In Leader Liu's letter, he mainly asked for two things.
They are also alloy materials, mainly aluminum alloy and magnesium alloy, and specific requirements are also marked. It is obvious that this batch of alloy materials is used for secret research.
Lin Sanqi was not worried at all about the alloy material.
Because the alloys that were extremely precious in the 1960s were common metals 50 years later, and the prices were extremely low.
Aluminum alloy is directly used as door and window material, how expensive can it be?
Another thing is machine tools, which come in many types.
For example, ordinary lathes, drilling machines, boring machines, milling machines, planing machines, etc., as well as precision machine tools such as grinders, gear processing machines, and thread processing machines.
The key point is at the back, marked in red. It is best to get high-precision machine tools, such as jig boring machines, gear grinders, thread grinders, high-precision gear hobbing machines, high-precision engraving machines, etc.
Lin Sanqi is a medical student and has no idea about engineering.
But Lin Sanqi knew that in 2014, all machine tools had been digitized. As long as the program was entered, the machine would automatically cut the metal materials. There was no need for human control at all, and the accuracy increased dramatically.
Moreover, the machine tools in 2014 seem to be more concerned with the number of axes.
For example, the five-axis linkage machine tool seems to be unavailable in China. Some have 4+1 axes, which is equivalent to a "pseudo five-axis"? I don't know much about Lin Sanqi.
At noon, Lin Sanqi took the list and went to an industrial machinery store in Hong Kong to inquire.
Hong Kong is not a traditional industrial city. Its economic boom in the 1960s was mainly based on light industry, such as Li Huanggua's plastic flower industry.
Therefore, there are not many machine tools for sale in Hong Kong. Lin Sanqi looked around and finally found a larger store in Hong Kong Island.
Lin Sanqi was dressed elegantly and was surrounded by enthusiastic staff as soon as he entered the store.
"Hello, sir, how can I help you?"
Lin Sanqi looked at the huge machines in the store and could smell the metal, so he asked curiously:
"Hello, I want to buy some machine tools. Can you introduce them to me?"
The male clerk was very happy and waved with a smile:
"Look, sir. We have the most comprehensive selection of machine tools in Hong Kong. We have Parsons, Toshiba, Mikron, Siemens, and Fanuc. Which brand do you prefer? What type?"
Lin Sanqi scratched his head. How could he know which brand was best? He only knew that the country needed high-precision machine tools.
"Hey, what are the best machine tools in your shop? I want all kinds."
The male clerk led Lin Sanqi to a machine tool:
"The most advanced one is definitely this one. This is a CNC machine tool demonstration jointly developed by MIT and Parsons. It uses a large number of electronic tube components. Look at it, it's absolutely high-tech."
Lin Sanqi was also surprised when he saw the machine tool: "Wow, this is really big, bigger than the other machine tools."
The male clerk gave a thumbs up:
"Sir, you're a connoisseur. This CNC machine tool was invented only a few years ago. You see, the control device is even larger than the machine itself. But that's where the high technology lies. Many key steps can be performed by the machine itself."
In the era without chips, if we used vacuum tubes, it would have to be a big one.
Lin Sanqi pressed the issue, "Is this the most advanced?"
"Yes, the CNC machine is definitely the most advanced. We only have one in stock in our store, which we use as a display prototype."
Hong Kong is more of a city than an industrial city, so the demand is small and the supply of machine tools is small.
Lin Sanqi turned the machine tool around and was a little dissatisfied with its huge size, but he also knew that even such an ugly thing was an advanced equipment that could not be bought in China.
"How much do you sell this machine tool for?"
The male clerk was ecstatic. They were also the commissioned seller of this CNC machine tool, and so far they had not sold a single one:
"Sir, this model of machine tool costs $200,000."
"How much? $100,000? Sweetheart?"
These days a car only costs about 10,000 or 20,000 US dollars. This machine tool is worth ten cars and is an absolute luxury.
