01x11 - Plastic Bags/Solar Panels/Plastic Gasoline Containers/Hockey Sticks

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Today,

on "how it's made"

plastic bags --

it's trash and carry.

Solar panels -- reflecting

on energy efficiency.

Plastic gas

containers -- fuel to go.

And hockey sticks --

mind if we take a

shot at this one?

You can use them for groceries,

for shopping, for

taking out the trash.

Chances are there's

a growing pile of them

somewhere in your kitchen.

With so many everyday uses,

it's easy to see how people

can get "carried away"

with plastic bags.

The plastic bags

we use every day

are made from granules

of linear polyethylene resin

that will be melted.

They combine the

linear polyethylene

with another low-density

one in this mixer.

The granules are

perfectly blended

into a h*m* material.

Granules melt in the extruder,

which heats them

to a temperature

varying between

356 and 465 degrees.

This produces a

film of polyethylene

in the form of a tube.

It is several hundred feet long,

has a minimum thickness

of .0002 of an inch

and a circumference

of 20 inches.

The plastic tube

gradually cools down.

Rollers then flatten

out the plastic tube.

The polyethylene film

is now easy to work.

And now they cut

the tube on two sides

to obtain different rolls.

This knife then cuts the

film to the required width.

The excess strip is

salvaged in this tube.

Several hundred of feet of

film are produced and rolled up.

This particular roll contains

the required quantity of film.

When the roll is

full, the film is cut.

This roll moves forward

and can be transported

to another department.

An empty roll begins

to fill up automatically.

A full roll weighs 348 pounds

and can produce 35,000 bags.

The next step --

printing on the bags.

This alcohol-based ink

circulates continuously

to retain its viscosity.

Impressions are

made by inking rollers.

Here another color is

being applied on the bags.

Once printing is over, the

plastic film is rolled up again.

The roll is now full, and the

cutting of bags can get started.

This machine makes

150 bags per minute.

A sealer bonds the edges

of the bag together with heat.

The wheel picks up the bag

and puts them on 2 spindles

that can hold 250 each.

Here, they're making

bags with a hermetic zipper.

The zipper is made

from a plastic pad

which inserts into a slot.

The zipper is made in advance

and is unrolled progressively.

The zipper strip is cut

and heat-bonded to

the bag at 356 degrees.

And here's the

zippered bag, all finished.

In this other

department of the plant,

they make plastic

bags with handles.

Printed bags circulate

on these rollers.

The machine that welds the sides

gives the bags

the desired shape.

Then another machine, with a

punch, cuts the handle holes.

Bags are heat-sealed

and cut at 302 degrees.

Here, they fabricate another

product -- packaging bags.

One end of the

bag is heat-sealed.

This machine makes holes

that let air out of the

bag when it is being filled,

to allow them to be

generously filled with items.

At this stage, a stamper

cuts the handle holes.

Bags are cut to

the required size,

automatically sealing

the other side of it.

This plant makes

eight types of bags,

for an overall total of

over one million a day.

Narrator: Not so long ago,

solar energy was a concept

that seemed to be

torn from the pages

of a science-fiction novel.

But the time has come for

this non-polluting energy source

to step into the limelight --

or should we say the sunlight?

The future of solar

panels is bright.

The sun is able to

produce electricity.

Panels covered

with photovoltaic cells

convert sunlight

into electricity.

This blue plate is a module

made of crystalline silicon.

The grooves are the conductors,

and the silicon crystals

glisten at its surface.

To make a solar panel,

several modules have

to be connected together.

Then they apply a soldering

flux on each module.

The soldering wire

is heated with an iron.

The modules are placed

on a special support.

Once the soldering is done,

the modules are

cleaned by ultrasound,

in water, at 140 degrees.

When dried, the

perfectly clean modules

are ready to be assembled.

Now they can proceed with

soldering the modules by groups.

First, a flux is applied

which improves the

quality of the soldering.

With great dexterity,

they assemble four groups

composed of nine modules each.

