Chapter 308: Chapter 306 Process Parameters
Though setting up a production line is quite troublesome and requires a lot of expertise, fortunately the professional matters are handled by professionals. Chen Xin only needs to submit the blueprints for the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery and specify the required materials. The relevant production line will naturally be planned by specialists.
Chen Xin originally intended to design the production line himself, but while he was confirming the site conditions with the construction staff at the small shelter, the special team dedicated to collaborating with him had already sent over the drafted design through military fiber optic lines, and it was even printed.
This is not to say the country is so impressive that a design can be made in such a short time. Even if the designers were driven bald, they wouldn’t be able to deliver. It’s not a matter of determining a plan, but simply that finishing a drawing can’t be done in such a short time.
In fact, the drawing wasn’t drawn recently; the country began designing the production line as soon as they received the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery sample provided by Chen Xin.
At that time, conditions weren’t as bad as now, and the country maintained some means of communication, so technical exchanges and communications were relatively smooth, and the drawing quickly had a draft after determining the plan.
However, the reverse engineering progress of the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery wasn’t so fast; the pivotal technical specs were never settled. Although a 10KW sample was trial-produced in the lab, it was still far from being ready for full-scale production.
Thus, the drawing remained a draft without the final details.
This time, Chen Xin proactively proposed setting up the production line. After receiving this message, the special team thought of the unfinished drawing.
So they spent some time and, with several designers pulling out their hair, perfected the design and sent it over through military fiber optic lines.
Of course, despite several designers going bald, without specific technical parameters, the improved drawing still couldn’t easily be the foundation for starting up the production line.
Without specific technical parameters, it’s unclear what equipment should be used. Even if equipment is reluctantly chosen just to make do, it’s unknown what exactly should be produced.
After all, they are supposed to produce the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery, a dangerous item with high radioactivity, not some unlicensed product hurriedly made in a shady workshop.
Such highly radioactive products have extremely high precision requirements in production processes. Any tiny inaccuracy could cause a radiation leak or worse consequences, so researchers took the drawing to Chen Xin seeking confirmation on the production process standards.
This put Chen Xin in a difficult position. Although he could create the Isotope Thermoelectric Battery and use system upgrade capabilities to set up the production line or directly adjust it to optimal conditions once finished, specifying the relative production process parameters was clearly beyond his ability to explain.
Nonetheless, it’s not impossible. Since the country was able to trial-produce a 10KW Isotope Thermoelectric Battery, it’s evident they have a sufficiently deep understanding of the product and technology to attempt trial production. Chen Xin can completely use their copied technical parameters for reference.
Using these data as references, the production line can first be established, then Chen Xin can use system upgrades to "tune" the production line, making it sufficient for production needs, even enhancing its efficiency, ensuring higher yield and avoiding material waste.
Chen Xin’s suggestion to directly use existing data for reference evidently made the research institute’s personnel quite uncomfortable.
After all, establishing a production line requires first determining the product, quantity, and specific process parameters before using this data to establish and design production equipment, because no equipment exists that can produce all products, let alone a production line.
The Von Neumann machine in science fiction is so fantastical because it can produce all equipment and even replicate itself.
Certainly, as technology like 3D printing is invented, universal equipment is gradually emerging, but currently, there’s no production line that can adjust process parameters anytime to produce any product.
Different process parameters lead to different products, and changing process parameters requires modifications to the entire production line.
This demands substantial resources and time. If it weren’t for Chen Xin’s upgrade capabilities, he wouldn’t dare claim he could achieve this.
But these researchers understand Chen Xin’s abilities; they comprehend why he can’t provide specific process parameters, so they didn’t object, following his advice to use copied process parameters to design the production line and equipment.
In fact, these researchers have their own ideas. They believe they can adjust the production data through Chen Xin’s help and understand why the lab’s trial product’s power doesn’t match the level of Chen Xin’s sample.
After all, the gap between 10KW output power and 160KW is too significant, even with technical reasons.
Besides the production process parameters, there’s another vital issue that concerns Chen Xin greatly.
"Under the current circumstances, how will the equipment for the production line be brought in?" Chen Xin asked the researchers. This is the biggest issue now.
The site has been gradually cleared with sufficient manpower mobilized by the city government, the process parameters are aided by the lab, and later adjustments can be made by Chen Xin. Overall, it’s not a big problem.
But how to transport the equipment to the city and install it in the plant is a difficult problem.
Due to the blizzard’s onslaught, all train services are severely delayed. Although trains can still deliver goods to their destinations, to evade strong winds, they travel slowly and often have to stop to dodge them, obviously not a fluid transport state.
Under such circumstances, ensuring coal supply is problematic, not to mention freeing transport capacity to ship industrial equipment.
However, the researchers only have one response for Chen Xin: "Rest assured about this, the special team specifically arranged a special train set to deliver all needed equipment."