22x01 - Electric Stand-Up Vehicles, Frozen Fruit, Beer Coasters, Forged Door Handles

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: in the 21st century,

There's more than one way
to chase down a perpetrator.

The electric stand-up vehicle

Goes where traditional police
and security cars can't --

Sidewalks, parks,
shopping malls, even airports.

The officer stands
for better visibility.

For a suspect,
there may be nowhere to run.

This electric three-wheeler

Is the latest thing
on the police beat.

Not only can it travel in areas
that are inaccessible to cars,

But its environmental footprint

Is lighter
than a regular police cruiser.

It's energy efficient

And it generates
no local pollutants.

Production starts
with the vehicle's frame.

An employee assembles
the tube steel parts

And welds them together.

The next worker attaches

The vehicle's
control-board panel

To the welded frame.

He inserts the steering shaft
into the column

And slides a plastic collar
onto the bottom of the shaft.

He secures the collar
with screws

And tightens
the adjustment mechanism.

He installs the second collar
on the upper part

Of the steering shaft.

The two collars
will stabilize the shaft

To keep the front wheel
of the vehicle straight.

He plugs
the electric motor cable

Into the control panel.

Next, another member of the team

Sprays a uniform layer
of a gel coat

Onto a two-part mold
of the vehicle chassis.

The gel will act
as a release agent

For the finished chassis.

They make the chassis
from fiberglass.

He sprays it evenly
into the crevices of the molds.

He presses out air bubbles
using a rubber roller.

The fiberglass dries
and solidifies,

Taking the shape of the mold.

The surface is smooth,

But there are some ragged bits
around the edges.

Those are sanded.

He cuts out a slot
in the upper part of the chassis

For a police warning light.

Finally, the chassis gets a coat
of automotive-grade white paint.

He paints the wheel wells black,

And with that,
the outer chassis is complete.

There's an interior panel

And it's made
of fiberglass, too.

A member of the team mounts it

To the inside
of the steel-frame assembly.

He then secures the outer panel
to the vehicle frame.

This electric
three-wheel vehicle is ready

For the rear-wheel hubs
and brake rotors.

He clamps brake calipers
to the rotors.

The wheels are next.

The rear ones
are motorcycle wheels.

For the front,
they use a golf-cart wheel.

He equips the wheel
with a pulley system

To transfer energy
from the motor.

He installs
the 1-horsepower motor

And attaches the pulley to it.

The motor is the size
of a lunch bucket,

But can pull up to 450 pounds
and reach 20 miles per hour.

He hooks up the front wheel to
testing equipment and powers up.

It evaluates
the motor speed and noise.

It also detects any undue strain
or wheel wobbling.

Satisfied
with the front-wheel assembly,

He installs it on the vehicle.

He wires, and then attaches
the throttle and brake control

To the handlebar.

They carpet the floor
with non-slip rubberized foam

And then slide
the two rechargeable batteries

Into their respective
compartments.

The charge time
is three to four hours.

Next, this grab handle
gives the driver

Something extra to hang on to.

They equip the vehicle
with warning lights

And a high-beam headlight.

This electric patrol vehicle

Has been six hours
in the making,

And it's now ready for a spin.

Narrator:
nowadays, you don't have to wait

For your favorite fruit
to be in season.

You can buy it year-round

In the freezer section
of your local supermarket.

Frozen fruit
is useful to have on hand

For baking,

For making fruit salads
or smoothies,

To use as a topping,

Or to eat as a healthy snack.

Timing is everything.

For example, strawberries,
when sold fresh,

Are picked
well before they're ripe

So they won't spoil
before reaching store shelves

As much as a week later.

But if the berries
are for the freezer section,

They're harvested
when fully ripe.

That state of perfection
will be frozen in time

Within 36 hours.

Farm workers
pick the berries by hand

And trim them
right in the field

With one swipe over
a sharp stainless-steel blade.

Within 90 minutes of harvesting,

The strawberries
are on their way

By refrigerated truck
to the nearby processing plant

For cleaning, sorting,
and quick freezing.

First stop
on the processing line,

A bath in fresh water
to remove field dirt.

This wheel gently submerges
every last strawberry.

Then, a shower
of clean rinse water.

Followed by a spray rinse
with highly-chlorinated water

To sanitize the berries.

Next, eagle-eyed workers
pick out and discard

Any bruised
or under-ripe berries.

The rest receive a final rinse
en route to the freezing tunnel.

