Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Chapter 149 Consensus Breakthrough

April 20th, 3:00 AM.

The lights in the Qilin Technology Laboratory were still on, blindingly bright.

The air was thick with the aroma of coffee, mixed with metallic notes, ozone, and a faint, almost imperceptible weariness of the night.

Gu Qiushi hunched over the control panel, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at the real-time data stream scrolling across the screen.

Nearby, two newly assembled demonstration prototypes were undergoing their final 72-hour marathon test, the low hum of their operation being the only background noise in the laboratory.

Wang Qiming leaned against the workbench opposite him, holding a roll of freshly produced diamond wire sample in his hand, examining it inch by inch under a high-powered magnifying glass, his face as solemn as a stone.

The countdown whiteboard now shows 38 days.

Time is like a blunt knife hanging overhead, each passing minute carrying its own weight.

For the past two weeks, the team has practically lived in the lab.

One by one, the problems with the demo unit were resolved: the redundant pump of the cooling system successfully started during the simulated high-temperature environment test; the human-computer interaction interface became simple and intuitive after more than ten iterations; the position of the emergency stop button was adjusted to the most convenient place—the stability of the hardware has basically met the standards.

But the real difficulty lies in that invisible and intangible "consistency".

The data curves of the first three batches of prototypes looked very good, and the average value fully met the requirements.

However, when Gu Qiushi put together the key parameters such as wire diameter fluctuation, breaking force, and coating bonding strength of all samples in the four batches for variance analysis, the curve representing the difference between batches still exceeded their internally set "excellent" red line.

This means that there are significant fluctuations in product performance between different batches.

A customer may find a particular roll to be great the first time they use it, but the cutting results may be slightly different the next time they switch to a different roll.

For silicon wafer production, which strives for ultimate stability and yield, such fluctuations are fatal.

"Where exactly is the problem?" Wang Qiming put down the magnifying glass, his voice hoarse. "The plating solution composition is automatically replenished, the temperature is constant, and the line speed is under closed-loop control—we've locked down every conceivable variable."

Gu Qiushi did not answer; he was flipping back through the fourth batch of process logs, screen by screen. His gaze was like a probe, scanning through the dense numbers and event records.

Suddenly, his fingers stopped.

"Look here." He turned the screen toward Wang Qiming. "On April 16th, between 2 pm and 4 pm, the workshop voltage fluctuated three times. The records show that the fluctuation range was within plus or minus 5%, and the duration was less than 0.1 seconds."

No system logs triggered any alerts because the preset thresholds were not exceeded.

Wang Qiming leaned closer to examine it: "This fluctuation—will it affect the electroplating process?"

"Theoretically, instantaneous voltage changes can affect the uniformity of the electric field, which may lead to subtle differences in the thickness of the coating at the microscopic level." Gu Qiushi pulled up the current monitoring curve of the electroplating tank during that period. Sure enough, at the corresponding time points, the curve had almost invisible tiny spikes.

"Our previous process solidification was done in an ideal, stable power grid environment. But in actual production environments, especially in industrial park power grids, there are various unpredictable minor disturbances."

"So, it's not that our technology is unstable, but that our system isn't strong enough to withstand noise from the real environment?" Wang Qiming said thoughtfully.

"That's right. The lab is a greenhouse, the production line is the wilderness." Gu Qiushi's eyes lit up, his fatigue seemingly dispelled by this discovery. "We need to add 'ears' and 'immune systems' to the system—more sensitive real-time monitoring, and faster adaptive compensation."

The solution was quickly determined: based on the existing online detection system, a set of high-speed sampling sensors was added to capture the instantaneous fluctuations of key electroplating parameters (current density, tank voltage, temperature) in real time; a new adaptive control algorithm was developed that can identify and compensate for such disturbances within milliseconds, eliminating the impact in its infancy.

But this means modifying the already fixed control program, re-debugging, and re-verifying. And there are only thirty-eight days left.

"Will you do it or not?" Wang Qiming asked Gu Qiushi.

Gu Qiushi glanced at the glaring countdown numbers on the screen, then at the sample rolls waiting for final selection, and gritted his teeth: "Damn it! If we don't solve this now, even if we get through the exhibition, it'll be a disaster in mass production. We'll work through the night. I know the algorithm framework well; you handle the hardware interface and debugging."

There was no mobilization, no grand pronouncements. The two immediately divided the tasks.

Gu Qiushi pulled over the keyboard and began typing away, building a new algorithm model. Wang Qiming opened the electrical control cabinet and started planning the wiring and interfaces for the new sensors.

The other two engineers who stayed to work overtime also quietly joined in; one was responsible for preparing the sensor hardware, and the other began designing and verifying the test plan.

The air in the laboratory tightened again, but this time, the tension carried a sharp edge, as if they had found their direction.

April 22nd, 5:00 AM. The new sensors have been installed, and the new control algorithm has been initially implemented.

April 24th, 3 PM. After dozens of rounds of parameter fine-tuning, the new system successfully captured and compensated for a simulated power grid fluctuation, and the electroplating current curve remained smooth as before.

April 25th, 10:00 AM.

The final batch, the fifth batch of diamond wire, has begun production.

The entire team stayed by the machine, watching the new system run smoothly. On the real-time monitoring screen, the fluctuation bands of the key parameter curves visibly narrowed.

April 26th, 6 PM. The fifth batch of ten samples came off the production line and completed preliminary testing.

Gu Qiushi imported all the key data from five batches, totaling fifty volumes of samples, into the analysis software. His hand trembled almost imperceptibly as he pressed the Enter key.

On the screen, an analysis of variance chart is generated.

The bar chart representing fluctuations within a batch has been compressed to an extremely low level.

The curve that once caused concern, representing the differences between batches, now lies firmly within the "good" green zone.

The laboratory was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath, staring at the green line.

A few seconds later, Wang Qiming let out a long, deep breath, a breath that carried all the anxiety and exhaustion of the past dozens of days and nights, as well as a trembling sense of relief.

"It's done." He only said two words, his voice dry but heavy as a thousand pounds.

Gu Qiushi slumped back in his chair, closed his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. He was too tired to even cheer.

Jiang Haoran arrived at the lab at 8 p.m.

When he pushed open the door, he saw team members slumped in chairs and asleep on the table, and on the central worktable, five carefully packaged silver spools labeled "SNEC Exhibit".

Wang Qiming was still awake. He gently handed the final data report to Jiang Haoran.

Jiang Haoran flipped through the pages one by one. The charts, data, and conclusions were clear and compelling.

His gaze finally settled on the conclusion on the last page: "After optimization, the fluctuation range of key performance parameters between batches has been reduced by 68%, reaching an acceptable mass production standard and meeting the requirements for exhibition display."

He closed the report, looked at Wang Qiming, and then at the tired faces sleeping around him.

"Let everyone go back and rest, sleep until you naturally wake up." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet laboratory. "Tomorrow is a day off."

Wang Qiming nodded.

Jiang Haoran walked up to the five sample rolls and gently ran his fingers over the cool spool casing.

What's wrapped inside isn't just metal wire, but also all the sweat, wisdom, anxiety, and perseverance of this team over the past few months.

They overcame the last technical hurdle at the last minute before the exhibition.

He walked to the window and looked out into the deep night. In the distance, the streetlights on the park roads formed a faint band of light.

Thirty-seven days.

The exhibition stage is ready.

The sword has been sharpened.