21x09 - Indy Car Seats, Paper Flowers, Stand-by Generators

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Indycars
are open-c*ck race cars

that compete in
the annual Indianapolis 500 race

in the U.S.

The cars
are entirely custom-built.

Even the driver's seat
is specially contoured

to the driver's body shape

and position in which
he or she sits

most comfortably in the car.

The custom-made driver's seat
in an indycar

is made of fire-resistant fabric
over impact-absorbing foam.

It has openings
at the shoulder, lap, and legs

for the safety harness.

To make the seat, they first
have to produce a template,

which is, in itself,
a two-day process.

Technicians prepare,

then pour an adhesive into
a bag full of foam beads.

The adhesive contains
resin and a hardener.

Once the adhesive seeps in,

they squeeze out the air
and tie the bag closed.

They knead the bag
to spread the adhesive

over all the foam beads inside.

Next, laying the bag flat,

they spread
the adhesive-saturated beads

in an even layer.

Then they install a valve...

Attach it to a vacuum pump,

and suction out
most of the remaining air.

They shape a cavity in the
middle to fit the driver's body.

Once they vacuumed out enough
air to make the bag tight enough

to hold the shape
of this cavity...

...they place it
in the race car's c*ck,

pressing the foam beads
as snugly as possible

into all the nooks and crannies.

This ensures
the car seat will fit properly

and not shift under the driver.

The driver now
has to sit in the car

so they can
custom-contour the template

to his body
in the driving position.

Once he's settled comfortably
with hips and shoulders square

and wearing his helmet,

they begin taking measurements,

starting with the height of his
head, critical for aerodynamics,

and of his sight line over
the hood, critical for safety.

Both measurements must conform

with the racing association's
strict regulations.

They also measure the distance

between his chest
and the steering wheel

and ensure
there's adequate leg clearance

to enter and exit the c*ck.

The driver sits down,
gets out, gets back in

several times

as the technicians measure
and make adjustments.

The entire process
takes about 40 minutes.

When it's all done, they run the
vacuum for another four hours

and let the foam cure overnight.

The next morning,

they use a hot knife
to melt a line through the foam

and dislodge the template
from the c*ck.

The driver returns for a final
two- to three-hour sitting,

during which the techs trim
the foam as closely as possible

to his body contour.

The shape now finalized,
they cover the entire surface

with cloth adhesive tape
and a matte finish.

This creates
a non-reflective background

suitable for laser scanning.

Onto this dull surface,

they adhere
positioning targets --

reflective dots
spaced four inches apart

that create a grid pattern
over the entire template.

The 3-d laser scanner
reads these reflective dots...

...that a computer translates
into a 3-d image.

Specialized software
then converts this image

into a technical drawing,

which guides an automated router

to cut the seat parts
out of polypropylene foam.

This precision-cutting process
takes four to six hours.

The router cuts out
six to eight sections,

which technicians
then carefully glue together

into the full seat.

They cover the finished seat
in fire-retardant material,

first applying the fabric
with spray adhesive,

then trimming it
to the shape of the seat.

This foam is quite elastic,

so it absorbs impact
and protects the driver.

At the same time, it has memory,

so after a blow, it regains
its driver-customized shape.

Narrator: People have always
been enchanted

by the beauty of flowers.

It's not surprising
that these jewels of nature,

often in artificial form,

are used in decorative objects
and arts and crafts projects.

Paper flowers last forever,

and you don't have to
remember to water them.

These flowers
are made of saa paper.

The saa tree
is a variety of mulberry

that grows abundantly
across southeast Asia.

For more than 700 years,
villagers in northern Thailand

have been using saa bark
to make paper.

The paper is used
for crafting items

such as umbrellas,
fans, and flowers.

They soak the dried bark
in water overnight

to begin softening it up,

boil it over a wood fire
for four hours,

then soak it again overnight.

All of this softens the bark
into fibrous pulp.

Next,
they soak the pulp overnight

in hydrogen peroxide
to whiten it,

then they rinse off the bleach,

which would interfere with
the dying process later on.

Workers discard
any discolored pieces.

The goal is to make each
sheet of paper evenly white

so that it absorbs colored dye
uniformly.

