22x06 - Sawhorses and Toolboxes/Sorbet Pops/School Buses

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
when it comes to construction,
renovation, or simply repairs,

Whether you're a seasoned pro
or a do-it-yourselfer,

Having the right tools
makes the job easier.

Sawhorses support the piece
of wood you're cutting,

And a toolbox keeps
your implements

Organized and portable.

Sawhorses are always sold
in pairs

Because you need two
under a piece of wood

To stabilize it for cutting.

By pulling
the hinged tray upward,

The sawhorse collapses flat
for transport and storage.

This model is made from pellets

Of an exceptionally strong
type of polypropylene plastic.

A vacuum system
draws the pellets into

An injection-molding machine.

The machine melts them

Then shoots the liquid
into a mold.

It takes about a minute
for the liquid to solidify,

At which point
the mold automatically opens,

And an articulated robotic arm
removes the parts --

For each sawhorse, two halves,
the legs, and two panels

Which form
the collapsible hinged tray

That holds those legs open.

The robot drops those parts
at the first assembly station,

Where a worker joins each panel
to a sawhorse half

And applies non-slip footpads.

These pads help
keep the sawhorse stable

And protect the floor
from scratches.

The worker lays out the parts
for both sides of the sawhorse

In a positioning fixture

Then activates the press
a couple of times

To snap the parts together.

At the next station, a worker
inserts ribbed rubber pads

Into molded holes
on top of each sawhorse half.

These anti-slip pads help hold

Large pieces of wood steady
on the sawhorse.

Next, he lays both sawhorse
halves on the work table

And with a tool
called a stamping arm,

Snaps the two panels together.

This forms a strong hinge,

Which opens and collapses
the tray.

The sawhorse is now finished

And heads
to the packaging station.

There, a worker stacks
two sawhorses,

Then, with a foot pedal,
activates a machine

Which binds them
with a plastic strap.

Then she tapes on
a wrap-around label.

Have tools, will travel.

This two-piece toolbox

Consists of a large storage tub
on the bottom

And a spacious toolbox on top.

Like a rolling suitcase,

It has two large
polypropylene wheels

With molded-on rubber treads
and a collapsible pull handle.

A toolbox doesn't
have to withstand pressure

Bearing down on it,
so it's made of standard,

Rather than high-strength,
polypropylene.

The injection-molding process
is the same.

The storage tub,
the toolbox bottom,

And the toolbox lid
are each molded separately.

In the assembly area,

Workers apply an adhesive label
on the front of the toolbox

Then install the latches
for locking the lid.

The latches
slide into molded slots.

After inserting
a removable tray,

Workers install the lid

With a few strikes of
a non-marring urethane hammer.

Both lid and latches
snap in easily

Because the polypropylene
is still hot and flexible.

Once it cools and becomes rigid,

The lid and latches
can't dislodge.

To assemble each wheel,

Workers position a star nut
and steel axle into the wheel,

Then, with an assembly ram,

Press the axle into the star nut
to lock the parts together.

They snap a wheel onto each side

Of the tub portion
of the toolbox,

Then, with a press,
force the wheels

Into their final
locked position.

Once the toolbox
and tub portions

Are each separately assembled,

Workers hang a parts tray
on the rim of the tub

Then sit the toolbox on the tray

And lock it in place
with two large side hinges.

And that completes construction
of this workshop on wheels.

Narrator: traditionally,
sorbets have been dished up

Between courses
to refresh the palate,

But served in a squeezed-up pop,

A sorbet becomes a snack
you can grab anytime --

No need for scoops, spoons,
or dishes.

Just squeeze the sorbet
out of the paper sleeve.

Now that's refreshing.

A long favorite of foodies,
fruit sorbet has gone mainstream

With these squeeze-up pops.

More fun
than a few scoops in a dish,

Sorbet pops are also
lower in calories

Than a lot of other snacks.

They start
with freeze-dried rice syrup.

They pour it into a mixing vat

That's a mega version
of a home blender.

They add strawberry puree.

This is the main ingredient
of the sorbet pops.

The berries were pulped
within 12 hours of harvest.

The next ingredient
is cane sugar.

