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22x12 - Solid State Drives/Eye Shadow/Limousines/Dead Blow Hammers

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "How It's Made". Aired: July 6, 2005.*
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Television series that documents how various everyday products are made.

22x12 - Solid State Drives/Eye Shadow/Limousines/Dead Blow Hammers

Post by bunniefuu »

Narrator:
the drive in your computer

Saves and stores your data --

Everything from documents
to photos to software programs.

The newer generation drives
are solid state drives.

They're gradually replacing
traditional hard disk drives

Because they're compact,
more durable,

And process information
much faster.

Just like portable usb drives
and camera memory cards,

Solid state drives
store information

On several memory chips
installed on a circuit board.

Each chip contains
highly complex circuitry

Comprised of electrical pathways


Than a human hair.

To make those memory chips,

They begin with
a disk-shaped silicon wafer.

Silicon is a non-metallic
natural element

That conducts electricity.

It's highly susceptible
to contamination,

So the production area
is virtually sterile

To the point of being


Than the air
in a hospital operating room.

An automated robotic system

Moves the wafers through
more than 800 operations,

Which take more than a month
to complete.

Each wafer receives layer
after layer of materials --

Some conductive, such as copper,

Some nonconductive,
such as silicon dioxide.

After applying each layer,

The machine coats the wafer
with a light-sensitive fluid

Then flashes u.v. Light onto it

Through a glass stencil of the
electrical circuitry pattern.

In the areas where the fluid
is exposed to the light,

The chemicals break down
and dissolve.

Where the fluid was shielded
from light by the stencil,

The materials remain intact,

Effectively printing the
circuitry pattern on the wafer.

Chemical baths then wash away
the exposed fluid and material.

Each foot-wide wafer
yields hundreds of microchips,

Which now
have to be sliced apart.

The robotic cutting machine

Covers the wafer
with an adhesive film

To hold the chips in place

While they're being cut loose
from each other.

The next machine
inserts each clip

In a protective plastic housing.

Meanwhile,
six circuit boards at a time

Enter a machine

Which applies a thin layer
of tin alloy solder paste

Onto the areas

Where the memory chips
and other components will go.

As the boards exit the machine,
a robotic arm picks off

The components required for
each drive from feeder spools

And deposits them

At their respective locations
on the circuit board.

This particular model
has 8 microchips,

Each able to store


Giving the drive a capacity
of 5,012 gigs.

The circuit boards now enter
a tunnel-shaped oven

Which melts the solder paste,

Fusing the components
to the board.

The brain
of the solid state drive

Is now complete

And ready for the first phase
of quality-control testing.

This machine
performs an optical scan

To verify that every component
on the board

Is set in the right place.

The next machine
x-rays the board

To verify that each component

Is securely soldered
in the correct location.

A later phase
of quality-control testing

Will verify
the drive's performance.

Until now, six circuit boards

Have been attached
to each other.

An automated router
now cuts them apart,

And workers insert each board

Into a protective
plastic housing.

A slot on the outside
of this housing

Reveals the board's connector

By which the drive links
to the computer.

Solid state drives
come in different sizes.

This particular model
is large enough

To replace
a traditional hard disk drive.

However,
many models are smaller,

Designed to fit
where disk drives can't --

For example,
in ultra-slim laptops.

Every drive is labeled

With its technical specs, model,
and serial numbers and so on,

Along with a barcode
for production tracking.

Then they plug the drive's
connector into a tester,

Which, after verifying

That everything
functions electronically,

Installs the drive's
operating system.

The drive moves
to the next station,

Where it undergoes

Up to 60 hours of
extensive performance testing

To ensure that it stores
and retrieves data

Correctly and at target speed.

Packaging is twofold.

First, a foil shield

To prevent static electricity
from damaging the drive,

Then a carton,

And finally into a shipping box

Headed for a destination
somewhere around the world.

Narrator: in ancient egypt,

Both men and women
painted their eyes.

It was thought that eye makeup

Made one less vulnerable
to the evil eye,

A gaze or stare
meant to cause harm.

Today, mostly women wear it.

And of course, repelling evil

Is no longer a reason
to wear eye shadow.

With a palette of eye shadow,

A woman can work
a certain kind of magic.

