A plain face, a gaunt figure and candid smile seem to be all the elements of his initial impression he leaves on a stranger. As long as 10 years or so, he has stuck to his technically demanding, labor-intensive post of duty usually exposed to tricky working environments, just as a small screw stays put in a running machine, devoting his youth and passion amid sparking electrical welding arcs. Who is he? None other than Li Si, a province-level chief welding technician in an enterprise in Jiangsu, a senior technician with outstanding contributions in Xuzhou, and a model worker in XCMG.
A Welder of Versatile Skills
Li Si, a 19 year old youth then, joined Xugong Hydraulic Parts Co., Ltd under XCMG in 2004, becoming a vocational graduate-turned worker, and from the very beginning, set his mind upon practicing welding techniques of all kinds to be a master of all trades. His perfection-seeking flair and staid personality enabled him to quickly settle down to welding skills amid his busy routines. Finally, he was rewarded by his hard self-study: he mastered various welding skills: MEA welding, MAG/MIG welding, ATA welding, TIG welding and automatic welding, becoming a true welding craftsmen of great versatility.
Due to strict technical requirements, telescopic cylinder welding is a hard skill, especially for a 1200 ton-class one, in that 4 welding points on each surface of interlaced piping systems built in core components must be properly treated. In addition, compact layout, narrow working room and 4-core pipes render invisible directly to an operator parts of the welding pool, leading to a badly-needed combination of vertical and overhead welding methods, and higher overall difficulty in operation and welding.
23 Exquisite Welding Lines in the Wake of 6-hour-long Endurance
Undaunted by difficulties and challenges, Li Si put on his mask and ignited his welding pistol. To have the best welding effects, he had to take on uncomfortable unique postures—squatting… keeping his body motionless for as long as 6 hours throughout the whole working procedure. Needless to say the commonplace experience in any welding operation: heavy sweat from high temperature settings, skin burns from astray welding sparks, faint smells of burnt outfits and so on. Once, twice…, he tried on and on...till a satisfactory result. All these pains are the price for a gain: perfect welding joints.
Drawing on detailed data learnt the hard way over years, his extensive experience in preventing against welding defects and his familiarity with dynamic patterns of welding pools, he combined different methods of shortening electric arcs, timely changed welding currents, expertly applied the spot welding, and finally completed his mission: 23 exquisite welding lines on the main body! With the finishing touch done, he was greeted with a thumbs-up sign from his nearby coworker in astonishment, and responded to his admire with his habitual action: cracking a coyly smile.
No one was born an expert. But you can be one through self-improvement by learning hard, picking others’ brains, and doing hands-on practices. In his view, to find problems, and then, find out solutions through hard thinking is a good way to self-development and self-improvement.
Since the establishment of the welding skill training station in 2015, besides his own works, Li Si also takes on the important task of training skilled workers, imparting his professional knowledge to more than 100 newbies over the past few years and helping them sharpen their welding skills significantly. Among his disciples, 15 have been promoted as senior workers, 9 technicians, and 4 senior technicians. Having been indifferent to fame and honor, he always says to praises: it is simply all I should do!
One of the biggest features you can find in Li Si is his persistence in seeking for manufacturing perfection: he makes each of his items as a piece of artworks. When it comes to product quality, his mantra is “nothing is perfect”. In his mind’s eye, there is still much to be desired with every piece of products, and no make-do can do. One of the most repeated comments on him from his fellow workers is "I haven't seen him tired." And thus, he is widely known as the Iron Man in the welding team, being obsessed with fixing everything. In his view, to find problems, and then, find out solutions through hard thinking is a good way to self-development and self-improvement.