In this way,

36 modules are soldered

and connected in series.

Modules are

assembled end to end.

They have to be

handled with great care.

Using a voltmeter, the voltage

of each module is verified.

At this stage, it's easy to

remake a solder connection

if there's a problem.

If the voltage is adequate,

they use suction grips

to make handling of the

nine rows of modules easier

and to keep them clean.

The modules are

placed into position.

Then this metallic

strip is inserted.

It is a conductor that will link

the four groups of nine modules.

Solder connections are made

to link the modules

to the metallic strip.

Then they put on

this transparent sheet

of layered glass.

It serves as a rigid

transparent form

which will support the modules.

The superposing of

parts forms a laminate,

that increases the rigidity

and solidity of the panel.

Finally, a sealing film is

applied to protect the module.

To laminate and

stiffen the solar panel,

it's placed in a heated oven

from which air has

been vacuumed out.

The panel will cook at

176 degrees for 15 minutes.

The oven hermetically reseals

to proceed with the

vacuuming out of air.

And here's the finished panel.

All the components

are bonded together.

They now proceed with a test.

The panel is placed

in a solar simulator.

Negative and positive

contacts of the solar panel

are connected to a voltmeter.

The panel is inserted

into the simulator,

and a powerful

lamp will illuminate it.

The voltmeter is

read to make sure

that panels supply the

electric current required.

Here now is the assembly

of another kind of solar panel

called the amorphous

silicon type.

Its components were

made in Europe and Asia.

These are the positive and

negative connecting wires

of the solar panel.

The panel is placed

into a plastic frame

and glued in place.

Then the frame is screwed

tight so that it won't move.

The solar panel, made up

of crystalline silicon modules,

is put onto an

A.B.S. Plastic frame.

It is now finished.

Fabricating this panel will have

required about one hour of work.

Six of them are

made here every day.

Narrator: Your needle's

dipping past empty,

but you're gambling you'll

have enough gas in the tank

to make it just

a little further.

Well, when you're on that long

walk to the nearest gas station,

you'll be glad someone

had the bright idea

of manufacturing these

handy plastic gas containers.

Plastic gas containers are

made from these granules

composed of a

concentrated colorant

and a U.V.-resistant additive.

They're mixed

with white granules,

which is the primary material,

called high-density

polyethylene,

and recycled plastic, which has

been ground up on a granulator.

It's all dumped into

this milling machine.

These granules are all

mixed together and melted.

The melted plastic

will be blown in

and will take shape

within this mold,

made of very high-quality dense

aluminum, called aviation type.

Blow-molding continues and

produces a soft plastic tube.

This is cut and

placed in the mold.

Then this nozzle pumps

the plastic into the mold shell.

The container is unmolded

and moves along on a conveyor.

There's another way to

mold plastic -- by rotation.

This previously colored

powder has a 35 mesh size,

which is just a little

larger than flour.

Low-density linear polyethylene

is poured into the

bottom of the mold.

The mold has a cover

that will be closed,

then placed on a steel support.

This support is

articulated by an arm

on two rotation

axes simultaneously.

This action allows

the plastic powder

to distribute itself thoroughly

throughout the mold.

The mold is placed in an oven

which generates a

temperature of 590 degrees.

About 15 minutes is needed for

the polyethylene powder to melt

and another 15 minutes to

allow the piece to adequately cool

before unmolding it.

The mold cover is lifted off,

and the plastic

piece is unmolded.

Gloves must be worn,

since the piece and the

mold are still very hot.

Here they fabricate a mechanism

cover for a stationary bicycle.

It's held in place

by a cutting pattern,

and openings are cut

with a pneumatic tool.

Holes are made with a drill.

The casing is now completed.

Now we get back to the

previous blow-molding process.

This type of molding

produces residues

that have to be eliminated.

These surplus pieces

are cut with this small saw.

The now-hardened scraps

are sent to the granulator

to be reduced into granules,

which will be newly

added into the mixer

to make other

plastic containers.

