Under the immense pressure of a "wartime state," the entire factory achieved astonishing efficiency. The technical department was brightly lit, with Fu Jingchen leading his team through the night to analyze the processes, identifying over a dozen potential risks and areas requiring improvement. The production department swiftly adjusted its plans, prioritizing export orders. Each workshop operated at full capacity, with experienced workers meticulously studying blueprints and technical requirements, and young workers eager to get started.
After intensive process preparation, tooling adjustments, and initial small-batch trial production, the first batch of gearbox prototypes manufactured according to the new standards and processes finally rolled off the production line. They stand quietly in the inspection area of the final assembly workshop, their metal surfaces gleaming with a cool luster, carrying the expectations of thousands of people throughout the factory.
The inspection department mobilized its most skilled personnel to conduct rigorous, comprehensive testing on this batch of prototypes, following inspection procedures that were several times stricter. Dimensional accuracy, geometric tolerances, surface finish… each piece of data was meticulously recorded and compared. The atmosphere was so tense it seemed like water could be squeezed out of it. The workshop director, key technical personnel, and even the factory director and secretary couldn't help but come to the site personally, standing at a distance, their eyes closely following the inspectors' every move.
Liu Li stood slightly forward in the crowd, her expression calm, but her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously clenched slightly. She was confident in her technical judgment and preliminary planning, but faced with such stringent standards and entirely new challenges, no one dared to make a guarantee.
The initial static testing results were within acceptable limits. Although some parameters were close to the tolerance zone, they were still considered合格 (qualified). The expressions on everyone's faces eased slightly.
However, when the testing progressed to dynamic performance testing—noise and life bench testing—the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
Inside the specially constructed sound insulation testing chamber, the gearbox operated under simulated conditions. The inspector's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The sound emanating from the monitoring equipment was not a smooth, steady hum, but rather a persistent, periodic "humming" sound, along with subtle yet discordant scraping noises. The noise meter's pointer trembled, eventually stabilizing at a value nearly 5 decibels above the standard limit.
"Noise level...out of tolerance." The inspector looked up and announced the result in a dry voice.
A suppressed commotion arose from the crowd.
Next came the lifespan test. After undergoing a fatigue test according to the prescribed procedure, the internal gears were disassembled and inspected. Several experienced mechanics put on white gloves, picked up magnifying glasses, and carefully examined each tooth surface.
“Look here,” an experienced mechanic said, pointing to several teeth on the drive wheel. “There are obvious signs of early pitting corrosion. And here, the meshing surface is not smooth enough, and there is microscopic peeling.”
"Judging from the wear on the bearing seats, it's also greater than expected," another experienced worker added.
Although the data from the life test cannot be fully obtained in a short period of time, these signs of early failure are enough to illustrate the problem—the life stability cannot meet the requirements of the foreign party.
Finally, the comprehensive test report was delivered to Liu Li and several factory leaders. The conclusion, clear and stark, was in black and white: the first batch of trial-produced gearboxes failed to meet export standards in key dynamic performance indicators (noise, lifespan stability).
The news swept through the workshop like a biting cold wind, and then spread throughout the entire factory.
The previous enthusiasm seemed to have been doused with ice water. In the final assembly workshop, the workers looked at the prototypes that had been given a "death sentence," their eyes filled with disappointment, confusion, and even a hint of fear. Some squatted silently in the corner, taking out cigarettes and lighting them quietly; others couldn't help but complain under their breath: "These foreigners' demands are too unreasonable!" "We've used our best equipment and our best experienced workers, how come it still doesn't work?"
A somber atmosphere hung over the Hongxing Factory. The technological gaps, equipment bottlenecks, and process shortcomings, previously masked by ambitious goals, were now starkly exposed in the face of these undeniable facts. This wasn't the fault of any one individual, but rather a systemic inadequacy of the entire manufacturing system when confronted with higher standards.
The factory director and the Party secretary were both ashen-faced and remained silent. The Party secretary took a few sharp puffs of his cigarette and stubbed it out fiercely in the tin ashtray he carried with him.
Liu Li held the heavy test report, her fingertips slightly cold. She had anticipated difficulties, but she hadn't expected such a crushing defeat on the most critical indicator during the first trial production. This wasn't a problem that could be solved with minor repairs; it meant they might have to re-examine the materials, heat treatment processes, machining precision, and even the assembly procedures from the root.
Failure weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a cold boulder. The delivery deadline hung like a Damocles' sword overhead, and time was relentlessly ticking away. The initial inspection failure was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, pushing the Hongxing Factory into the spotlight and testing the wisdom, resilience, and decisiveness of this young deputy factory director.
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