Chapter 6

It wasn't until around eight o'clock the next evening that Yun Fei finally finished programming the ladder diagram for a CNC lathe. He then programmed a simple machining process on the newly appeared operation interface, without installing any workpieces or tools, and ran the machine in an empty state.

In theory, it would be impossible to complete the ladder diagram program for a CNC lathe, which controls the entire machine, in such a short time. If the people from FANUC knew about this, they would probably commit suicide. However, this was all thanks to the time he had spent studying in the past, combined with the clarity of his mind in this parallel space, which allowed him to complete the work of a team in just over twenty hours.

Wang Qingfeng, seeing the money-losing equipment he had bought for face finally running, squinted his eyes in satisfaction. Noticing that Yun Fei looked exhausted and was rubbing his stomach, he realized that the boy had only taken a few naps in his chair and had barely eaten since the previous night.

Wang Qingfeng instructed his secretary to order a meal from a nearby restaurant while leading Yun Fei to the office. Since it would take some time for the food to be ready, he suggested that Yun Fei rest for a bit.

Liu Yushui was also waiting in the office. Yun Fei, who was originally extremely tired, gradually felt less sleepy as the two of them chatted. It wasn't until Zhang Rui urged them that they finally went to eat, with their arms around each other's shoulders.

The next day, when Yun Fei made the first CNC lathe run, Wang Qingfeng gathered all eighty-three people in the factory to the open space outside the office building through the loudspeaker on the second floor. Standing on the second-floor corridor, he announced to everyone that from that day on, the sixteen-year-old Yun Fei would be the master of the factory.

Although no one had seen Yun Fei operate the equipment, he had already been convinced by Yun Fei's skills. He completely believed everything Yun Fei said. So, during dinner the previous night, he not only agreed to all of Yun Fei's requests but also increased his salary from one thousand to one thousand five hundred yuan, with additional bonuses when the factory's performance was good.

At that moment, Secretary Zhang Rui was so surprised that he could have swallowed an egg whole.

Wang Qingfeng's words almost caused the scene to get out of control.

Workers also have dignity, especially technical workers, and even more so those who have worked for decades. Everyone started to murmur.

This murmuring eventually led to the annual technical competition held by Qingfeng Machinery and Yun Fei Group in the future.

Since everyone was rebelling, the relatively democratic Wang Qingfeng, of course, would not ignore the voices of the workers.

Of course, this was not a state-owned factory, and the boss's word was law. The workers, who were paid higher wages than those in the same industry, also felt that they should not go too far. In the end, the workers with the best technical skills discussed and decided that it was not impossible for this young boy to become their master, but he must prove his technical superiority over them.

Yun Fei could understand the workers' emotions. In his previous life, he had also been不服气 (unconvinced) by those who boasted without showing their skills. Perhaps this was a common sentiment in the industry: as long as someone's skills were better, regardless of age, they would be respected. This might be a unique trait of technical workers.

In response to the workers' challenge, Yun Fei stood on the second-floor corridor and announced to everyone: "Given that there are only three types of workers in the factory—lathe operators, fitters, and milling machine operators—I will only challenge the masters of these three types. As for the apprentices, that would be beneath my dignity."

"Damn, he's too arrogant!"

"Damn, this kid is really arrogant. We must make him know that bread is made of flour!"

"This guy is too unique. If he can really do all three types of work, even if he's not as good as my master, I'll recognize him as my master!"

"Exactly, exactly."

"I wonder if he's just boasting. This will be a good show. No need to work today..."

...

Upon hearing Yun Fei's challenge, the workers were boiling with anger. This was a blatant slap in the face. Although each type of worker had half a day off, no one cared about losing five or six yuan in wages. It was a matter of dignity.

The apprentices, on the other hand, were filled with admiration, envy, and even jealousy for Yun Fei. After all, the boss had already spoken, and their wages would still be paid.

The first challenge was against the lathe operators. Yun Fei, a single person, challenged thirteen skilled lathe operators in Qingfeng Machinery. The task was set by Yun Fei—turning a long shaft.

Each person was given an 800 mm long, 20 mm diameter A3 steel bar, and the requirement was to turn it down to 16 mm, with a diameter tolerance of no more than 0.05 mm and a surface roughness of 3.2. Any means could be used, and there was no time limit.

As soon as the task was announced, seven old lathe operators from state-owned factories immediately withdrew, leaving only Yang Dezhi and a few young lathe operators who had just completed their apprenticeships.

