above 50℃)!

"Second, insulation safety."

Between the copper tube and the graphene color-changing coating, we added a 0.3mm aluminum oxide insulation layer, completely eliminating any possible risk of leakage.

OrangeTech's design has passed the GB4943.1-2011 electrical safety standard test and has also applied for a corresponding patent!

"Third, the color-changing mechanism is safe."

The electrochromic coating operates at a very low voltage of only 5V, powered by a separate FPC flexible circuit board, which is well within the safe voltage range.

Temperature triggering is controlled by a high-precision NTC thermistor, with an error not exceeding ±1℃.

Hearing that the highest temperature was no more than 42℃, Chen Mo felt a little relieved. This was indeed not enough to burn a person. This is the temperature of bath water for girls. However, it would be a little "dangerous" for boys!

Li Qiaoli then answered the question about costs: "Regarding the processing cost of the glass back cover, Mr. Chen, this might be a pleasant surprise."

Because our self-produced 'Phoenix Glass' FH-1.0 blank exhibits exceptional performance in high temperature resistance and heat recovery.

The yield rate of this high-precision 'hole-cutting' process reaches over 98%, while the yield rate of similar processes on the market is usually only around 40%.

Therefore, after final calculation, the cost of our seemingly complex glass back cover is only about one-third of the market average!

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo blinked in surprise.

"Oh? So, our Phoenix Glass is actually a type of glass material that is easier to process with precision?"

Li Qiaoli smiled and humbly shook her head.

"Mr. Chen, I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm a designer, and my understanding of the deeper properties of materials science is limited. As for the specific parameters and advantages of Phoenix Glass, I'm afraid you'll have to ask your colleagues at Orange Technology!"

"Haha! I'm sorry, Director Li, you have great insights into technical issues. I completely forgot you're a designer!" Chen Mo apologized with a smile, his mood clearly improving.

"Given the ample safety guarantees, the cool and unique appearance, and the cost advantage, I wholeheartedly approve of this design direction!"

After a moment's thought, he added, "However, at the final production meeting, I still hope that the design team can prepare two more alternative plans."

"It's better to be prepared. If this highly distinctive design patent application runs into problems, we'll have a backup plan."

Li Qiaoli nodded confidently: "No problem, President Chen! We will use this plan as the main one and then optimize it to create two versions with different styles."

"Okay! Thank you for your hard work!" Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction: "There's no need to rush the time. The final draft can be completed before March next year."

After Li Qiaoli left with the proposal, Chen Mo looked out the window, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.

The Orange 3 is positioned as a gaming phone, and with its eye-catching appearance and unique heat dissipation system, it is bound to create a new wave in the market once it is released.

This is definitely a phone that "looks like a gaming phone".

However, next year is not the golden window for gaming phones, and the core reason is simple.

Whether it's a top-of-the-line flagship or a mid-range model, the hardware performance is insufficient to support the demands of heavy gaming.

Chen Mo's strong promotion of the "gaming phone" concept is, frankly speaking, a helpless move due to his inability to afford high-end 4G chips. The biggest advantage of the Qilin 4G chip is that it does not require paying patent fees equivalent to 3.25% of the phone's selling price.

You have to understand that Chen Mo is very careful about even the 50-cent patent fee for charging cables, so how could he be willing to pay such a huge sum to Gaotong?
He preferred to invest the money in the research and development of cooling systems, continuing to support the "enthusiast-level" Qilin 4G chip.

He has high expectations for the potential that Orange Technology has shown after just integrating the optical glass industry chain.

Phoenix Glass FH-1.0 is resistant to high temperatures and has good heat recovery, which means that the difficulty of fine processing will be greatly reduced.

For example, if there are small cracks due to a failure in the finishing process, they can be directly restored by heating. Because it is resistant to high temperatures, there is no need to worry about deformation after heating.

If we utilize the R&D resources to upgrade two more levels and iterate the technology twice…

Although Chengke Optics' current precision machining technology may not be as good as Zeiss's, Chen Mo believes that Phoenix Glass, which has undergone three iterations, can absolutely outperform Xiaote in terms of glass blanks.

He began to look forward to the system development milestone that was drawing ever closer, which would be settled by the end of the year.

If the Eye of God is Zeiss, and Orange Science can't make eyes right now, then it can at least make a lens!
(End of this chapter)