Temperature --
-34 degrees fahrenheit.

The cooling coils
contain liquid ammonia --

A refrigerant commonly used
for industrial-scale freezing.

Inside the tunnel,

Where the frigid air circulates
at high speed,

The berries freeze
in about 20 minutes.

Upon exiting, they ride through
a sorting machine.

The smaller berries
drop through narrower gaps

Between the rollers
near the top,

The medium-size ones
through wider gaps partway down,

While the larger ones
continue to the bottom.

These peaches,
also handpicked when ripe,

Go through the same cleaning
process as the strawberries.

First a bath, then a shower.

Then a sanitizing rinse
with chlorinated water.

After workers
pick out leaves, twigs,

And any less-than-perfect fruit,

A sorting machine sorts
the peaches by size --

Small, medium, and large --

Sending each size
to a separate conveyor belt.

Each belt
leads to a different line

Of stainless-steel
pitting machines,

Adjusted for the size
of the incoming fruit.

First, the machine
places the peaches stem-down.

Next, a knife cuts the peach
in half along its natural line.

Then mechanical jaws
grab the stone inside

And dislodge it by twisting
the two halves of the peach

In opposite directions.

Each machine can pit


So the only way to see
that action is in slow motion.

All the peach halves and stones
coming out of the pitters

Tumble
onto a vibrating conveyor.

The stones
fall through the holes

While the peaches,
larger than the holes,

Continue on.

A conveyor flips them
cut-side up

So that workers can inspect
and remove any stone fragments.

The next conveyor gradually
lines them up in single file

To enter the slicing machines.

The slicer blades cut each half
into four to six pieces,

Depending on what format
the customer ordered.

Then the slices
go into the freezing tunnel.

Peach slices
take slightly longer

Than strawberries to freeze --
about 25 minutes.

To prevent the frozen fruit
from defrosting,

The air temperature
in the packaging area

Is a frigid


An automated scales weighs out
the per-package quantity,

Then drops the berries
into a retail bag.

The machine
then heat seals the bag

And deposits it
on the final conveyor,

Which goes
to the pre-shipping freezer.

Only 15 minutes have passed
since the fruit was frozen,

And just 24 hours
since it was field picked.

Narrator: liquid refreshment
can leave its mark on the table.

Coasters come between
the glass and that.

But two centuries ago,
coasters were mainly placed

On the rim of the glass
to keep out flies.

Made of felt,
they unfortunately spread germs,

So the cardboard coaster
was invented

To improve hygiene
on the pub scene.

Beverage coasters
protect the table

And are also a marketing tool.

Raise the glass, and you'll see
advertising catchphrases

And promotional graphics.

In fact, some bar hoppers
consider coasters pub art

And accumulate vast collections.

Production
at this facility in germany

Starts with spruce wood.

In this case, it's from
the black forest nearby.

They spray the wood with water
to moisten the bark.

Then it's into a tumbler
that tosses the wood logs.

As they knock against
each other, the bark peels off.

The de-barked wood
exits onto a conveyor with slots

To correctly orient it for entry
into a massive grinder.

Inside,
chains press the wood logs

Against the grinding stone,
shredding them into chips.

Water flows
over the grinding stone

To cool it
and carry away the chips,

Which are then mixed into a mash

That has a porridge-like
consistency.

It's pure wood pulp.

They now add leftover product

From previous beer-coaster
production to the pulp.

This will be used to make

The middle layer
of the beer coasters.

Finally, they mix residual paper
from the manufacturer

Of magazines and envelopes
with water.

This creates
a lighter-colored pulp.

It will be used
for the printable surfaces

Of the beer coaster.

They spray the pulp onto a mesh
that drains water from it.

The fibrous wood core
goes between the layers

Of the lighter pulp.

Spigots apply a mix
of wheat starch and water

That acts as a glue
between the layers.

Off the mesh conveyors now,

The pulp board
travels between cylinders

That squeeze out the moisture.

More heated cylinders dry it.

Knives now cut the board
into large rectangles

Sized for the coaster-printing
and cutting machinery.

This specialty cardboard
is known as wood-pulp board.

It's lightweight
yet highly absorbent.

Next it's over
to the printing department

To put the beer-coaster artwork
on the wood-pulp board.

They use offset printing --

A process that involves
more revolving cylinders.

Color cylinders pick up ink
and transfer it

To the printing cylinders.

From there, the image goes
to a rubber-wrapped cylinder

That then prints it
onto the sheets.