This small pneumatic drill

pierces the

container's vent hole.

The container circulates

from one step to another

on the conveyor.

The next steps will be

accomplished by robotic arms.

And then the final

elements are attached,

such as the pouring spout.

Then a sealing stopper,

equipped with a rubber washer,

prevents leaks.

And finally, the cap of the neck

is automatically

screwed into place.

Depending on the

thickness of the mold,

the blowing procedure

allows the production

of between 30 and

120 containers an hour.

The rotation process takes

between 45 and 60 minutes

to make a unit.

Finished containers

are now ready

for packing and delivery.

Narrator: Few things are as

elegant as curved, polished wood

Especially at 100 miles an hour

and driving a slap shot

right past the goalie.

A lot of engineering goes

into packing that punch.

Call it the science behind

"he shoots, he scores."

The Irish, some 1,200 years

ago, were playing hurling,

a form of hockey on grass

with simple goal zones.

In the 17th century, American

Indians used curved sticks

in a game they

called "battagaway."

The sport we play today was

developed by British soldiers

in 1855 in Ontario, Canada,

as a pastime during

long northern winters.

Making a hockey stick

requires the assembly

of several pieces of

wood and fiberglass.

These sticks are all replicas

of those of great

hockey professionals.

The shaft is made

of a piece of poplar

onto which they glue

two thin strips of birch.

This is placed on

a circular conveyor

equipped with a press that

holds the pieces together

while the glue dries.

Then this multibladed saw

cuts the wood into three

identical stick-shaft pieces.

The shafts are moved

to a precision sander.

The shaft has to be

reinforced with fiberglass.

With a roller, they apply a coat

of epoxy resin, a kind of glue,

onto which they place

carbon-reinforced fiberglass.

The resin has to dry and harden.

The stick shaft is placed

in an individual mold

and cooked in this press, heated

to 176 degrees for 12 minutes.

The shaft then goes

to a milling machine

equipped with diamond-headed

knives that round the edges.

A finish is applied to the

shaft for a second sanding,

which brings out

the grain of the wood.

Now they glue small

blocks to the end of the shaft

in order to attach the blade.

Urethane glue is used.

It resists water and humidity

and is specially

made for hockey sticks.

This glue dries in 15

minutes at 100 degrees.

This slitter cuts the

shaft and wood blocks

in order to slide in the blade.

This machine inserts

the glue and the blade

into the stick shaft.

The stick is placed

on a conveyor

leading it to the next step

and giving the glue

a chance to dry well.

Then both sides of the

blade are sanded to thin them.

The sticks are replicas of those

used by hockey professionals.

This computer-controlled

digital lathe cuts the blade.

Data on all the cuts are

in the computer's memory.

The blade now has to be curved.

It's steamed for a minute,

allowing humidity to penetrate

the wood and make it flexible.

Then the blade is

placed in this curved mold,

where it is heated for 50

seconds at 131 degrees.

The blade is then

worked by hand.

The new blade is

compared with the pattern

of a hockey player's stick

to obtain precisely

the same curvature.

This is why the company

keeps 6,000 blades on hand.

Now the blade is sanded

down to the desired thickness.

The blade must

also be reinforced.

Fiberglass cloth is

soaked with epoxy resin.

Then they place

the cloth on the blade

and leave a good

margin around it.

They get rid of air bubbles,

then put it into an oven to dry

at 90 degrees over 24 hours.

The surplus fiberglass hardens

and is cut with a band saw.

This step requires quite a

degree of manual dexterity.

Finishing is done with

this circular sander.

Finally, the blade is

dipped into this epoxy resin

to give it a nice luster.

All that remains

is to paint the stick.

Here, the company logos

are applied via silk-screening.

Besides the 6,000

personal models

of professional hockey players,

this company produces 65

other models of hockey sticks.

Each week, they make

about 40,000 sticks,

for an annual

total of 1,600,000.

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