It's followed
by strawberry essence --

Compounds extracted
from the berries

For more intense flavor.

They turn on the tap
for the final ingredient --

Water.

It's time to close the lid

And power up
this industrial blender.

The mixer has four blades
that turn at a high velocity.

They whip up
the sorbet ingredients

To the consistency
of a fruit smoothie.

The sorbet mixture then flows
into refrigerated pipes

That chill the mixture
to 40 degrees fahrenheit.

The pipes
wind around the factory

And finally deliver it
to holding tanks.

Inside, an agitator
swirls the chilled mixture

To maintain
the smoothie-like consistency.

Once a tank is full,
a technician tests the acidity

And the level of suspended
sugars in the mixture.

If the levels are right,

They transfer the mixture
into a continuous freezer.

It pumps air
into the sorbet mix,

And it churns and scraps it

Against the freezing-cold walls
of the machine.

Cool water
runs through the motor

To keep it from overheating
as it freezes the sorbet.

This is only a partial freezing
to keep the sorbet

Soft enough to be pumped
into the paper squeeze tubes.

A device
with little robotic fingers

Pries the papers tubes
from a stack

And deposits them
in slots in a moving tray.

The tubes
are in position to receive

The partially frozen sorbet,

And because the sorbet
is only partially frozen,

It is able to now flow
through conduits.

Frozen solid,
it couldn't make the journey

To the squeeze tubes.

As the sorbet is pumped
into the paper sleeves,

Its temperature is critical.

It is precisely


One degree cooler

And it would be too thick
to pump.

A degree warmer,
and ice crystals would form

During the final freezing.

The next machine
collects foil lids from a pack,

Using rubber heads
with tiny magnets in the center.

It deposits the lids
onto the sorbet-filled tubes.

The foil lids stick
to the glue-coated rims.

This line fills


With fruit sorbet per minute.

That's just under


An iron applies heat to the lids
to further melt the glue

And provide a water-tight seal.

It happens fast

So the sorbet doesn't have time
to start melting.

Sealed and partially frozen,

The sorbet pops
cascade into crates.

Each one holds about 100 pops,

So they don't need
to keep count.

And then it's into
the blast freezer,

Also know as the shock freezer.

Fans circulate the cold air

To rapidly lower the temperature
of the sorbet pops,

Bringing it down
to -24 degrees fahrenheit.

This fast freezing prevents

The formation
of large ice crystals

That would damage

The consistency and flavor
of the sorbet pops.

Out of the freezer,

A mechanized arm grabs and opens
cardboard boxes.

A pusher shoves the sorbet pops
into the boxes.

And they're ready
to grab and squeeze.

Narrator:
the big yellow school bus
puts millions of children

On the road to an education.

It all started
in the 19th century

With horse-drawn trucks
known as kid hacks.

The word "hack" was short
for hackney carriage.

In the 20th century,
they were motorized

And became known
as school buses.

Every school day,

Children across north america
wait for the school bus.

Appearance-wise,
it's hard to miss.

Big and yellow,
it is deliberately conspicuous,

Designed to stand out in traffic

So other drivers
slow down and take notice.

Manufacturing starts
with a support structure --

The steel underframe.

They arrange several short rails

Down the top
of two long frame rails.

These cross rails
will link the long rails

And provide strategic support.

Using the lift,
they raise the long rails,

And the cross rails
slide into position

Just under the rims
of the long ones.

Now, in a fixture
that pins the rails together,

Workers bolt them together.

With the school-bus underframe
assembled, they roll in

Two enormous wheel axles
complete with brakes.

Overhead cables
lift the bus frame

And workers guide it into place
on the axles.

They attach the axles
to the frame

With metal brackets, shackles,
and spacers where needed.

The chassis is ready
for the engine.

They lower it
onto the front of the frame

And secure it with bolts.

The school-bus engine
packs a lot of power.

It's diesel-fueled
with six cylinders.

Next up
is the front cal assembly,

Which includes
the instrument panel

And steering column.

A workers
wires the steering wheel

To the controls in the column
and slides it into place.

They mount the tires and rims --

Four on the back axle to handle
the heavier passenger load

And two on the front.

Using a multi-pronged tool,

The worker
tightens numerous nuts

To fasten the wheels
to the axles.

