Chapter 219

At the end of the report, following Liu Guangqi's suggestion, Professor Lu Hai wrote with great solemnity and determination: "If these two studies can achieve breakthroughs, my country will truly have the initiative to achieve leapfrog development in the field of computer science and even lead the global technological trend. I earnestly request that the higher authorities consider retaining the project team and providing continuous and strong support."

What Liu Guangqi hadn't anticipated was that Lu Hai explicitly pointed out in his report that Liu Guangqi himself was the key figure in achieving this leap forward. Ultimately, the project team not only survived but also received enhanced resource support. The grand goal of "leading the world's computer development" was truly inspiring, as more powerful computing capabilities would extend to all industries and even many critical fields. Higher authorities were naturally pleased with the outcome and willing to provide support.

As a result, Liu Guangqi had to shoulder heavy responsibilities on both fronts simultaneously. At the Institute of Computing Technology, he was responsible for leading the upgrade and development of CNC systems, including the core control system for nine-axis machine tools and the fully automated CNC central control system, both of which needed to be completed as quickly as possible. On the other hand, his deep involvement was also required in tackling key technological challenges related to medium-scale integrated circuits at the ministerial level.

For a time, Liu Guangqi was so busy he was almost overwhelmed. Fortunately, his hard work soon paid off. Under his leadership, the team's technical vision and R&D approach were broadened. They no longer limited themselves to scientific computing and conventional data processing, but began to explore the application of high-level programming languages ​​and their compilation systems to a wider range of industrial control fields.

Time slipped by quietly. Zhao Mengyun rested at home, and after completing her postpartum period, she took an extra half-month of rest before returning to work. Early in the morning, in the staff quarters of the ministry compound, as sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, Sister Zhou, who was in charge of looking after the children, arrived at the door on time. Zhao Mengyun opened the door with a smile, and Sister Zhou nodded in understanding before quietly entering the house. She first went to the kitchen to warm up the formula, then headed to the room where Ruixue and Fengnian were—the little ones seemed to sense the start of a new day and that they were going to the childcare facility in the ministry compound.

The morning light streamed through the window, casting a slanted shadow on the floor. The two children, already dressed, sat side by side on the edge of the bed, their little legs dangling and swinging gently. Hearing footsteps, they both looked up, their eyes sparkling.

"Aunt Zhou!" A cheerful voice rang out in the quiet room, "Can I go to school today?"

"Yes," replied Sister Zhou, the caregiver, with a smile. She bent down to straighten their collars and then slung two hand-sewn cloth bags over the children's shoulders. Holding one child in each hand, she led them outside, saying, "Let's have breakfast first, and then I'll take you to the nursery."

Outside the door, the personal assistant had already placed a warm breakfast on the table.

At the other end of the table, Liu Guangqi was slowly sipping his porridge, his gaze fixed on the blueprints spread out in front of him. The paper was densely covered with various lines and annotations, and his fingers occasionally lightly touched over the structure of a certain component.

The two children ate very quickly, the clinking of their bowls and spoons crisp and rapid. Before long, they put down their chopsticks and slid off their chairs.

"Daddy, Mommy, let's go!" The child's voice was joyful, like the chirping of birds on the branches at dawn.

Liu Guangqi looked up from the blueprints, a warmth unconsciously spreading across his face. "Be careful on the road," he gently reminded him, "and listen to your teachers in the care center." He waved to the children, then turned to the caregiver, "Sister Zhou, thank you for your hard work."

Ruixue and Fengnian turned three, the perfect age to start daycare. Normally, the family wouldn't need a caregiver anymore. But things changed—Zhao Mengyun gave birth to twins, named Sinian and Qinian. So, Sister Zhou naturally stayed on to continue caring for the increasingly lively family. Every morning, she would first take the two older children to the daycare in the ministry compound, then return to look after the two infants.

