After the prototype was settled in Liujiatun, Liu Li did not immediately return to the factory. She, Zhang Shulan, and the mechanic found an unused old warehouse in the village to stay temporarily, deciding to conduct a week-long "field residency." She wanted to hear and see for herself what problems these products, which embodied her hard work, would encounter in real agricultural life.
On the first day, news came back, both good and bad.
Old team leader Li tried out the threshing machine at his home. The machine performed flawlessly on the thoroughly dried corn cobs, proving highly efficient and threshing them cleanly. The old man was overjoyed, praising it repeatedly: "Great stuff! Much better than my old one! And it's so easy to operate!"
But the problem lies with Aunt Zhao's family and Tiezhu's family.
Aunt Zhao was anxious; the corn she had just harvested was still a bit damp, and she couldn't wait to try out the new machine. However, the damp corn kernels were very sticky and easily got stuck in the gaps between the threshing machine's rollers and the casing. The machine became extremely heavy, even jamming several times, requiring her to reverse the direction of the cranking to clear the blockage. Exhausted and panting, Aunt Zhao complained to Liu Li, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, "Lili, this machine is good, but it's so stubborn with slightly damp corn! Our autumn harvest coincided with continuous rain; how can all the corn be completely dry? What are we going to do?"
Meanwhile, Tie Zhu also encountered trouble testing the water pump. Young and strong, he pumped the water with great force and frequency, and soon discovered an unsettling "creaking" sound coming from the connection between the pump's lever and the support. After pumping rapidly hundreds of times, a slight loosening appeared! Tie Zhu scratched his head and said, "Sister Liu Li, this pump really pumps good water, no leaks. It's just that with my short temper, after a few hard pumps, this part seems a bit fragile."
The bad news didn't discourage Liu Li; instead, it lifted her spirits. This was the "real problem" she was looking for! Labs and test benches couldn't simulate all the complex usage scenarios, especially the various "non-standard" operations by users.
She immediately led Zhang Shulan and the mechanic to the scene.
At Aunt Zhao's house, she carefully examined the blockage and found that the gap below the feed hopper and the gap between the protrusion and the shell were optimized too "precisely." This was effective for drying corn, but it was easy to "get stuck" once the moisture and viscosity of the material increased.
At Tiezhu's house, she inspected the structure of the pressure bar connection and found that the size of the pin and bushing had been reduced in order to reduce weight and cost. Although the static load test passed, continuous and rapid impact fatigue was not fully considered.
"The problem has been found!" Liu Li's eyes gleamed with a problem-solving glint. "Record it immediately, analyze it on the spot, and come up with an improvement plan!"
She stood on the edge of the field, took out her notebook and pencil, and began to discuss the matter with Zhang Shulan, the mechanic, and Fu Jingchen (who had rushed over upon hearing the news, via telephone).
To address the issue of threshing machine clogging, she proposed adding a "floating clamping device" and an "adjustable gap" to enable the machine to adapt to corn with different moisture levels. Although the structure would be slightly more complex and the cost slightly increased, its practicality would be greatly improved.
In response to the loose water pump connections, she decided to strengthen the connection structure, use more wear-resistant bushing materials, and optimize the pin fixing method.
The new improvement plan and parts drawings were sent back to Hongxing Factory as quickly as possible through a messenger sent by the factory. The technical department and workshop immediately worked through the night to produce the improved parts based on the feedback.
A few days later, the improved parts were delivered to Liujiatun. Liu Li and the mechanic personally replaced and adjusted the prototypes for Aunt Zhao and Tiezhu's families.
After replacing the new "moisture-proof" components, Aunt Zhao tried threshing damp corn again. Although it was still more difficult than threshing dry corn, it no longer got stuck and was much smoother.
The connection of the water pump lever of the iron pillar has been reinforced, so no matter how fast and hard it is pressed, it does not move at all, and is extremely sturdy.
Seeing the problem resolved so quickly, Aunt Zhao and Tiezhu, along with the villagers who were watching, all gave a thumbs up to the hard work of the people from Hongxing Factory.
"Look at this factory, they really listen to the opinions of us ordinary people!"
"This thing is fixed, it really works! My family absolutely has to buy one next year!"
Listening to the villagers' simple and sincere evaluations, and watching the improved prototype running steadily in the fields, Liu Li and Zhang Shulan exchanged a smile; all their fatigue was replaced by a tremendous sense of accomplishment. This "field outreach," while exposing initial product flaws, also earned invaluable user trust, laying the most solid foundation for the product's final design and refinement. Hongxing Factory's new product is absorbing the most authentic nutrients and thriving on this vibrant land.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com