novelhk Chapter 46: The First Generation Air Fryer Rolls Off the Production Line
Chapter 46: The First Generation Air Fryer Rolls Off the Production Line
Lin Zhou got up very early this morning, ate breakfast quickly, and drove to the factory. Just yesterday, the factory dormitory was handed over, the bunk beds were installed, and the office building was renovated. The construction company completed its task, and Lin Zhou asked Manager Zhou to lead a team to build another two-story building next to the factory as the security company's residence.
There is only Su Wanqing in the office right now, and she has been busy purchasing various office supplies these days. Whenever she sees Lin Zhou, she complains that he is trying to work her to death. Lin Zhou then asked her to go out and recruit people to build a team, so she is going to recruit office staff again today. Lin Zhou has left all the office affairs to her to manage. He will not interfere, as long as he lets her vet the recruited personnel.
Lin Zhou went to the factory today to check out the production line and test-produce air fryers. The clanging sounds coming from inside were particularly crisp. Several technicians were busy around an old machine covered in grease, while two engineers squatted in front of the blueprints and discussed in hushed tones, quickly sketching corrections on the paper with pencils.
"Boss, you're finally here!" An engineer in charge of the project looked up and saw him. He immediately stood up to greet him, his face showing undisguised fatigue, but his eyes were shining with excitement. "We finished debugging the last set of molds last night. Now all that's left is the final circuit calibration. We should be able to start trial production this morning."
Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze sweeping over the equipment in the factory. These machines were production lines brought over from a bankrupt radio factory. The faded "Su's Radio Factory" logo was still visible on the frames, the conveyor belts were somewhat aged and cracked, and the gears occasionally made a squeaking sound when they turned. However, after more than half a month of modifications by the technicians, the workstations that were originally used to install electron tubes and solder circuits had been replaced with new stamping dies and assembly fixtures, and the core components of the machines had also been reinforced.
"Thank you all for your hard work, working day and night these past few days." Lin Zhou handed over a few bags of pineapple buns he had just bought. "Have a bite to eat first. Once the production line is running smoothly, I'll treat everyone to seafood in Tsim Sha Tsui."
The technicians smiled as they accepted the bread, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.
Lin Zhou walked to the drawing shelf, where his hand-drawn structural diagram of the air fryer was laid out. The lines on the drawing were clear and concise, with everything from the power parameters of the heating element to the dimensions of the outer shell and the engagement precision of the knob clearly marked.
However, due to the limitations of the industrial level in the 1960s, many precision parts could not be reproduced, so he could only make simplifications: the digital display screen was removed and replaced with a mechanical knob for temperature control; the intelligent reservation function was canceled and only the timer device with a maximum duration of half an hour was retained; even the outer shell material was changed from food-grade stainless steel to thickened cold-rolled steel plate, and the surface was only given a simple paint treatment.
"Boss, the layout of the heating element you designed is indeed ingenious." Engineer Wang pointed to the schematic diagram of the ring-shaped heating element on the drawing.
Just then, car horns sounded outside the factory. Lin Zhou walked to the door and saw seven or eight buses slowly come to a stop. These were the buses he had rented from the bus company. The buses were full of people, all former radio factory workers, their faces showing a mixture of trepidation and anticipation. They carried simple bags, and some even had bedding rolls on their backs.
"Hello, boss!" The workers got off the truck one after another and greeted him. When Lin Zhou went to the radio factory to discuss equipment, he had already communicated with them, saying that anyone who wanted to come could come, and he promised to keep their wages the same. For them, who were on the verge of unemployment, this was undoubtedly a godsend, and almost everyone agreed without hesitation.
"Everyone, quickly settle into your dorms," Lin Zhou greeted with a smile. "The technicians have almost finished debugging the equipment. Over the next few days, we'll have to rely on the experienced workers to train the new employees so we can start mass production as soon as possible."
After a morning of tidying up, everyone found their beds and settled in. In the afternoon, after lunch in the canteen, the workers went into the factory and curiously examined the renovated production line. Sister Zhang, who was in charge of assembly, touched the newly replaced molds and couldn't help but exclaim, "This machine looks different from before. I never thought the radio factory's equipment could be used to make this… Engineer Wang, this thing is called an air fryer. Can it really cook things without oil?"
"Of course," Lin Zhou couldn't help but explain with a smile. "The principle is actually not complicated. You just brush a little bit of oil on the food and then heat it with hot air circulation to let the food release its own oil. It tastes fragrant and not greasy. In the future, everyone won't need to waste oil when frying French fries or roasting chicken wings."
The workers listened with amazement, their initial trepidation gradually replaced by curiosity. Over the next three days, the technicians provided hands-on training to the workers: those in the stamping workshop learned how to press steel plates into inner and outer shells, those in the assembly workshop practiced installing heating elements, timers, and knobs, and those in the quality inspection workshop became familiar with various testing standards—whether the inner shell was smooth and burr-free, whether the heating was uniform, and whether the timer was accurate.
