Cost pressures, like a sword of Damocles hanging overhead, forced the project team to completely abandon the old mindset of pursuing "military-grade quality" regardless of cost. A grassroots innovation campaign centered on "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" was in full swing in the workshops of the Hongxing Factory. There were no profound theories here, only ingenious adaptations based on rich practical experience and a deep understanding of materials and processes.
Material substitution, turning waste into treasure.
Inside the foundry, the furnace was blazing. The previously strictly differentiated grades of pig iron ingots were set aside. The experienced workers, following the proportions determined by Liu Li and the foundry engineers through repeated experiments, fed inexpensive recycled scrap steel, qualified iron filings from the factory's machining, and some low-grade pig iron into the cupola furnace.
"Temperature control is key. You have to watch the heat carefully when melting the iron, and the stirring must be even!" The old foundry master stared intently at the churning molten iron, giving instructions based on his experience. The cast threshing machine shell blank may not appear as smooth on the surface as the pure pig iron castings used in the past, and the internal structure may contain more impurities and porosity. However, after rigorous tensile testing and destructive testing, its strength fully meets the usage requirements, while the cost has decreased by nearly 40%.
The structure should be simple and functional.
Fu Jingchen, along with his young technicians, revamped the transmission gears. Through precise load calculations, they reduced the gear module, appropriately shortened the tooth width, and replaced some alloy steel gears with lower-cost ductile iron. When experienced workers expressed concerns about strength, Fu Jingchen patiently explained using calculation sketches and fatigue test data: "According to stress analysis, under this torque, the safety factor of the ductile iron gear is still more than three times, fully meeting the requirements. Moreover, the weight reduction makes cranking easier."
Liu Li optimized the arrangement of the spikes on the threshing machine rollers, reducing the number of unnecessary spikes and adjusting the spiral angle, which reduced the processing difficulty and tool wear while ensuring threshing efficiency.
Technological innovation and tooling determine the future.
The cost bottleneck of the water pump sealing structure lies in the precision grinding of the valve seat. Master Wang Jianguo personally took charge. Instead of relying on the time-consuming and laborious manual grinding by skilled fitters, he designed an extremely simple yet effective special grinding tool—a chuck that can be fixed on a bench drill, along with grinding paste of a specific grit and a standard-sized cast iron grinding rod.
"Watch closely," Master Wang demonstrated to the young worker in charge of this process, "fix the valve seat, start the bench drill, and let the grinding rod rotate on its own. Just hold it and apply some even pressure. Don't use brute force; it's the machine and the abrasive that do the work!" In this way, an ordinary young worker can operate the machine after a short training, greatly improving grinding efficiency and consistency, and drastically reducing labor costs.
Zhang Shulan's "stinginess" and persistence.
As the "chief steward" during the trial production phase, Zhang Shulan was extremely sensitive to costs. She meticulously checked the dimensions and weight of every part with calipers and scales to ensure there was absolutely no "overuse of materials." For fasteners, she insisted on using standard parts from township enterprises at lower prices, sourced by the purchasing department, and personally conducted rust prevention and strength tests.
"This bolt is 2 grams lighter than our factory's standard part, but it passes the tensile test perfectly, and it's half the price!" She reported to Liu Li as if she had discovered a new continent. "And this sealing ring, we used oil-resistant rubber instead of cowhide, and the life test shows that it can last even longer, and the cost is even lower!"
Her meticulousness and frugality ensured that every cost-cutting measure was implemented effectively.
In the workshop, the old trend of pursuing "big, bulky, and durable" materials has quietly changed, replaced by a new atmosphere of meticulous calculation and pursuing ultimate cost optimization while ensuring basic performance. The veteran craftsmen no longer complain about "inferior materials," but instead enthusiastically discuss how to achieve the process requirements using more "down-to-earth" methods; while the younger generation is attracted by this challenging and creative process.
After this series of innovative "homemade" methods, when Sun Mei came to Liu Li with the accounting sheet again, she finally smiled.
"Team Leader Liu, it's a success! According to the new plan, the cost per thresher is 48% lower than the initial design! The cost of the water pump is also 42% lower! Although it's still slightly more expensive than the cheapest knock-offs in the south, considering our quality advantages and durability, this price is already extremely competitive in the market!"
Looking at the numbers painstakingly reduced on the accounting sheet, Liu Li let out a long sigh of relief. This wasn't simply cutting corners; it was precise design and process optimization based on a deep understanding of product usage scenarios and user needs. It was about using wisdom and experience to find the optimal balance between cost and quality.
The "homegrown" innovation forced the workers at Hongxing Factory to demonstrate their survival wisdom in the face of adversity, and also earned them a valuable price entry ticket for the upcoming market test. The next step was to transform these cost-optimized design schemes into mass-producible products with stable and reliable quality.
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