A print specialist scrutinizes
the print job close up

With a magnifying glass.

He checks the color and clarity
of the images

And confirms that they're
correctly positioned

On the sheet.

The borders of the images
must line up

With the grid of blades
on the die-cutting machinery.

If the alignment
is even slightly off,

Every coaster on the sheet
would be ruined

As the die cutter
punches out the coasters,

Dozens of them in one swoop.

The coasters end up
over little chutes,

And pushers give them a nudge.

They fall down the chutes
and land neatly

On a pallet below.

The coasters stack up,

And when there are 100 or so
in each pile,

They're ready for packaging.

Machinery shrink wraps
the stacks,

And they're ready
for the thirsty masses.

This factory
can produce and package


Beer coasters every day,

So there should be no shortage
at c*ck hour.

They also print coasters
using a centuries-old technology

Known as letterpress.

Blank coasters drop down
into the machine.

A rolling wheel presses each
coaster against an ink plate.

It's a system
that both prints the image

And embosses it
on the cardboard.

It's a difference
you can both see and feel.

Letterpress production
is lower volume than offset,

Generating


For coasters, the design
possibilities are endless.

Just raise a glass and enjoy.

Narrator: a door handle
is a decorative detail

That delivers tremendous bang
for the buck.

It's quite inexpensive,

Yet through its design,
material, and finish,

Contributes immensely

To defining the style
of a space,

From traditional
to ultra modern.

These hand-forged iron handles

Open the door to a rustic
english country decor.

While the handle itself is iron,

The backplate behind it
is steel.

A computer-guided water machine
cuts the backplate

Out of a 3-millimeter-thick
steel sheet.

The machine
slices through the steel

Not with a blade or saw,

But with a concentrated
high-pressure jet of water.

The water contains a tiny amount
of a super-fine abrasive

And cuts through the steel
with 2,000 times the pressure

Of a car tire.

The jet cuts the contour
of the backplate,

Then holes for the key,
the mechanism, and the screws,

Which affix the plate
to the door.

Next, with a beveling machine,
they cut a neat angle

On all four sides
of the backplate.

This smooths the sharp edges

And gives the backplate
a finished look.

Meanwhile,
on a computer-guided lave,

A knife progressively shapes
a round steel bar

Into the main component
of the door-handle mechanism --

The inner barrel.

The next tool bores a hole in it
to receive the spindle --

A bolt
that runs through the door,

Connecting the handles
on either side.

To make the handle,

A blacksmith heats up
an iron bar

In the 1,600-degree heat
of a forge

And hammers it
to a tapered point.

Then he repeatedly reheats
and works the iron,

Hammering it some more

And bending it
against a steel forming jig.

With each bend,

The handle comes closer
to the final shape.

Once the blacksmith
has completed his work

And the iron handle has cooled,

They drill a hole
to receive the mechanism.

Then with another tool,

They angle the edges
of the hole.

This increases the surface area

To which they now weld
the mechanism's inner barrel.

The larger the welded area,
the stronger the weld.

The welder places
both components

In a positioning jig
to get the proper alignment,

Then welds them together.

He removes the assembly
from the jig,

Flips it,
and welds from the other side.

They grind the weld lines flat,
rendering them unnoticeable.

If the handle is supposed to
have a hammered finish,

This is when they create
that texture

With, you guessed it, a hammer.

Now they heat
the handle assembly

And the steel backplate
in the forge,

Then dip them
in a vat of beeswax.

This protects against rust
when used indoors.

With the main components
now ready,

Final assembly can begin,
starting with the mechanism.

They slip a nylon washer,
then a steel spring

Over the inner barrel.

Next, they grease the outer
barrel made of forged iron

And place it
over the inner barrel.

The washer in between
the barrels eliminates friction

When they move
against each other.

This prevents the barrel
from wearing out and squeaking.

They install a tab washer
made of nickel-plated steel.

This tab restricts
the barrel's rotation

So that it doesn't
simply spin around and around.

This high-strength
steel locking clip holds

The inner and outer barrels

And that important tab washer
in place.

Now that the handle
and mechanism are complete,

All that remains is to align
backplate to handle

And secure it in position
with screws.

Each retail package contains

Two handles
and two backplates --

One for each side of the door.

Also in the box,
the steel spindle

That goes through the door,
connecting the barrels

So that the handles turn
in unison

To retract the latch
and open the door.

While their mechanics
are hidden from view,

These hand-forged handles are
certainly a sight to be seen.

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