Lin Zhou occasionally visited the workshop to check on their learning progress. He noticed that although the workers were experienced, they were not yet proficient in operating the new equipment, especially in the pressure control of the stamping dies, which often resulted in uneven thickness of the inner liner. Based on his understanding, he worked with the technicians to optimize the operating procedures, added scale markings to the dies, and created a simple operation manual that clearly explained the key steps with illustrations. As a result, the workers learned the equipment much faster.
On the morning of the fourth day, the sound of machines running smoothly finally filled the factory. The stamping machines clattered and punched out round inner pots, which were then transported to the assembly station by the conveyor belt. The workers methodically installed the heating elements, fixed the outer shell, tightened the knobs, and finally affixed the "Zhonghua" logo. An air fryer was then assembled.
As the first air fryer slowly rolled off the production line, the factory fell silent as everyone gathered around. This air fryer was dark gray all over, with a cold-rolled steel plate shell that was painted. It had some minor scratches on the surface, and its edges and corners were not as rounded as those of later products, making it look somewhat rough and bulky.
Its top features a circular temperature knob marked with 100°C to 200°C increments. Directly in front is a black timer knob, almost identical to the timer mechanism on semi-automatic washing machines of the time, with a maximum setting of half an hour. Below the timer knob is a pull-out food storage area, which makes a slight "click" sound when pulled out.
Lin Zhou reached out and picked up the air fryer, weighing it in his hand. It was a good ten kilograms, several times heavier than the lightweight and compact modern air fryer in his space. He carefully examined this first-generation air fryer, which he had spearheaded the design of and which originated in Hong Kong in the 1960s. The more he looked at it, the more awkward it seemed: the paint on the outer shell was not uniform, with some areas being darker and others lighter; the temperature knob was not smooth enough when turned, with a slight sticking; even the pull-out frying basket did not close tightly enough, leaving a small gap.
Compared to the air fryer in the room, which had a high-definition display, intelligent temperature control, and could even connect to a mobile app, this one in front of him was like a "crudely made" half-finished product. Lin Zhou had originally been quite looking forward to testing its performance himself, but when he actually saw the finished product, his curiosity vanished instantly, and he didn't even have the desire to try it out.
"Boss, shall we give it a try? I brought some potatoes, perfect for frying into fries and seeing how it goes," said Sister Zhang, holding a few washed potatoes in her hand with great enthusiasm.
Lin Zhou shook his head and handed the air fryer to Engineer Wang beside him: "You guys are the professionals. Let you do a full test. Test the temperature from 150℃ to 200℃ at each setting. The timer function also needs to be verified repeatedly. Also, carefully check the heat resistance of the inner pot and the anti-scalding effect of the outer shell. Record any problems immediately so we can adjust and improve them."
"Okay, boss, we'll start testing right away." Engineer Wang took the air fryer, carefully placed it on the testing table, and got to work with the technicians. They first plugged the air fryer into the power supply, turned the temperature knob to 180°C, and set the timer knob to fifteen minutes to observe whether the heating element was heating normally. Then they put the cut fries into the frying basket, closed it, and started timing, opening it every three minutes to check the condition of the fries.
Lin Zhou stood to the side watching, the factory gradually filling with the rich aroma of potatoes. The workers also gathered around, curiously observing the testing process. Some couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "It smells really good, I wonder how it tastes?" "If they can really fry fries without oil, they'll definitely sell well!"
Lin Zhou wasn't particularly concerned. He knew that this first-generation air fryer was just a starting point. Limited by the industrial level and materials technology of the time, it had many shortcomings. However, in Hong Kong in 1967, being able to produce such a fully functional air fryer was already a significant breakthrough, considering it didn't become widespread until 2005 in later generations. What he was more concerned about now was the stability and capacity of the production line. At the current pace, one production line could only produce about fifty units a day, far from meeting his expectations.
"Engineer Wang, after the test, let's optimize the production process again," Lin Zhou said to Engineer Wang, who was recording data. "We can add a workstation to the stamping workshop, and the assembly workshop processes can be further subdivided, aiming to increase daily production capacity to over one hundred units. In addition, the painting process for the outer shell needs improvement; the current quality is too rough, and the paint peels off easily, affecting sales."
Engineer Wang nodded: "We've noticed it. We're preparing to contact a factory that specializes in metal painting to get better paint and adjust the painting temperature and time. That should solve the paint peeling problem. As for production capacity, once the workers are more skilled, we can add two more assembly stations, and reaching a daily production capacity of one hundred units shouldn't be a problem."
Lin Zhou nodded in satisfaction. This somewhat clumsy first-generation air fryer represented his first step into the home appliance industry and was also key to accumulating capital and achieving greater goals.
The fries on the testing table had turned golden and crispy, their aroma filling the entire factory, and the workers' faces beamed with anticipation. Watching this scene, Lin Zhou's unease gradually dissipated. This air fryer, though not perfect, was full of endless possibilities.
He turned and walked out of the factory, gazing towards the distant city of Hong Kong. There lay bustling commercial streets, towering office buildings, and countless consumer demands waiting to be met. He knew that this small air fryer was about to create a small storm in the city, and his legend was just beginning.