Chapter 139

From three-axis to five-axis, and now to seven-axis, the young man named Liu Guangqi has almost single-handedly propelled China's machine tool technology to the forefront of the world.

How could such a person not attract attention?

"It's not just them," the minister said, relaxing a bit as he saw his superior's expression ease. "Don't you often mention this young man yourself?"

"You," the elder said with a smile, giving him a light tap, a rare hint of lightness showing through his weariness.

He turned around and picked up the turbine blade from the table again. His fingertips traced the smooth, curved surface once more, and after a long while, he let out a soft sigh.

"That young man in your department is truly extraordinary."

"I've been swamped with work lately and simply can't spare the time, otherwise I would definitely have gone to your First Ministry of Machine Building in person to take a look..."

He paused slightly, his eyes seeming to hold a deep pool.

"Go and meet that young man who keeps bringing miracles, and see what kind of person he really is."

The Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building understood perfectly.

As the top leader of the superior institute committee, the schedule of the senior leader is precise to the second, with almost no gaps between day and night.

Even a moment's rest is squeezed out from the hustle and bustle.

Any change to the itinerary means that a series of subsequent arrangements will need to be readjusted.

therefore.

The top leader should personally visit the ministry to inspect the seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool and meet its creator.

This is practically a fantasy.

At least in the mind of the Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building, Liu Guangqi, despite his exceptional talent, was not yet of such high caliber that this busy leader would set aside precious time for him.

natural.

Although the top leader could not attend in person, the importance attached to the event was not diminished in the slightest.

The next morning.

Just as the ministry offices were starting their workdays, the vehicles of the technical inspection team from the higher-level institutes had already driven into the front of the Ministry of Machine Building.

The team is not large.

There were only three people, but all of them were top engineers with illustrious reputations in the institute.

The leading elder.

It was the same old gentleman who led the team to inspect the area after the successful development of the five-axis linkage machine tool.

Therefore.

Stepping into this familiar research and development lab again, they felt no sense of unfamiliarity.

Upon seeing Liu Guangqi coming forward to greet them.

The old man patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said in a friendly tone, "Director Liu, congratulations! You've cracked another seven-axis five-linkage machine tool."

"Your speed of progress is truly unmatched."

After a series of familiar greetings, the inspection immediately began.

The senior engineers didn't exchange many pleasantries.

Let's get straight to the point.

They first retrieved the test report and verified the key data item by item.

"Spindle speed, verified on-site!"

Once the instruction was given, the R&D personnel immediately started the machine tool.

A faint electrical hum swept by, and the main shaft suddenly spun rapidly, creating a sharp yet steady gust of wind.

……

……

The on-site reproduction of each piece of data struck the hearts of the veteran engineers like a heavy hammer.

And the most crucial link—

Nothing beats the final, high-difficulty parts machining test.

This time, Engineer Zhang carefully took out a design drawing marked as top secret from his personal document bag.

"Comrade Guangqi!"

"This is a core component of a highly classified project: the configuration diagram of a turbine disk."

The old man spread out the blueprints in front of Liu Guangqi.

With a solemn expression, he said, "I require your seven-axis machine tool to complete the machining of its core area."

On the blueprint.

The dense, dazzling array of complex curves and irregular structures instantly made the surrounding researchers gasp.

Such an ingenious and unpredictable design!

Let alone processing it, just understanding its structure requires a lot of effort!

however.

Liu Guangqi calmly took over, and what he showed next shocked everyone present.

All that could be seen was the cutting head of the seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool.

Like a master sculptor with extraordinary skill, it moves lightly across the rough piece, making precise cuts and meticulous polishing.

Seven axes —

They work together in a dazzling yet perfectly natural way, with every incredible curve and surface meticulously crafted.

The members of the inspection team were also stunned and stood there.

They originally thought that five-axis linkage was the pinnacle of cutting-edge technology in the world.

But the astonishing efficiency and extreme precision displayed by this seven-axis machine tool in front of us once again overturned everyone's imagination.

then.

When the final processing step is completed.

When the parts were removed from the machine tool, the entire research and development room was silent, as if even the sound of dust settling on the ground could be clearly heard.

The afternoon the inspection team left!

The approval from the higher-level academy committee has been delivered to the Ministry of Machine Building through confidential channels.

Inside the Minister's office at the Ministry of Machine Building.

Liu Guangqi and Director Lin stood at the table again.

Facing his greatest contributor, the Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building smiled slightly, took out a document, and handed it to Liu Guangqi:

"Take a look."

"This is an instruction from a senior leader of the higher-level institute, which can be considered an affirmation of your research results."

This machine tool is of great significance to all parties and must be prioritized for production to ensure their needs are met.

Liu Guangqi read the approval document.

He smiled and said, "This is the result of the joint efforts of all colleagues in the research department."

Then.

Liu Guangqi calmly discussed the future plans for the seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool.

Time flows silently, never stopping.

Time slipped away unnoticed during their conversation, and before they knew it, it was time to leave work. Just as Liu Guangqi was about to take his leave, the minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building called him back.

"Hold on."

The minister's voice came from behind, tinged with a gentle smile. He walked to Liu Guangqi's side, his tone calm yet solemn:

"Now that we've won this tough battle, there should naturally be arrangements for rewards and recognition. For the past six months, everyone in your research department has been like a taut bowstring, never letting up for a moment. You've worked incredibly hard."

He paused briefly, then spoke clearly, word by word:

"After discussion within the department, it has been decided to give your research department a special treat—a farewell dinner."

"A communal meal?"

Liu Guangqi was slightly taken aback.

