Chapter 116: The Shocked Experts

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The group arrived in front of the laboratory door, and Lou Changzhang took out the key and solemnly opened the door.

Walking into the laboratory, the experts' gazes were immediately drawn to the milling machine and control box connected by various cables.

"Just this?" Professor Chen looked around, a look of disdain at the corner of his mouth, "It looks like a repair shop."

Several experts began to whisper, their expressions ranging from skeptical to mocking.

Li Mingyuan was unhurried; he walked to the control box and began to introduce it in detail:

"Experts, this system is composed of three parts: the control system, the reading unit, and the execution mechanism. By punching programs onto paper tape, the reading unit translates the holes into electrical signals, and the control system, based on these signals, precisely controls the X, Y, and Z three-axis movement of the machine tool, thereby achieving automatic machining."

The middle-aged expert, Professor Wu, interrupted him: "We all understand the theory; the key is precision control. How do you solve the precision problem of the stepper motor? How is the feedback system designed? These technical difficulties are things even the Star-Spangled Country is still in the research stage of overcoming."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "Professor Wu has raised a very critical question. Precision control is indeed the core difficulty of numerical control technology. We have adopted an improved stepper motor and a special feedback system, and through the close integration of mechanics and electronics, we have controlled the precision to within 0.01 millimeters."

"Sounds wonderful," Professor Chen gave a cold snort, "but as for the actual effect, we still have to see the real thing."

"That is exactly my intention," Li Mingyuan said unhurriedly, "Please, everyone, take a look at the finished products we have already machined first."

He opened a drawer, took out several metal parts, and placed them on the workbench: "These are all parts machined using our Numerical Control System; please, experts, examine them."

The experts crowded forward to carefully examine those parts.

Even for the most fastidious Professor Chen, seeing these exquisitely crafted parts, his expression changed slightly.

"This precision is indeed very high," Engineer Wang picked up a gear and measured it, "but this could also be the result of manual precision machining."

"That's right," another expert echoed, "Advanced technicians can also make such parts; it doesn't prove anything."

Li Mingyuan nodded calmly: "The experts have thought this through very thoroughly. Then, please allow me to demonstrate the working process of this system on the spot."

He walked to the control box and pressed the power switch.

The box emitted a slight humming sound, and several indicator lights lit up in sequence.

"This startup sequence is to ensure that all parts of the system are running normally," Li Mingyuan explained while operating it.

"Now, I am going to load a brand-new program tape into the tape reader. This program was written by me last night, used for machining a relatively complex part."

He took out a roll of paper tape filled with punched holes and, under the experts' gaze, loaded it into the reader.

Then, he fixed a metal blank onto the workbench.

"To prove that this is not a pre-rehearsed act, please let Minister Zhao examine this blank to confirm that it is an ordinary metal block without any machining marks."

Minister Zhao took the metal block, looked it over, and nodded in confirmation: "It is an ordinary square metal block, it has not been machined."

"Thank you, Minister Zhao," Li Mingyuan fixed the metal block onto the workbench, "Now, I will start the system; please observe the entire process."

He pressed the "Run" button, the paper tape began to move, and the machine tool's cutting tool actually moved on its own!

At first, the experts thought it was some kind of pre-set program, but as the machining deepened, the movement trajectory of the cutting tool became increasingly complex; it was clearly not a simple mechanical repetition, but was executing a complex machining program.

The cutting tool moved precisely along the complex trajectory, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, cutting out fine curved surfaces and contours.

Metal shavings flew off the workpiece, and the shape of a complex part gradually took form.

The entire laboratory was terrifyingly quiet, with only the sound of the machine tool working.

The experts stared fixedly at the machine tool, the skepticism in their eyes gradually being replaced by shock.

"This... this is impossible!" Professor Chen's eyes widened, his voice trembling slightly.

Engineer Wang was so excited his face turned red: "Good heavens! Even the Polar Bear doesn't have such a precise control system! How was this achieved?"

Fifteen minutes later, the machining was finished, and the machine tool stopped automatically. Li Mingyuan took off the part, gently wiped away the oil, and handed it to the experts: "Please examine it."

It was a complex gear assembly with multiple precision-meshing tooth surfaces inside, beautiful in shape, and every detail was breathtaking.

"This is absolutely not something that can be made by hand," one expert asserted, his voice full of disbelief.

"For this level of complexity and precision, even the most Advanced technician would have to spend several days, and it would be hard to guarantee that every detail is this perfect."

Li Mingyuan took out a micrometer and began to measure various parts of the component: "Please look, the error in key dimensions is only 0.006 millimeters, even more precise than our previous tests. This precision has already exceeded the limit of manual machining."

As soon as he finished speaking, the laboratory fell into a strange Silence. The expert group seemed to have been hit by a freezing spell; everyone maintained their last movement, motionless, yet their eyes were wide open and their chins were almost hitting the floor.

Minister Zhao had his mouth open, forgetting to close it; Engineer Wang's hand stopped in mid-air, his posture holding the measuring instrument like a statue; Professor Chen's glasses slid to the tip of his nose, but he forgot to push them back up.

This scene of collective loss of speech, if someone were to take a photo, could absolutely serve as the best annotation for the word "shock."

Lou Changzhang stood to the side, watching this group of experts who were usually so decisive become so uncomposed, and a surge of irrepressible joy welled up in his heart.

He stole a glance at Li Mingyuan and found that this young Chief Engineer's expression was as usual, as if all of this was within his expectations.

After a full ten seconds of dead Silence, Professor Chen suddenly shuddered as if he had been electrocuted, then took a large step forward, stumbling almost as he rushed to the machine tool.

His hands trembled as he stroked various parts of the machine tool, his lips moving incessantly, yet he could not say a single complete sentence.

"I... I have studied machine tools for so many years... I have never... never seen this kind of... this kind of miracle..." Professor Chen finally squeezed out a sentence, his voice trembling like autumn leaves.

At the same time, Professor Wu crouched down like an agile cat and began to check the internal structure of the control box.

His movements were cautious, as if he were treating a rare treasure.

"This system... this design..." Professor Wu said almost in a whisper, "Simply genius... no, more than genius..."

Engineer Wang stood where he was, stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses.

He walked to the workbench, picked up the part that had just been machined, turned it over and over to examine it, the disbelief in his eyes growing ever thicker.

"Technology that the Polar Bear spent ten years researching," Engineer Wang's voice choked, almost on the verge of tears, "We... we actually achieved it independently... and did it even better..."

Minister Zhao seemed to be the last one to recover from the shock. He took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but suddenly blurted out a curse:

"Damn it! This is too incredible!"

This ministerial-level cadre, who was usually extremely steady in his words and actions, had actually lost his composure to such an extent, which showed how great an impact the technology contained beneath this crude exterior had brought him.

Minister Zhao's hands were visibly shaking, and his movements as he took a cigarette from his pocket were as clumsy as a beginner's.

He struck the lighter three times before he lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, but was then choked into coughing.

……

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