Chapter 462: Chapter 462: Produced
The opening and cleaning process is especially critical for spinning Willow Catkin.
In the traditional cotton spinning process, cotton fibers are of a moderate length, possess strong cohesion, and are relatively easy to card.
However, the fibrous structure of Willow Catkin is significantly different from that of cotton.
The fibers of Willow Catkin are extremely short, averaging only a few millimeters to about a centimeter, far shorter than the average length of cotton fibers.
Furthermore, the surface of Willow Catkin fibers is smooth and has poor cohesion, which makes them extremely prone to breaking during the conventional carding process, making it difficult to form a continuous fiber sliver.
However, on this special production line at Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory, the situation was completely different. This was because Persimmon Frost powder was ingeniously incorporated during the opening and cleaning stage, and a special process provided by Li Xu was used.
The fine particles of Persimmon Frost adhered evenly to the surface of the Willow Catkin fibers, not only increasing the friction between them but also enhancing their cohesion.
More importantly, it "wrapped" and "stabilized" the fragile structure of the Willow Catkin fibers to a certain extent. This meant that while there was still some loss under the action of the carding machine’s steel teeth, most of the fibers remained intact, reducing breakage.
The carded fibers formed a thin "fiber web," which was then coiled into a "sliver."
In the "drawing" stage, multiple fiber webs were combined and subjected to a drafting process, which made the fibers more parallel and uniform.
This further improved the quality of the sliver, providing better raw material for the subsequent roving and fine yarn stages.
The final stages were "roving" and "spinning."
The sliver was fed into a roving frame, where it was drafted and twisted to form roving with a certain degree of strength.
The roving then went into a spinning frame for further drafting and twisting, ultimately forming a fine yarn that could be used for weaving.
Throughout the entire process, thanks to the clever use of Persimmon Frost and the support of the special technique, the breakage rate of the Willow Catkin fibers was kept within an acceptable range.
The Willow Catkin, once thought impossible to spin, had miraculously been transformed into yarn with a degree of resilience.
Watching the white gauze emerge continuously from the production line, both Ding Kaifang and Zeng Nuo let out a long sigh of relief.
Although this gauze wasn’t as tough as cotton or linen, it was soft to the touch, highly absorbent, and had a faint, clean scent of medicinal herbs.
They completely met the production standards for hemostatic cloth and hemostatic cotton balls.
Before it was successfully produced, they had trusted Li Xu. But spinning Willow Catkin was, after all, simply too incredible to believe. They hadn’t been completely confident. Now that they saw the actual product, they could finally relax.
In addition to the hemostatic cloth, the workshop was also producing adhesive bandages.
There were primarily two types of adhesive bandages on the market. One type contained medicinal ingredients, usually with a gauze pad soaked in medication that had hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, analgesic, and wound-healing properties, such as Yunnan Baiyao or furacilin bandages.
The other type contained no medication. It was mainly composed of an adhesive backing, an absorbent pad, and a non-stick layer. It worked by applying pressure to stop bleeding, absorbing exudate, and keeping the wound dry to protect it and provide temporary hemostasis. The wound needed to be disinfected before use.
The adhesive bandages produced by Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory were of the second, non-medicated type.
Its structure was simpler, consisting of just a thin layer of Willow Catkin gauze and a non-stick layer, making it inexpensive to produce.
However, because the Willow Catkin gauze itself possessed properties to reduce inflammation, detoxify, stop bleeding, and reduce swelling, and this was combined with the swelling-reducing and pain-relieving characteristics of Persimmon Frost, this bandage could offer unique therapeutic effects even without additional medicinal ingredients.
Ding Kaifang picked up an adhesive bandage that had just come off the line and examined it closely, an irrepressible smile on his face.
He dialed Li Xu’s number and said happily, "Doctor Li, you have to come down to the workshop and see this! We’ve successfully produced the hemostatic cloth and adhesive bandages. Willow Catkin can really be spun into yarn!"
After receiving the call, Li Xu quickly rushed to the pharmaceutical factory.
He picked up the newly produced hemostatic cloth and adhesive bandages, felt the material with his hands, and carefully observed the gauze’s density and resilience.
"Not bad. Even better than I imagined."
Li Xu nodded in satisfaction. "The absorbency is excellent, and it’s soft to the touch. It’s perfectly suited for use as a hemostatic dressing."
The two began discussing a sales strategy.
"We should primarily market the hemostatic cloth to hospitals, while the adhesive bandages can be sold retail in pharmacies."
Ding Kaifang analyzed, "The market demand for adhesive bandages is huge, and since our costs are low, our pricing can be very competitive."
Li Xu mused, "The market for hemostatic cloth is mainly concentrated in hospitals. The technology isn’t complex, so hospital procurement often depends more on channels and connections. Although our hemostatic cloth has excellent effects, breaking into the hospital market will probably take some effort. However, I can persuade the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to test and purchase them. As for other hospitals, it’s hard to say."
"As long as it’s effective, it will eventually gain market recognition."
Ding Kaifang was full of confidence. "In the initial phase, let’s focus our efforts on winning over these two hospitals. Once we have a success story, expanding to other hospitals will be much easier."
"Let’s do that then. I’ll contact the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine tomorrow and have them test our hemostatic cloth to verify its effectiveness," Li Xu said.
"I’ll try it first."
As he spoke, Ding Kaifang picked up an adhesive bandage, then deliberately made a light scratch on his finger with the tip of a pen. A tiny bead of blood immediately seeped out.
He tore open the bandage’s packaging and skillfully applied it to the wound.
An instant cooling sensation spread through the area, and the pain in his fingertip quickly subsided.
Ding Kaifang looked at his finger in surprise. The bleeding had already stopped, and the adhesive bandage was stuck firmly to his skin.
"It really works! This bandage stops bleeding incredibly fast. And it has a refreshing, medicinal scent. It doesn’t feel stuffy at all after putting it on."
Ding Kaifang couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "I’m sure the hemostatic cloth will be just as effective."
Just then, Ding Kaifang’s cell phone rang.
He picked it up and saw it was a call from the mayor’s secretary, so he quickly answered.
"President Ding, hello. This is Mayor Lin’s secretary. Mayor Lin will be visiting Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory tomorrow afternoon to inspect it. This visit is partly to thank you for solving the city’s Willow Catkin problem and partly to show his encouragement and support for your innovative spirit."
the secretary said politely on the other end of the line.
Hearing this, Ding Kaifang was overjoyed. He said repeatedly, "Wonderful, wonderful! We warmly welcome Mayor Lin’s visit and guidance. We will be fully prepared."
After hanging up, Ding Kaifang turned to Li Xu excitedly. "Doctor Li, great news! Mayor Lin is coming to inspect our factory tomorrow afternoon. You should come too. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to introduce our new products and new process to the mayor."
Li Xu nodded and agreed with a smile, "No problem. I’ll definitely be there tomorrow."