In the industry, it is well known that lathe operators fear turning long shafts. On the surface, the requirements seemed simple, but no worker with even a little skill would dare to attempt this. It is well known that an 800 mm long, 16 mm diameter shaft has almost no rigidity during processing. Even with a steady rest, it is difficult to achieve a tolerance of 0.05 mm. This not only requires very high skill in grinding the cutting tool but also a lot of experience.

In the industry, it is said that 70% of a lathe operator's skill is in the cutting tool, and 30% is in the technique. A worker's skill can be seen from the cutting tool they grind. The processing of long shafts not only requires a very high angle for the cutting tool but also a very precise match of the three cutting elements—speed, depth of cut, and feed rate.

These three elements must be perfectly matched to complete the workpiece quickly and efficiently.

The young lathe operators, who had not withdrawn, were full of confidence and began their work. They thought this was a simple task that could be completed in a few minutes.

Yang Dezhi, on the other hand, adjusted his lathe with a serious expression. He knew that in some factories, the final exam for an eighth-level lathe operator was to turn a long shaft without a steady rest. In his old factory, he had never had the chance to take this ultimate exam. Now, he wanted to try, at least to show that he was not to be underestimated by this young boy.

At this moment, Yang Dezhi did not think about the fact that Wang Qingfeng had boasted to Yun Fei that he was an eighth-level lathe operator to save face. If he had known, he would never have dared to challenge Yun Fei.

Yun Fei, however, casually chose the most dilapidated machine in the factory, causing everyone watching to gasp. This was the least precise lathe in the factory, an old Soviet machine from the 1950s with an error of almost one millimeter. It was only used for rough machining in the factory.

Yun Fei spent at least two hours adjusting the machine. Of course, his reference was the workpiece blank he would use in the competition. During these two hours, the dozens of people watching his machine were discussing, mostly thinking he was just putting on a show. However, the seven lathe operators in their thirties and forties from state-owned factories did not think so.

When doing high-precision work, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the machine's performance. Otherwise, a small mistake could ruin the workpiece.

In the end, Yun Fei completed his workpiece in just over an hour, the first to finish. After inspection by most of the workers in the factory, it was unanimously agreed that it was a qualified product. The error was only 0.04 mm, well within the tolerance. The surface roughness was even better than 1.6.

"Damn, if I had known that the final precision turning involved using the cutting edge of the tool to squeeze and then sanding with a belt, I wouldn't have been laid off as an eighth-level lathe operator!"

"Really damn impressive. He can turn this workpiece with just a chuck and a tailstock. I can't help but admire his skills. I wonder how he trained."

"Exactly, using such a low speed to turn a workpiece of this size is really eye-opening..."

...

As the saying goes, experts see the essence, while laymen see the spectacle. After Yun Fei finished his workpiece, almost all the lathe operators who watched him felt that their previous knowledge was limited. The eighth-level lathe operator exam was rare, and they had rarely seen it.

When Yun Fei finished, only Yang Dezhi was still sweating and working, while the other young lathe operators had already given up. They couldn't even use a steady rest, and without it, the cutting tool would hit the workpiece and break. One unfortunate young man even had the workpiece fly out, fortunately without injuring anyone.

Yun Fei ignored Yang Dezhi and walked to the canteen under the admiring gazes of over thirty lathe operators and apprentices.

After resting for an hour after lunch, the milling machine competition began in the afternoon.

The afternoon competition for the milling machine operators was to mill a sphere. Using a square iron block, they had to mill a 40 mm diameter sphere, with a fit of 85% with an R gauge. Yun Fei completed this in less than two hours, achieving a fit of over 90% with the R gauge, leaving behind the other milling machine operators who had only just completed the rough milling.

The evening competition for the fitters was even more impressive.

Yun Fei undoubtedly won the competition.

As the saying goes, lathe operators fear turning long shafts, fitters fear drilling holes, and milling machine operators fear milling spheres. Yun Fei chose these tasks to challenge the workers, to show his technical superiority and to make them overlook his age. These skills were ones he had practiced for a long time in another era.

In just one day, the sixteen-year-old Yun Fei, with his technical skills and smooth machine operation, earned the respect of every master in the factory, who called him "Master Yun."

Thus, the sixteen-year-old Yun Fei became the master of Qingfeng Machinery amidst the admiration of everyone.