They now encase the engine
with a fiberglass hood.

The hood has been pre-painted

And equipped with cross-view
mirrors and headlights.

They bolt it
to the vehicle frame,

And after adding antifreeze
and coolant,

The bus is technically drivable.

They roll it over
to a test station

To check the brakes.

The wheels turn on rollers
so the bus runs in one spot.

A computer monitors
the performance

Of both the front
and back brakes

As a driver applies them.

They now move on
to build the school-bus body.

The body starts with the floor.

They unwind
double-sided galvanized steel

Into a machine
that slices it into panels.

It also cuts holes
to be used for assembly.

A forming machine
folds the sides

To create support beams.

Two more steel beams will really
stiffen the floor panel.

A worker positions those beams
on the panel,

And an automated machine
welds them to it.

It feeds the floor panel
to the welder incrementally

So it can spot weld
down the length of the beams.

It takes dozens of welds
to solidly secure

The steel supports.

And with those reinforcements,
the floor panel is complete.

It's ready for assembly.

Workers arrange several panels
upside down

In a precise configuration.

Then it's into
a second automated welder

That joins them
to make one school-bus floor.

After manually welding pockets
for wheels,

A machine called the floor flip
picks up the bus floor

And turns it rightside up.

They're now ready to build
the passenger compartment,

So stay tuned.

Narrator: a school bus
transports precious cargo --

Children.

To hold the average bus
together,

They use an incredible


And make a total of 840 welds.

For the maker of school buses,

There's strength
in those numbers.

To build the frame

For the school-bus walls
and ceiling,

They bend steel beams
into bow shapes.

A hydraulic machine with pushers
does the job in seconds,

Achieving an exact radius.

The bows will serve as ribs
for the school-bus body.

They make several bows
for each bus.

The precise number depends on
the bus size and capacity.

Workers plug
the ends of the bows

Into holes in steel rails
and secure them with bolts.

They weld lateral supports
higher up,

And the cage-like skeleton
of the school bus takes shape.

They're now ready
to build on this framework.

They attach
the metal windshield surround.

The team then moves

The steel side sheets
and skirting into place.

They secure these panels
with super-strong adhesive

And numerous rivets.

Using cables and nylon straps,

They pull steel sheets
to the roof structure

To make them conform
to the contours.

The steel is 20-gage --

A grade that's flexible enough
to be easily bent.

The cables hold the steel panels
tightly to the roof structure

While the workers
rivet them to it.

The number of rivets
and the strength of the joints

Are among many
government safety standards

The school bus must meet.

Working from the inside,

They glue fiberglass insulation
into the pockets of the cage

To keep the bus warm in winter
and cool in summer.

The insulation
will also muffle road noise

And absorb
some of the student chatter

For a quieter ride.

The team installs steel panels
on the ceiling.

These panels
have tiny perforations

To allow sound to escape
into the insulation.

They tape up
the windows and doors

And sand some areas

As they now prepare to paint
the exterior of the bus.

The paint, national bus yellow,

Takes the metal
from dull to bold.

This shade was developed
specifically for school buses

And can be noticed
even with peripheral vision.

With the paint now dry,
they open the doors

And lay
a plywood subfloor inside.

It too will absorb noise.

An employee drives the chassis

Over to the school-bus-body
production line,

And parks it.

Using cables,
they lift the bus body

Over to the chassis.

At over three and a half tons,
it's hefty.

They gently lower it
onto the frame rails

And mate the front to the hood.

They tie the body to the frame
with heavy-duty clips.

They arrange the seating

To surround the passengers
with cushioning.

This creates compartments
around the occupants

To protect them in a collision.

Outside, a worker applies
school-bus lettering.

Another worker presses

An adhesive-backed
manufacturer's emblem

To the hood.

They equip the bus

With the flashing lights
and stop signs

To get the attention
of other drivers

When children
are loading and unloading.

They also install
a crossing gate to keep children

Within the bus driver's
sight line.

They test
all of the warning lights

And safety devices.

And satisfied
that everything is operational,

The bus rolls
off the production line.

It's taken a day and a half
to build it,

And when it comes to
an education,

It's ready to deliver.

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