25x01 - Grammy Awards, Bike Lights, Above-Ground Pools, Foldable Solar Panels

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
today, on "how it's made"...

In the music industry,

Winning a grammy
is the ultimate accolade.

The national academy
of recording arts and sciences

Has been awarding grammys
for recording since 1958.

Every year, the winners

Are honored
with a golden gramophone trophy.

The grammys are
to the music industry

What the oscars are to movies.

The coveted trophy
is made of gold-plated grammium.

But don't look for that metal
on the periodic table.

It's a proprietary zinc alloy
specially formulated

And trademarked by the artisan
who makes the grammys.

To make the base of the trophy,

They heat the grammium
to 644 degrees

And pour it into a bronze mold.

They immediately pour out
the excess molten metal.

What remains quickly solidifies
in a thin layer

Against the walls of the cavity,

Creating a hollow cast.

They also cast
the gramophone's cabinet

And tone arm in grammium.

They remove mold seams,
excess metal,

And smooth out the surface
of each cast component

With a belt sander.

Then, they file by hand
the areas the belt can't reach.

Finally, they polish the metal

With an abrasive compound
on a buffing wheel.

They make sure there are
no surface imperfections.

Now, they work
on the gramophone's iconic horn.

Using a metal shear,

They cut a disc
of malleable bronze.

They mount the disc on a lathe.

As the lathe spins,
they use a series of tools

To transform the flat disc
into a horn.

Then, they spin the horn
on a different lathe,

Pressing an abrasive cloth
against the surface

To remove any tool marks.

Before they connect the tone arm
to the cabinet,

They brush on some flux,

A chemical that makes
the stationary solder flow

Into the tiny gap
between components.

Now, they bolt the tone arm
to the cabinet, then solder.

They submerge this part
of the trophy

In a degreasing solution
for a few minutes,

Then in water.

Gold doesn't adhere to zinc,
so they plate it with copper.

They run a positive electric
charge through the trophy

And a negative charge
through a piece of copper

Also suspended
in the plating tank.

This process
dissolves the copper,

Then draws the particles
through the water

And onto the trophy.

They repeat the electroplating
process in a different tank,

This time with nickel.

Nickel creates
a sufficiently hard base

To support the gold plating.

It also makes gold
appear brighter.

After another rinse,
it's back into a tank

For the final plating
with 24-karat gold.

To prepare the trophy's base
for painting,

They smooth the surface
with a belt sander,

Then fine-sand by hand.

They spray on an epoxy primer,

Let it dry for a day then
wet sand it with fine sandpaper.

They repeat these steps
with a black primer,

Then paint the base
with high-gloss,

Chip-resistant black paint.

Once it dries, they can finish
assembling the trophy.

They bolt the polished
gold-plated cabinet and tone arm

To the painted base.

Then, they take the horn,

Which has been gold-plated
and polished,

And screw it into the tone arm.

After 15 hours of craftsmanship,

This grammy
is ready to be awarded.

But this trophy won't be handed
out during the award show.

The grammys handed out on stage

Are actually props
that are used year after year.

The winners
receive a personalized trophy

A few weeks after the show.

The base has a brass plate

Engraved with their name
and musical category.

Narrator:
the first bicycle lights

Were modified kerosene lamps
fixed to the handlebars.

The concept
was truly trailblazing

And made it possible
to cycle at night.

A century later,
the technology has changed,

But the concept
remains the same.

Bicycle lights
are still showing us the way.

These bicycle lights

Are battery-powered with
energy-efficient l.e.d. Lights.

Mounted to handlebars
or a helmet,

They make it possible

For a cyclist
to see and be seen at night.

A bicycle light starts
with a design for the canister.

In this case, it's for
a handlebar-mounted trail light.

Following that plan,

Computerized tools
carve blocks of aluminum

Into a two-part mold
for the bicycle light reflector.

They secure the mold
in an injection molding machine.

Then,
they load white acrylic pellets

Into the machine's hopper.

The machine grinds

And melts the acrylic pellets
into a thick liquid.

Then, it pushes the liquid
into the crevices of the mold.

The acrylic quickly solidifies
into the shape of a reflector.

An aluminum finish makes the
acrylic shiny and reflective.