For Liu Guangqi and Zhao Mengyun, this arrangement allowed them to focus on their respective work with peace of mind. The two infants were still in swaddling clothes, unable to walk or cry, so for the experienced Sister Zhou, it was simply a matter of feeding them regularly, changing their diapers frequently, and ensuring their safety. Compared to caring for those two energetic little ones running and jumping around, this current task seemed quiet and worry-free.

The door closed gently. The children's cheerful footsteps and the caregiver's soft instructions faded into the distance, eventually disappearing at the end of the corridor. The room suddenly fell silent, with only the occasional soft, dreamlike breathing coming from the crib.

The family grew from four to six, and the childcare worker's role not only continued but became a crucial part of maintaining daily operations. This allowed Liu Guangqi and Zhao Mengyun to focus entirely on their respective careers without any worries. With everything at home in order, Liu Guangqi was able to dedicate the vast majority of her energy to her work.

Inside the Research Department of the First Ministry of Machine Building, the morning meeting had just ended. In the large R&D room, several long tables were joined together to form a spacious workbench, covered with blueprints for the components of a nine-axis heavy-duty machine tool. The load-bearing parameters of the machine bed and the speed range of the spindle head, circled in red pen, were particularly eye-catching on the paper.

Team leader Lao Zhou, holding a ruler, half-squatted in front of the blueprints and whispered to the technicians beside him: "The bed must be cast in high-strength cast iron, otherwise it will not be able to withstand long-term machining loads."

The young researcher next to him nodded, his pencil moving quickly across the draft paper: "I've calculated it. The tensile strength of HT300 cast iron is sufficient, and it can effectively suppress resonance."

This is a typical morning scene in the research department. After tasks are assigned, the room fills with the rustling of papers and hushed discussions. Everyone works on their assigned tasks, tackling their respective technical challenges. When encountering a problem that is difficult to solve alone, a group meeting is convened for discussion; if the group discussion still makes no progress, only one solution remains—

"Who should consult Engineer Liu?"

"Go ahead, you're usually the most talkative."

"Come on, I was the one who went last time. Engineer Liu frowned when he saw me walk in."

After a moment of hesitation, someone would always be kindly "recommended" by their colleagues to pick up the drawing covered with question marks and corrections, and walk towards the office with a forced smile and a stiff upper lip.

In the minds of everyone in the research department, the name "Liu Guangqi" is almost synonymous with a walking solution library. No matter how strange or difficult the problem is, when it is presented to him, it will always provide a clear and logical analysis and an effortless solution.

Sure enough, a new bottleneck soon emerged. A technician, clutching blueprints, hurried down the corridor, stopped in front of the office door, took a deep breath, and gently knocked.

"Director," he said, pushing open the door, "there's a problem with the machining motion connection in the feed system... Could you take a look?"

For more than two months, the scene outside the office door was bustling with people, much like the long lines of people waiting for their appointments at a hospital.

Time passed quietly, but the research team's progress was faster than anyone expected. The bed, spindle box, machining head... these key components that constitute the core difficulty of machine tool R&D were all successfully completed in just over sixty days.

Every day, Liu Guangqi would set aside time to meticulously check every line and number against the stacks of drawings that were delivered to him, using his measuring tools. Only after he personally confirmed that everything was accurate would he sign his name at the end of the page.

Looking at the mountain of blueprints in front of him, Old Zhou couldn't help but sigh: "In the past, when developing a five-axis machine tool, we would often be stuck for several days. Now that Engineer Liu is in charge, even the most difficult problems can be solved easily... The progress of our nine-axis machine is much faster than we originally thought."

Before they knew it, the development of the nine-axis linkage heavy machine tool had been underway for over two months. The most difficult part had finally been overcome—the design drawings of those core components were pieced together by Liu Guangqi's team of researchers who worked day and night.

Of course, limited by current industrial conditions and material processes, the precision of the parts on these drawings is far from comparable to the nanometer-level precision components Liu Guangqi remembers. To put it bluntly, this soon-to-be-released nine-axis machine tool, whether in its somewhat bulky appearance, large size, or internal design philosophy, is still in the pioneering stage of CNC technology. A long time will pass between it and the more intelligent subsequent generations that Liu Guangqi is familiar with.