The clerk knew it was bad when he heard it, and quickly explained:
"Sir, although this $100,000 is expensive, it's well worth it. With this CNC machine tool, you can definitely produce the most complex industrial products. Oh, by the way, what products do you mainly use it for?"
Lin Sanqi chuckled and made a gesture of firing a cannon.
The male clerk was a very smart man. He immediately realized that this young man must have come here sincerely to buy machine tools, and he was from the mainland.
But he didn't feel happy. Instead, he collapsed and said weakly:
"Sir, if you were from the mainland, you wouldn't be able to buy this machine even for $500,000, let alone $100,000."
Lin Sanqi knew about the disgusting thing called the "embargo", but he firmly believed that money can make the world go round, so he said:
"What are you afraid of? You're the seller. You sold the machine and made a profit. Why do you care if I'm from the mainland or Hong Kong?"
The male clerk was speechless:
"Sir, it's not that we don't want to make money, it's that the Americans are wary of this. This machine is equipped with a state-of-the-art positioning system. If the machine appears in mainland China, the American satellites will know where it is, and we will be in big trouble."
Lin Sanqi blinked, somewhat unconvinced:
"No way? Are Americans so advanced? They even have GPS?"
"Sir, you may not know this. The US has had a positioning system since 1958. Although it hasn't been widely used by civilians yet, advanced equipment has a positioning system installed."
Lin Sanqi thought to himself, these Americans are such scoundrels, they use the things they just invented right away. They have to be on guard against the red countries.
The clerk continued to complain:
"And you may not know that it's not just the positioning system that controls the movement of machines. There are now regulations that require the installation of advanced machine tools to be carried out by companies designated by the Americans. They will fix the machine tools in a factory and cannot be moved at will.
Every month or two, a specialist would visit each factory to conduct an inventory. If a machine tool was missing, the factory would be in big trouble. The US is a ruthless criminal, and they have plenty of ways to punish factory owners.
Lin Sanqi's mind was also turning, so he lowered his voice and said:
"These are all easy to solve. For example, I could register a fake company in Hong Kong, rent a factory, and then purchase machine tools from you. Just let the American company install and fix them. I have no objection.
Once the machine tools are installed, I'll quietly dismantle them and ship them to mainland China. Since this is a shell company, I'm not afraid of the Americans coming to investigate. And you're selling the machines according to regulations, so you can make a profit. Isn't that the best of both worlds?
Lin Sanqi thought he was a genius. This trick was called "escaping from the shell." If the machine tool reached the mainland, even if you could locate it with satellites, what would it matter? Would you have the ability to enter the mainland and take it back?
It's not like it will be decades from now when foreign countries can directly lock onto your machines, such as lithography machines, through satellite signals, turning you into a pile of scrap metal.
The clerk smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"Sir, this method of yours can only be used once. If something goes wrong, not only will our advanced machine tool business in Hong Kong be cancelled, but our company will also be implicated. You can't expect the Americans to be reasonable, right?"
"Well……"
Lin Sanqi was speechless, thinking to himself, if the old rogue could speak reasonably, then the world would be completely peaceful.
"And sir, even if you ship the machine tools back to the mainland, have you ever considered that the damage rate and parts replacement rate of machine tools are very high? By the time Hong Kong cancels its machine tool sales, how will you replace the broken parts? How will you repair the machine tools if there are any problems?
We are all compatriots, but I still want to advise you that although this machine tool is a good thing, at $100,000 a piece it is not cheap, and it requires maintenance and repair. Life in the mainland is so difficult right now, you can't just throw your money away."
Lin Sanqi was still very touched, as the word "compatriot" carries a lot of weight.
Based on the clerk's heartfelt words, Lin Sanqi already knew that the possibility of purchasing advanced machine tools from Hong Kong was very small.
Leader Liu must want high-precision machine tools, because only with these machine tools can our weapons and our high-tech be turned from drawings into reality.
But he should also know in his heart that this is not a easy matter to handle. (End of this chapter)
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