With the problem identified, the atmosphere in the task force office grew increasingly tense. The traditional approach was to control heat treatment deformation as much as possible, pursuing more stable furnace temperatures and more precise process curves. However, this required time and equipment investment, and might even have necessitated modifying the heat treatment furnace—a distant solution that couldn't address the immediate crisis.
Liu Li stood before the wall covered with data charts, her gaze lingering on the scatter plots showing the dispersion of gear deformation after heat treatment. The glaring red dots representing defective products seemed to mock the ineffectiveness of conventional methods.
"I can't control it..." she muttered to herself, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "Since I can't control it, can I... turn it around and use it?"
The thought flashed like lightning in the darkness, jolting her to her feet. She quickly gathered core members, including Fu Jingchen and Master Wang Jianguo.
“We are trying our best to reduce heat treatment deformation, but due to limitations in equipment and materials, it is difficult to achieve an ideal state in the short term.” Liu Li got straight to the point, her eyes burning with determination. “I’m thinking, could we change our approach? Instead of confronting the deformation head-on, could we ‘actively guide’ it, or even ‘compensate for’ it in advance?”
Fu Jingchen pushed up his glasses, his eyes sharpening: "You mean..."
“Yes!” Liu Li picked up a piece of chalk and drew a simple schematic diagram of a gear blank on the blackboard next to her. “Could we add a ‘pre-aging treatment’ and a ‘pre-deformation correction’ process before the gear undergoes final heat treatment?”
She began to elaborate on this bold, unconventional technological concept:
"Pre-aging treatment: After rough machining and before finish machining, the gear blank undergoes a low-temperature, long-term stabilization annealing. The purpose is not to change the hardness, but to actively and fully release the internal stress generated during rough machining, allowing the material to 'take a breath' and exposing and stabilizing some potential and irregular deformation tendencies before finish machining."
"Pre-deformation correction: After pre-aging treatment, an additional 'anti-deformation' finishing process based on statistical laws is added. According to the typical deformation trend data of this batch of materials and this type of gear structure that we previously analyzed, when finishing the tooth profile and key reference surfaces, we do not process according to the ideal drawings, but 'intentionally' process a 'pre-distortion variable' that is opposite in direction and similar in size to the predicted heat treatment deformation!"
With the chalk in her hand, she drew a reverse arc on the blackboard: "In this way, when the gear enters the formal heat treatment furnace and undergoes quenching and tempering to deform, this 'pre-distortion' will partially cancel out the 'actual deformation' of the heat treatment. It's like shooting at a moving target; we calculate the target's trajectory in advance and fire at the position it's going to reach!"
The idea was too novel, even somewhat unconventional. The conference room fell silent. To deliberately "deform" the parts? This completely contradicted the conventional approach of pursuing ultimate precision and stability.
Master Wang Jianguo frowned, staring at the diagram on the blackboard, remaining silent for a long time. He had been a fitter his whole life, emphasizing absolute precision; this "fighting fire with fire" method sounded incredibly risky.
Fu Jingchen quickly entered calculation mode. He picked up a pen and wrote rapidly on the paper: "In principle... it is feasible. The key is that the prediction of deformation must be accurate enough, and the application of the pre-distortion variable must be extremely controllable. This requires very in-depth mathematical model support for material properties, heat treatment phase transformation kinetics, and structural stress..." He looked up at Liu Li, his eyes showing both challenge and excitement, "Data, we need more and more detailed deformation data to build the prediction model!"
“I’ll figure out the data!” Liu Li immediately chimed in. “Master Wang, what do you think…” She turned to the old master, her tone respectful and inquiring.
Wang Jianguo remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly, his voice low: "The method... is a risky move." He raised his eyes and looked at Liu Li, "It might just be a pointless exercise and a waste of time. But..." He changed the subject, with the pragmatism characteristic of an experienced master, "Given the current situation, following the established procedures would definitely lead to a dead end. Your method sounds risky, but upon closer examination, it has a bit of a 'using someone else's strength against them' feel to it."
He stood up, walked to the blackboard, and pointed his rough fingers at the arrow indicating "pre-distortion": "This 'reverse' dimension, if it's off by even a fraction, could result in drastically different outcomes. Lathe and grinding machine operators must have the skills to keep up and the composure to remain calm."
This is tacit approval, even support. Master Wang's approval is crucial.
"Great!" Liu Li perked up. "Then let's set this direction! Engineer Fu, you take the lead immediately, concentrate all computing power, combine existing data on failed parts and historical process records, establish a preliminary mathematical model for deformation prediction, and give the theoretical range of pre-distortion variables for each key dimension!"
"Understood!" Fu Jingchen replied immediately.
"Master Wang, could you please select a few of the most skilled and meticulous master craftsmen and young workers to form a precision machining team? Once Engineer Fu's theoretical specifications are available, we will begin small-batch process verification experiments!"
“Okay, I’ll pick the people.” Wang Jianguo nodded.
"All other groups, continue with the relevant work according to the original plan and cooperate with the experiment!" Liu Li looked around at everyone. "We have no time to hesitate, and we cannot afford to fail. This path must be followed!"
The reverse-thinking technological innovation plan acted like a shot in the arm, injecting a much-needed boost into the seemingly hopeless battle. The risks were immense, but so was the ignition of hope. A precise battle, based on meticulous calculations and superior craftsmanship, and on the laws of material deformation, was about to unfold in the workshops of the Hongxing Factory. Everyone understood that this do-or-die battle could only succeed; failure was not an option.
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