In other words, CNC machine tools of this era already possess basic functions, and their speed and precision are considered up to standard... but achieving more complex and dexterous intelligent control remains an unattainable goal.

One must take things one step at a time. At this stage, the emergence of these first-generation CNC machine tools is enough to trigger a revolution.

It's worth mentioning that although Liu Guangqi delegated the development of the mechanical structure to his team members and didn't devote much energy to it himself, he still took time every day to personally review it. He would scrutinize every drawing and every detail with a forward-thinking perspective to ensure there were no design oversights before approving it.

Now, the skeleton of this mechanical behemoth has taken shape, only lacking the final soul—the electrical system and CNC components. And Liu Guangqi has decided to complete these two parts himself.

In the laboratory of the Institute of Computing Technology, Liu Guangqi's gaze was focused on the scrolling CNC system code on the screen. On the monitor on the other side, the progress of the industrial control module had reached eighty percent.

Professor Lu Hai, standing nearby, leaned closer to examine the system and said, "Applying high-level programming languages ​​to industrial control is a first for us. If successful, we can use our own CNC systems in both machine tools and production lines."

A researcher nearby was adjusting the equipment, connecting the computer to the machine tool's control unit. On the simple monitoring screen, the machine tool's operating parameters were displayed in real time. "Chief Engineer Liu!" someone reported, "The spindle speed has stabilized at the set value, and the feed rate also meets the requirements!"

Liu Guangqi nodded and casually embedded a fault warning program into the code. "In case of tool jamming, the system can automatically stop the machine and indicate the location of the fault. It will be safer for workers to operate in the future."

In an instant, a new door seemed to open for the entire team at the Institute of Computing Technology. They no longer viewed computers merely as tools for scientific computing, but began to explore their vast potential in the field of industrial control.

Professor Lu Hai couldn't help but suggest, "In the future, this system might be applied to some key production lines, such as the machining of certain special parts, where the precision should be further improved."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangqi simply smiled and replied, "No rush, let's take it one step at a time. First, let's solidify the CNC system of the nine-axis machine tool, and then we can consider expanding into other fields."

The atmosphere in the laboratory was lively, and everyone knew that they were building the cornerstone of their own industrial automation process.

On this day, when Liu Guangqi brought the core CNC system back to the First Machine Tool Department and successfully completed the final assembly and power-on startup of the nine-axis CNC machine tool, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the research and development room.

Before the smile on Lao Zhou's face had faded, he had already sent someone to inform Liu Guangqi in the integrated circuit workshop.

The technician, carrying the message, strode across the corridor, pushed open the workshop door, and exclaimed with barely suppressed excitement, "Director, it's a success! The nine-axis CNC machine tool has been successfully trial-produced!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangqi's eyes lit up instantly, and he stood up with a smile: "Okay, I'll be right there. Oh, and don't forget to report this to Director Duan as well."

"Understood, Director."

Liu Guangqi was the first to arrive at the workshop. Soon, the project team was assembled, except for a few members who happened to be out. Liu Guangqi nodded to everyone and then walked towards the massive machine that had just been assembled. Testing began immediately, with machining accuracy being the primary focus, but other performance indicators also needed to be verified one by one.

The clock on the wall pointed to five o'clock in the afternoon, half an hour before the end of the workday.

Suddenly, a loudspeaker hanging high in the corridor emitted a crackling noise, followed by a clear and powerful announcer's voice, like a thunderclap, shattering the tranquility of the ministry compound:

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

"Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Comrade Liu Guangqi, Comrade Zhou Feng, and many other technical researchers in our department's research division, my country has once again achieved a major breakthrough in the field of machine tool technology..."

The notification was repeated three times in a row.

Each time the sound rang out, the busy people in each office and department involuntarily stopped what they were doing, their faces alternating between astonishment and elation—the machine tool field? It had been quite some time since their last landmark achievement, who would have thought that good news would come again so soon?