Then, it's over to a different
injection-molding machine.

This one uses molten rubber
to form four on/off buttons.

A worker sets an l.e.d.-Studded
circuit board on a switch

Cradled in a fixture.

She trims wires

From the switch that protrudes
through the board.

She solders those wires
to copper pads on the board,

Securing the switch and making
an electrical connection.

She removes the assembly
from the fixture

And threads the battery cord
through the board.

She attaches the board
to a vented heat sink,

Which will draw heat
away from the lights,

Allowing them to run
more efficiently.

She installs the reflector
over the tiny l.e.d. Lights.

The reflector
will focus the light forward,

Creating narrow beams.

Another member of the team

Places a tray of reflector
covers in a laser etcher.

He closes the lid
and activates the laser.

It etches through tape that's
been applied to the metal.

The tape has a blackening agent
on it.

The laser transfers
that blackening agent

To the etched number,

Making it stand out.

The number indicates
the lumen power of the light.

Lumen is a measure of the total
amount of visible light

Emitted by a source.

Back on the assembly line,

A worker snaps the cover
onto the bike light.

Then, she attaches an open guard
to the heat sink

To protect the cyclist

From the heat generated
by the l.e.d.s.

This bicycle light
is ready to be put to the test.

A technician turns it on

And inserts it in a device
called a lumen sphere.

A computer analyzes the light

And finds
that it meets standards.

Next, an employee builds
a smaller bike light

For a cyclist helmet.

She inserts the l.e.d. Assembly
in a canister,

Then attaches the on/off button.

She attaches the light
to a circuit board

With three l.e.d.s.

She tucks the circuit board
into the housing

And inserts
a rechargeable lithium battery.

She puts the assembly aside

And attaches
a red reflective panel

To an aluminized reflector.

She snaps the assembly
into a clear plastic case,

Completing the rear light lens.

She returns
for the front helmet light

And installs the reflector
over the light.

She screws on a glass cover
that's framed by a metal bezel.

She joins the rear lens

And the l.e.d. Assembly,
encasing the electronics

Of this bike light.

She switches on both lights
to confirm

That they're fully operational.

These bicycle lights are ready
to illuminate a rider's path,

Whether it's
a shadowy mountain trail

Or a dark city street.

Narrator:
installing a pool above ground

Costs much less
than installing one in ground.

This is because there's
no excavation required.

You can build an elevated deck
around the top

To give it
an in-ground appearance,

Or you can simply climb
up a ladder and jump right in.

No hole to dig,
no underground pipes to install.

Just a day or so
of on-site prep and assembly,

And you can take
to your above-ground pool

Like a duck to water.

At the factory,
a computer-guided machine

Cuts vinyl panels for the pool's
water-retaining inside surface.

The vinyl comes in a wide choice
of printed designs.

It's tear-resistant,
u.v.-Resistant,

And is treated
with an antifungal coating.

The wall panel is rectangular,

And the floor panels are curved
to fit the pool's perimeter.

The wall panels go through
a welder that fuses a bead

To the top edge.

A bead is a flexible,
"u'-shaped, thermoplastic strip

That is used to attach
the pool wall to the liner.

A hot welding tool
slightly melts both the bead

And the liner edge,
so when they cool and solidify,

They're bonded.

The liner is ready
to be assembled.

Workers use
a manual welding machine

That generates heat
with radio frequencies.

They overlap the edges
of adjoining panels,

Then fuse them together.

After connecting
the floor panels to each other,

Workers complete the liner by
joining the wall to the floor.

A quality-control inspector
checks every soldered seam

To make sure they're solid.

Meanwhile, workers manufacture

The pool's
structural components.

They feed a continuous strip
of painted, galvanized steel

Through a roll former.

The strip is shaped
to a specific profile.

A punch press
cuts the components

To the required length
and shape.

Four different structural
components are made this way --

The pieces that form the top
and bottom tracks of the pool,

The vertical posts
that support the pool wall,

And the ledges running
along the top of the wall.

The wall is also made
of painted galvanized steel.

A roller impresses a corrugated
pattern to give the wall

More vertical strength.

Then, a press
punches out openings

For the pool's water inlet
and filter.