Now they load the pulp
into a mill,

which grinds it up
and mixes it with water.

This process,
which takes about half an hour,

transforms the pieces into soft,
Fluffy, and very soggy fibers.

What was once tree bark

is now ready
to be processed into paper.

Every single sheet

is handcrafted
on fine mesh screens.

They submerge a screen in water,

then drop in roughly


They manually stir the water
to spread the fibers

in a thin layer
across the screen.

They slowly lift the screen
out of the water

and press the surface by hand
to smooth it out.

The screen then stands in the
sun for three to four hours,

flipped a few times

until the fiber's dry
into a solid sheet of paper.

To color the paper,

they fill a basin with hot water
and add a chemical dye.

They test the color,

and if it's just right,
they submerge the sheet.

The sheet absorbs the dye
instantly

in a consistent shade thanks to
the uniformly white base color.

They hang the sheet outside
to dry in the sun.

In three to four hours,
the paper is ready to bloom.

They cut out flower shapes
with a hand-operated press

that stamps a sharp metal dye
through the sheet of paper.

Each shape will be a layer
of petals in a flower.

There are dyes
in various shapes and sizes.

However, the petals they produce
are flat --

not very lifelike --

so workers place one petal at
a time on a flower-shaped mold

and stamp it with a hot press.

This permanently shapes
the petals

to the contour of the mold

almost the same way
a hot iron presses clothes.

Then it's assembly time.

To make a rose, they mount
a white ball made of foam,

or flower and glue,

onto the end
of a three-inch-long wire.

They fold the inner petals
over the ball

and pinch them together to
create the center of the rose.

Then they thread four to five
petal layers of the same size

on the wire,

bending and pinching those,
as well, to form the rose shape.

Once the petals are complete,

they finish off with
a green paper leaf at the base.

To make a Daisy,
they take a flat flower

and glue a brown paper dot
in the middle.

Then they glue another
flat flower beneath it

and a leaf base beneath that.

To make another type of rose,

they gently twist
the tips of the petals.

Even though
they're made from trees,

these artificial flowers
are environmentally friendly.

The saa's severed branches and
stripped bark grow back quickly,

providing a renewable supply
of raw material

for crafting
blooming paper bouquets.

Narrator: Weather-wise,
these are turbulent times.

There are more storms
and heat waves,

and that means an increased
likelihood of power outages.

A standby generator
supplies emergency electricity

within seconds of an outage

so a home owner can
ride out the storm in comfort.

In today's high-tech world,

staying plugged in
has never been more important.

Wired to
a home's electrical system,

a standby generator
automatically powers up

in the event of an outage.

It assumes the electrical load

until the public-utilities
system comes back online.

With your own standby generator,

a power outage
is never a crisis.

Production starts
with a stator.

It's the stationary core
of the alternator --

the part that converts energy
from the motor to electricity.

A press compacts 100 or more
laminated steel disks

to create the stator core.

Machinery unwinds steel banding
and wraps it around the stack

to hold the core layers
together.

Machinery lifts the stator core
out of the assembly device

and transfers it
to the next station.

Here, an automated system

insulates the numerous slots
in the core.

As the core turns, a machine
cuts, forms, and inserts

synthetic insulating fabric
into each slot.

Meanwhile, at another station,

an automated system winds
copper wire onto a mandrel.

The slots in the mandrel
are the same size

as the insulated slots
in the core.

This configures the copper
windings to fit the core slots.

But first, a technician
slides the copper coils

onto a threading tool.

This tool maintains
the configuration of the coils

to prepare them for installation
in the stator core.

They wind more bundles
of copper wire.

Once all the windings
have been correctly arranged

on the threading tool,

the technician
is ready to transfer them

to the stator core.

He places the stator
on top of the threading tool

and activates a hydraulic device

that pushes the wires
up through the tool

and into the slots
of the stator core.

The device retracts,
and he removes the stator.

The copper wires transform the
stator into an electromagnet,

which is critical
for electrical generation.

He trims the ends of the wires

and sets the leftovers aside
for recycling.

He slides insulating sleeves
onto the ends.

Then it's into
the lacing machine.

