Chapter 101: Shock

Ning Yuzhe and Zhao Yicheng could hardly hide their astonishment as they looked at the CNC machining center before them.

“Du Qiu, you actually made this? How about the machining accuracy?” Ning Yuzhe’s voice even trembled a bit.

“Although it hasn’t caught up with the Japanese precision engineering’s freeform diamond machining tool, it has reached an accuracy of 0.1 nanometers in grinding,” said Du Qiu.

“Is this a lathe, milling, grinding all-in-one?” Ning Yuzhe excitedly asked.

In Ning Yuzhe’s mind, even if Du Qiu could develop a machining center to world-class standards in a short time, it would be just a milling center.

After all, adding lathing and grinding would make the machine infinitely more complicated.

Du Qiu spoke calmly, “Yes, just milling would be too simple.”

Ning Yuzhe was speechless. Even with just milling, reaching the world’s top machining accuracy was a height unattainable for domestic machine tools.

Suddenly, Zhao Yicheng said, “How come this looks so similar to the JN12-3D machining center from the Japanese company Amanada?”

Du Qiu smiled and said, “Director Zhao really knows his stuff, that’s right, I based it on the JN12-3D’s appearance.”

Zhao Yicheng frowned, “Is it only similar in appearance?”

Knowing the various shortfalls in the domestic machine tool industry, Zhao Yicheng was beginning to doubt. Was Dr. Du Qiu also engaged in deceit?

Du Qiu explained, “I was on a tight schedule, so I skipped the design phase and modified it based on the similar machining centers from Amanada. Don’t worry, there’s no issue with patent infringement.”

Ning Yuzhe laughed, “What does it matter if it looks similar? The key is that the inside must be our own independent development. Hasn’t our country always had equipment that looks similar to foreign advanced equipment?”

Without saying much more, Zhao Yicheng directly asked, “Shall we take a look at the actual machining performance now?”

Du Qiu nodded, “You’ve seen the workpiece samples beside the equipment, right? A robot will soon deliver the workpiece into the CNC machining center and finish the clamping process.”

“A robot? Can that ensure clamping stability?” Ning Yuzhe was somewhat surprised.

Although robotic arms are used for clamping large workpieces, people still operate them, and it’s rare to see robots doing the entire process.

“Just wait and you’ll see,” said Du Qiu with a chuckle.

Other executives from Feiyu Technology and some engineers about to transfer to the new joint venture, Xingguang Precision, had come along with Ning Yuzhe and Zhao Yicheng and were now discussing animatedly.

“Chief Engineer Tang, was this machining center really manufactured in three months? Can its accuracy reach a world-class level?”

“It’s not hard to build a CNC machining center in three months; the problem is whether there’s any deception involved. Maybe they just bought a JN12-3D from Amanada and ‘modified’ it.”

“That can’t be, can it? Won’t he be afraid of being exposed?”

“Heh, sometimes most people see through it but don’t say anything. Have you forgotten? Dr. Du’s Heavenly System software is able to enhance the machining accuracy of the existing centers.”

After saying that, Chief Engineer Tang smugly stroked his chin.

Originally, Chief Engineer Tang had no particular issues with Du Qiu, but that changed after Du Qiu identified malicious software on the production line.

Later, the security department even caught a spy from among his engineers, for which he was held accountable and received a disciplinary action. These events had thrown him off balance.

Moreover, he was bitter about not having a say in the joint venture Xingguang Precision, which was set to go public; holding a position there could mean more shares.

With all these factors, Chief Engineer Tang had a sort of sour grapes attitude towards anything related to Du Qiu and the joint venture.

Hearing Zhao Yicheng mention the Amanada machining center, he understood the possible industry malpractice that might be occurring.

Truth be told, he absolutely did not believe Du Qiu was capable of creating a super high-precision machining center, especially a composite CNC machining center, out of thin air in three months.

“My God, isn’t the cutting speed too fast? What brand is this tool? Isn’t it afraid of damage?”

“Look, this combines spark erosion and water jet machining; only the Japanese Company Sandy has this patented technology for nanometer-level precision machines.”

“They’re changing the tool, watch out, this tool setting instrument looks very accurate. Do you think it can match the Japanese developed micro-level automatic tool setting instrument?”

“I’ve just observed the rapid feed, and it’s definitely over 30000mm/min. That’s world-leading level.”

…

The continuous exclamations from a few seasoned engineers immediately changed Chief Engineer Tang’s expression.

This is serious; what these engineers mentioned involves the most core aspects of the CNC machining center. If they are of such high precision, then the final result must be exceptional.

When everything was over, Du Qiu gestured to Zhao Yicheng, “Director Zhao, would you please have the engineers you brought inspect the machining of the workpiece?”

Zhao Yicheng had already observed the operation of the entire machining center and was utterly shocked by the core parts’ performance.

He now fully believed the machining center’s inner workings were all independently designed by Du Qiu.

To integrate the best performance from multiple core areas of super precision machining into one device could only be the result of Du Qiu’s independent research.

Although he already believed this, he still gestured, “Xiao Dong, test the workpiece.”

He was there on behalf of Feiyu Technology to accept Du Qiu’s developed machining center, and inspection was a necessary step since it involved the execution of a wager agreement.

At this moment, the only person from Du Qiu’s team standing around the machining center was Liu Yaofeng.

Rein Leinar could not last until the end of the project because there were urgent matters to be handled at the European R&D center, and he flew back to Germany a week ago.

Liu Yaofeng appeared utterly unfazed. He and the rest of the engineering team had repeatedly tested everything many times the day before.

Every time they tested, everyone got excited; by the end, they were in tears.

This world’s top-tier CNC machining center was born in their hands, which means that Tang Country has finally filled this gap.

After 40 years of major economic development, many people thought Tang Country’s CNC machine tools had reached world-class levels and could compete with imported ones.

However, the truth was different. A famous expert in the machine tool industry once said, “In high-end machine tool manufacturing technology, we are 15 to 20 years behind Germany and Japan.”

Super precision machine tools and material science are considered mothers of the industry. Japan, Germany, and Switzerland dominate globally, with no domestic company’s CNC machine tools having a market share exceeding theirs up to now.

These were the facts Du Qiu had shared with the project team on the day they started their R&D.

Those who understood felt the same, while those who didn’t were shocked.

And now, this gap had been bridged by their three months of effort, how could they not be moved to tears?