After folding each end
of the wall over itself

To form a strong edge,

They punch holes for the bolts
that will join the edges.

A stamping die
progressively shapes strips

Of galvanized steel
into connectors.

The connectors
join the vertical posts

To the structure's bottom track
and top rail.

An injection molder

Makes the plastic covers
that will hide those connectors.

Workers then box the liner

And structural components
for transport

To the installation site.

On-site, they lay crushed stone
around the perimeter

To support the bottom track
under the weight of the water.

Next, they unroll the pool wall

And place it
in the bottom track.

They place a vertical post
over each bottom connector

And secure it with screws.

Inside the pool wall,

They lay down a base of sand
and compact it.

Then, they
lay down landscaping fabric.

They cut a hole
for a central bottom drain.

Then, they begin spreading
out the liner.

They hook the bead
over the top edge of the wall,

Then lock it in place
with the top rail.

Once the liner
is fully attached,

They suction out the air to draw
it tight against the wall.

They seal the liner
to the bottom drain.

They hide the top rail
under the ledge

And the connections
under plastic caps.

They run pipes to connect the
filtration system and skimmer.

Then, with an ordinary
garden hose,

They fill the pool with water.

Narrator: foldable solar panels
were invented in the 1990s

For american soldiers
in the field.

They use them
to recharge electronic devices.

The panels have environmental
and tactical advantages,

Conserving both electricity
and physical energy.

Today, foldable solar panels
are not just for the military.

These lightweight panels
can be folded up

And tucked into a backpack,

Allowing anyone
to escape to the wilderness

But stay plugged in.

Production starts with a roll
of thin plastic film.

It's the same material
used to make flat-screen tvs.

A worker loads it into machines
that distribute thin layers

Of aluminum and silicon onto it.

The aluminum acts
as an electrical contact.

The silicon produces electricity
when exposed to the sun's rays.

Next, lasers carve vertical and
horizontal lines into the film.

These lines
define the solar cells.

An automated squeegee applies
black ink through a screen

And into the lines.

The ink will act
as an electrical insulator.

It also makes it possible

To cut through the film
without damaging it.

Uv light cures
the insulator ink.

An employee pours a generous
amount of metallic silver ink

Onto a pattern.

A squeegee forces the ink
through to the solar film.

This creates a conductive grid
on the film.

A camera magnifies the grid
for inspection.

The solar film travels
through a chamber

Where heat cures the silver ink.

A laser now
connects the solar cells,

Linking the bottom aluminum
layer of one cell

To the top silicon layer
of the next.

The laser ties them together

Similar to
how a soldering tool would.

This establishes
electrical connections

And increases the voltage
significantly.

A different camera
magnifies the connections

To check the alignment.

Now, a worker loads
the solar film into a machine.

It deposits a transparent oxide
onto the film

That will increase conductivity.

These solar cells
are now fully functional.

The next machine tests each one.

It also applies a conductive
foil tape at certain points.

Another machine
rolls a clear sheet of plastic

Onto the solar cells.

The plastic adheres
to the cells,

Waterproofing
and encapsulating them.

A die press cuts
out solar panels

Along the black insulator lines.

The press uses computerized
cameras for accurate cuts.

A robot transfers each panel
to the next station

Using suctioning heads.

A computerized camera

Scrutinizes the panels
for defects.

After more testing,

They deposit the panels
on a piece of fabric.

A laser cuts the fabric
around the panels.

Heated rollers bond the plastic
panels to the fabric.

Now, an employee
burns through clear plastic film

To reach the conductive foil.

He solders wire to the foil

At these points to connect
the positive and negative leads.

The wire is flexible
and will bend with the fabric

When it's folded.

A seamstress now
stitches strips of fabric

Over the wires, enclosing them
in a protective pocket.

Another member of the team
solders a connector

To a circuit board that's been
attached to protruding wires.

He squeezes silicone
into a plastic cover

And places it on the assembly.

The silicone solidifies
around the components to protect

Them from water damage.

Finally, he rivets the cover
to the fabric.

This foldable solar charger
is ready to be bundled up

And placed in a backpack.

It can power a laptop
or a smartphone,

Keeping the user
connected anywhere in the world.

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