This machine crochets
a string wrap around the bundles

to hold the wires together.

It also pulls in
any loose strands

to keep them from snagging
on generator components.

With the wiring
precisely wound and wrapped,

this important
generator component

is ready
for the finishing touch --

a clear varnish.

The lid closes on the tank,
and a vacuum pulls air out.

The tank then fills with clear
varnish to coat the stators.

The varnish fills in any gaps
in the windings.

They transfer the stators to
an oven and bake on the varnish.

Once hardened, the varnish
insulates the entire assembly.

The next technician
connects the stator lead wires

to a testing machine.

The machine applies high-voltage
pulses to the wire windings

and monitors the output

for anything that could
cause generator failure.

The stator passes the test.

A technician now positions
an outer casing and an end cap

on top of the stator,

followed by
a steel pressing plate.

A hydraulic arm then provides
the muscle power needed

to fit the casing and cap snugly
to the stator.

Coming up next,

the generator stator
joins the rotor and engine,

and the result
is purely electric.

Narrator:
The average home may contain

over 100 electrical appliances
and devices.

When there's a power blackout,
everything shuts down.

A standby generator
restores electricity in seconds

to keep the refrigerator running
and the heat on.

In an extended power outage,
a generator can be a life saver.

To produce the alternator's
rotating part, the rotor,

the technician
stacks laminated steel disks

to the same height
as the stator core.

He lubricates the opening
in the center of the disks.

He inserts a shaft,

and a press pushes it
into the stack

to complete the installation.

Powered by the generator engine,
the shaft will spin the rotor.

The technician
installs steel rods

to maintain the disks' alignment

and then removes the rotor
from the assembly device.

He fits more rods to it
on a slight angle.

They'll act as conductors

and stabilize
the rotor's electrical output.

He slides aluminum caps
onto both ends of the rotor.

Then it's over
to an automated welder.

The machine grips the rotor
at both ends

and slowly turns it

as a robot welds both caps
to the rotor body.

Welded in place, the caps
secure the aluminum rods.

The aluminum solder
used in the weld

is conductive and will create
an electrical connection.

The technician unclamps the
rotor from the welding machine

and then tucks insulation
into slots on the sides.

The rotor then goes for a spin

in a machine
that winds bands of copper wire

around the insulated sections.

These wires
will act as electromagnets

and help
produce electrical current.

They tie string around the wire,

add bearings
and a copper collector ring,

and bake an insulating varnish
onto the entire rotor.

They're now ready to assemble
the standby generator.

Using a lift, the technician
lowers the engine into position.

He joins the rotor shaft
to the engine crankshaft.

To secure the assembly,
he drives a very long bolt

through the rotor
to the crankshaft

and tightens it
to a specific torque.

Next up is the stator.

It will provide a magnetic field

to advance the flow of electrons
in the rotor.

The technician slides the stator
onto the rotor.

A steel end bracket is next.

It aligns the rotor
and the stator.

He forces the bracket
into place.

To secure the alignment,
he installs four long bolts

from the end bracket
to the engine-adapter plate.

He anchors the stator and rotor
to the generator base

and adds special rubber mounts
under the supports

to buffer vibrations.

He attaches
a motorized carbon brush

to copper rings
on the rotor shaft.

The brush will collect
electricity from the shaft

and transfer it
to the generator controller.

He secures it to the end bracket
with screws.

He connects the wiring harness

that moves electricity from
the brush to the controller.

He links the other end
of the harness to the engine.

He plugs in a sensor
to monitor oil pressure

and makes all the other
electrical connections.

Next up is a panel through which
he runs some of the wiring.

It acts as a separator
to prevent entanglements

and also supports
the fuel regulator.

Other parts include a muffler
to help dampen engine noise

and a controller
that converts generated power

to the correct voltage.

The assembly of this
standby generator is complete.

The technician fuels up

and runs it first
at partial capacity,

then to the max.

The test confirms there's no
wavering in electrical output.

Once encased

in a neutral-colored
corrosion-resistant shell,

the standby generator
blends into the background,

but in a power outage,

its contribution
will definitely be noticed.

If you have any comments
about the show,

or if you'd like to suggest
topics for future shows,