I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 28 Factory Director Liu's Jaw Dropped to the Ground
"This is a semi-automatic bullet production line?"

Looking at the long, row-by-row semi-automatic bullet production line in the workshop, which was undergoing testing.

Director Liu of the headquarters ammunition factory felt that his eyes weren't enough to keep up with the demand.

The workshop of the machinery manufacturing plant was also a building constructed with adobe bricks and red bricks.

However, it increased the density of the red brick load-bearing columns.

The roof beams are main beams that are bound together with steel wire and reinforced with C-shaped nails.

The top is also a traditional triangular top.

The entire workshop is a large workshop with a larger span, higher ceiling, and longer corridor compared to a residential building.

"Yes, Director Liu, this is the semi-automatic bullet production line that I designed and produced for you."

This workshop is where we test and run all the equipment we produce.

The commissioning of the entire line is now basically complete.

It has entered the trial production stage.

We also need to conduct two days of production work to check whether the production line is stable.

If things go smoothly, then this production line can be completely handed over to you.

In this way, my promise to you, Lao Liu, can be considered fulfilled.

"I've fulfilled my promises and assigned tasks to my superiors."

"Incredible! This is truly incredible! Compared to your place, my ammunition factory is worse than a beggar's!"

Just as the two were talking, the director of the test workshop at the machinery manufacturing plant ran over.

After standing at attention and saluting Chen Changzai, he said, "Factory Director, all the equipment has now been debugged."

Is it possible to conduct slow-speed trial production?

Please provide instructions.

"We can conduct slow trial production and tell everyone to strictly abide by the safety rules."

Your hands can never withstand the power of a punch press.

"Yes, I will warn all operators again to strictly abide by the safety rules; their hands will never be able to withstand the power of the punch press."

"go"

"Yes"

After receiving the order, the workshop director saluted again and then ran to the group of operators who had gathered together at their respective workstations.

He loudly proclaimed the safety rules for each work procedure to all operators who had finished debugging the machines and equipment.

After a long pause, the workshop foreman shouted, "Have you all remembered this?"

"Remember, our hands can never withstand the pressure of a punch press."

Our bodies can never withstand the force of steel.

Our skin can never withstand the corrosive effects of acid.

To achieve victory, we must strictly adhere to safety protocols.

In order to achieve victory, we must ensure personal safety.

"Okay, now go to your respective workstations and start the production line trial run."

"Yes"

After everyone answered, they all ran to their workstations and sat down.

Upon seeing this scene, Director Liu twitched his lips and then swallowed.

To be honest, his ammunition factory didn't have such strict regulations.

Although they also strictly enforce the no-smoking and no-fire regulations.

However, they don't actually have rules like those in this test workshop.

At this moment, outside the workshop, which is separated from the workshop by only one wall, two steam engines began to sound their whistles.

This is a notification to the workshop staff.

The steam engine outside is ready and has begun transmitting power.

At this moment, two commanders at the front and back windows of the workshop saw that the inspectors inside had raised their small red flags.

Then the two of them whistled.

A sharp whistle sounded.

Two drive shafts that passed through the wall from the outside began to drive the transfer case to rotate.

The operators on every machine engaged the clutch.

All the machines then started to run.

The first thing Director Liu looked at was the operator at the first workstation.

He took out a piece of steel bar that was about the width of a palm and more than forty centimeters long from the material basket.

It was fed into a small cold rolling mill with two sturdy rollers.

Driven by the powerful steam engine.

The small steel bar easily fell into a material basket on the platform in front.

When the material basket was more than half full, a worker took it off and replaced it with a new one.

Then, the material basket containing the cold-rolled steel bars was sent to the material platform of the first stamping machine, which was not far away.

The operator of the stamping machine took a quick look at the steel bar and found no defects.

So he placed the steel bar on the stamping die.

Then step on the pedal with your right foot.

The pedal linkage connects to the clutch.

The clutch engages with the rapidly rotating flywheel via a mechanical device.

The large flywheel drives the transmission crankshaft.

The crankshaft then pushes the connecting rod.

The connecting rod also propelled the lowest punch downwards rapidly. A small, round steel piece, slightly larger than a one-yuan coin in later times, was instantly punched off the thin steel plate.