Although the most difficult period had passed, it did not mean that supplies would immediately become plentiful. He remembered clearly that the last time there was such a collective meal was in 1959—after the beginning of the difficult period and the first successful development of a heating product. At that time, all the workers in the heating workshop were overjoyed, but after that meal, a long period of natural disasters followed.

From then on, even the ministry canteens found it difficult to find meat, let alone organize a special meal for the entire department. The implications of this discrepancy in resource allocation and quantity are self-evident.

Sure enough, when the technicians in the research department learned that a banquet was about to be held and that each of them would receive several meal tickets, smiles lit up their faces.

Just then, the loudspeakers in the ministry building blared:

"Distinguished leaders and comrades, I now have an important announcement to make!"

"Under the leadership of Comrade Liu Guangqi in our Research Department, all researchers overcame difficulties and forged ahead, achieving another major breakthrough in the field of machine tool technology!"

Before the broadcast had even finished, the entire building was already churning like boiling water.

No one expected that Liu Guangqi and his team would achieve another leap forward in machine tool technology. The various departments and offices seemed to freeze for a second or two, then a burst of discussion erupted.

"Did I hear that right? The announcement said it was Director Liu from the Research Department?"

"Machine tool technology...has achieved another breakthrough?"

"Didn't he just make the newspapers last year because of his five-axis linkage? Everyone said it was already world-leading, right?"

"How long has it been? They've already made another step forward?"

"This isn't just a breakthrough, this is clearly surpassing oneself!"

Amidst the noisy conversation, many people spoke with a strong sense of pride:

"Others compare themselves to competitors, but our Director Liu is different; he competes directly with himself. That feeling of always being at the top is truly inspiring!"

"It's not just leading, it's now far ahead!"

The moment the words "far ahead" were uttered, they seemed to ignite a shared emotion. A knowing laugh immediately filled the office, a laugh brimming with the exhilarating feeling of triumph.

Some people dug out past news reports about five-axis machine tools and examined them repeatedly; others couldn't resist running to the outside of the research lab to peek inside, wanting to catch a glimpse of what that machine, which carried the "major breakthrough," actually looked like; and there were even young college graduates who had just joined the ministry, clutching their notebooks tightly and whispering excitedly, "If only I could get into the research department and learn some real skills from Director Liu..."

The entire ministry seemed to be ignited by this broadcast, and even the air was filled with a fervent confidence—we are no longer content with catching up with others, but are constantly surpassing our former selves. This overwhelming progress is more exhilarating than any commendation.

……

Inside the R&D lab, Liu Guangqi watched as technicians debugged the linkage program of the seven-axis machine tool, while also guiding everyone to familiarize themselves with the various details of the seven-axis operation. Under the precise command of the seven-axis control system, the machining trajectory of the turbine blades was as smooth as flowing water, with errors controlled within a negligible range.

"Director, the accuracy of the seven-axis has stabilized." Old Zhang walked over and handed Liu Guangqi a cup of hot water. "From now on, all you need to do is perform routine monitoring and prevent operational deviations. You don't need to work through the night like you did a while ago. You can finally make up for all the sleepless nights you've been pulling over the past six months."

Liu Guangqi took the water glass, feeling the warmth spread from his fingertips. He nodded, a faint smile on his face: "Seven axes at this level should be sufficient for now."

His gaze shifted to the window, looking at the imposing brick building of the ministry, and he fell silent.

He knew better than anyone else that in the field of machine tool technology, reaching seven-axis linkage was practically the ceiling of this era. This achievement alone was enough to keep the entire field digesting it for many years.

The advent of the seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool is sufficient to support the comprehensive needs of the domestic industrial system.

To further break through the bottlenecks in accuracy and performance, the key lies in upgrading the CNC computer—it needs to reach at least the computing level of a second-generation transistor computer.

Liu Guangqi's vision extends beyond this.

The blueprint for the semiconductor and integrated circuit industry had already quietly unfolded in his mind; the research and development process of nine-axis technology had never truly stopped.

Achieving his goals ahead of schedule at the beginning of the year allowed him to spare the time to begin compiling basic teaching materials.

During this period, he sometimes received technical teams from various ministries who came to investigate seven-axis machine tools, sometimes explained the core technical points to researchers, and in his spare time he would sit down and sort out the framework of computer courses.

Life flows like still waters.

As night fell, the desk lamp in the study cast a warm glow.

Scattered across the manuscript were notes on the derivation of binary operations.

Zhao Mengyun walked over quietly and placed a cup of warm malted milk powder on the table:

"The manuscript isn't finished yet? You should get some rest."

Liu Guangqi looked up and smiled, his fingertips tracing the symbols on the page:

"These are the stepping stones for future engineers... The clearer the explanation, the more steadily they can climb."

Moonlight filtered through the window screen, falling on his concentrating profile—

Although what I see before me is a dense array of formulas and text,

What he was thinking about was the grand framework of the semiconductor industry chain.

The commendation from the ministry came swiftly and effectively.

Through some unknown channel, several plump live pigs were somehow brought into the canteen kitchen.

The sound of chopping bones and stewing meat rang out.

Before dusk, the rich aroma of meat already filled the entire courtyard.

In recent years, supplies have been scarce, and even in ministries, the daily meals are barely oily.

Today is different—

The technical staff in the research department were all eating their lunch boxes with rosy cheeks.

Meat is so precious at this moment, and everyone can appreciate the weight of this sentiment.

Distribution also follows the simple principle of "more work, more pay":

Cadres from other departments can receive two substantial meat and vegetable meals with their meal tickets, which is already a pleasant surprise;

Research staff received an extra ticket.

No one raised any objection.