Operator, raise the pedal.

The clutch was released, and the crankshaft stopped at top dead center.

The pusher column carried by the linkage mechanism.

The round steel sheet that had gotten stuck inside the mold was pushed out.

Under the movement of the iron bar.

The round steel sheet fell into the feeding trough, below which was a material basket.

So back and forth.

One by one, the round pieces quickly filled half the frame.

At this point, the delivery person will send the half-frame of round steel sheet to the next workstation.

The punch press at this workstation is the same as the one in front.

The only difference is the mold; this mold is used for the first stamping and stretching of the cartridge case.

Once this process is completed.

This little guy, which was already a prototype of a cartridge case, was sent to the next workstation. It wasn't until after three stamping and stretching processes that it reached the final step: bottom stamping.

At this point, the stamping process is complete.

After the bullet casings have completed the stamping process, they are then transported by the material handler to a room outside the workshop, where there is an annealing furnace.

After the cartridge cases are annealed and cooled, they are sent back to the workshop.

The spent cartridge cases were then dumped next to a small lathe.

The operator picked up a cartridge case and quickly placed it into the small lathe head, which had already been set with the locking position and length spacing.

He then stepped on the pedal with his left foot.

The engine head clutch is connected to the power transmitted from the constantly rotating steam engine transfer case.

At this moment, the caliper holding the cartridge case in the machine head, under the action of the centrifugal lock, gripped the cartridge case.

The operator then stepped on the pedal with his right foot.

The tool holder also feeds automatically under the drive of the rack and pinion mechanism.

Because all the feed positions are pre-set to be locked.

Therefore, the cutting motion is very fast and accurate.

With one cut, the excess length of the cartridge case was removed.

The operator releases the pedal.

The clutch disengages, left and right movements cease, the tool holder resets, and the centrifugal lock on the machine head automatically opens.

The caliper has become loose.

The operator removed the spent cartridge and placed it in the material basket next to it.

These cartridge cases then proceed to the next step of machining the extraction edges.

After the car has completed all the procedures.

The spent cartridge cases were fed to the side of an inclined roller.

This is a polishing machine.

The drum contains crushed and screened corn cobs, walnut shells, and ceramic particles.

After polishing the cartridge cases, the operators sieved them out and put them into a material basket.

After the basket of spent cartridges was filled, the deliveryman came over and together with the operator lifted the material basket onto a two-wheeled trolley.

This time, the cartridge case left the machining workshop again and entered another small workshop.

This is the pickling tank.

The pickling tank operators and material handlers together poured the spent cartridges from this material box into a basket made of brass strips.

The basket has many holes, which allow water to leak out, but not the spent cartridge cases.

The copper basket was then lifted by a small hand-operated hoist and transported to the pickling tank via a overhead rail.

The pickling tank has a layer of lead plate inside.

The cartridge cases are pickled in an acid pickling tank, and then removed from the tank.

We entered the second pool, which was an alkaline water pool.

After passing through the alkaline water pool three times, the concentration gradually decreased.

In a water-filled pool where a water pump creates a flow of water, they began to vigorously flush with clean water.

After passing through the pool three times, the cartridge case was then placed in a sodium carbonate solution for passivation.

After passivation, the cartridge cases were then immersed in distilled water to wash away any remaining alkaline solution.

It was then sent to a pool of dilute sulfuric acid.

One minute later, the spent cartridge was sent into the second distilled water tank.

A few seconds later, the cartridge case was immediately removed and plunged into a copper sulfate solution for chemical copper plating.

Several tens of minutes later, the cartridge case was removed and then washed in a third pool of distilled water.

In this place that relies on numerous steam engines for power, distilled water is the least of its worries.

After being cleaned, the shell casings were put into a wooden centrifuge to remove moisture before being placed into a drying oven.

When Director Liu of the headquarters ammunition factory saw this, he was completely dumbfounded.

His jaw almost dropped to his feet.

He really didn't expect that just a cartridge case would require so many steps.

What are those cartridge cases made by your own ammunition factory? Garbage?
At this moment, Director Liu looked at Chen Changzai, who was following the procedures, and said as if by some strange impulse, "Director Chen, why don't we move here?"

　Thank you to all my friends who have supported me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)