Skillful shading can add depth
and drama to the eyes.

This makeup
can also create the illusion

That the eyes are much larger
than they really are.

To make eye shadow,
they follow specific recipes.

A technician
weighs the ingredients,

Beginning with mica,
a mineral that acts as filler.

The next ingredient
is zinc stearate.

It's a binder.

A combination of pigments
provides the desired color.

These particular pigments

Are different shades
of the mineral iron oxide.

He transfers
the measured ingredients

To a big blender jar.

As he pours the ingredients,
they dust up,

And a gas mask keeps him
from breathing in the particles.

He places the jar
on the blender base,

Covers the top,
and activates the blades.

The blender mixes and grinds
the powdered ingredients

To a very fine state.

Then it's into
a very large mixer.

He adds coconut oil --

Just enough
for the powdered ingredients

To eventually coagulate
into a cake form.

More mica is next --

A lot more.

Eye shadow is 80% mica.

This mica is darker
to add intensity to the color.

It also has a bit of shimmer.

He latches the lid
to contain the ingredients

And powers up
this high-speed mixer.

Inside, the mixing paddles

Swivel around
for about 15 minutes

To thoroughly mix
the ingredients.

The eye shadow mixture
flows into a plastic bag.

A technician examines it

To confirm that the color
has been evenly dispersed

And that the powder
is sufficiently moist.

Another worker now pieces
four eye shadow tins

In pods on a metal platter.

The platter rotates to deliver
the tins to a mixing dispenser

That's been filled
with the eye shadow ingredients.

The mixer pushes precise amounts
through holes in the bottom

And into the tins.

A scraper levels off the tops.

The next stop is a press
with four circular heads.

A ribbon of fabric
keeps things hygienic

As the press compresses
the moist eye shadow powder

And turns it
into a cake-like form.

Moving forward,
the pods eject the tins,

And an automated device
pulls them off the machine.

What a difference
the compression has made.

No longer a loose powder,

The eye shadow ingredients
have caked up nicely.

The tins now move into a lane

And come up against
an abrasive belt

That cleans the loose powder
from the sides.

A blast of air also gets rid
of some of the residual powder.

For one out of every 100
eye shadows produced,

A technician does a drop test
from a height of 18 inches.

He checks
for chipping or damage.

And if he finds any,
he'll add power to the press.

For a color test,

He brushes some eye shadow
onto his arm,

Beginning with
a laboratory standard.

He then applies

Newly manufactured eye shadow
to his arm

And compares the two.

It's a match.

And with his approval,

The batch is almost ready
for retail.

Another worker inserts the tins

Into more substantial
plastic containers

With magnets on the bottom
to secure them.

She screws the clear caps
onto the jars,

And the eye shadow is on its way
to the cosmetic counter.

They also manufacture
entire palettes of eye shadow

For a rainbow of choices.

It takes about a day
to manufacture eye shadow.

And the result is truly
a thing of beauty.

Narrator:
the first stretch limousines,

Built around 1928,

Usually transported big bands
and their musical equipment.

Luxury sedans
with an extended chassis

Are typically associated
with special occasions

Such as weddings, proms,
or a night on the town.

It takes about 475 hours of work
and painstaking detail

To transform a luxury sedan
into a stretch limo.

Workers cut an ordinary-size car
in half using cutting wheels.

Before cutting begins,

The inside of the car
is stripped away,

Along with other components

Such as the gas tank
and drive shaft.

Workers cut away
the inner support structure

And cut across
the floor of the car

With a reciprocating saw.

The car is now
completely cut in half.

Workers wheel
the back half of the car

Away from the front half.

They place the back half
on the exact spot

Where the limousine
will gradually be assembled.

The construction department
employees

Insert steel frame rails
into the front half of the car.

They insert the rails
on both sides of the front half

Before inserting the rails
into the back half of the car.

They measure the length
of the frame rails

To make sure
that the frame is square

And that the two halves
are the correct distance apart

To build the limousine.

A worker welds the rails
to the frames

Of the front and back halves
of the original car.

They position
the drive shaft tunnel,

Which houses the steel
drive shaft and exhaust pipes,

And weld it
to the original vehicle tunnel.

They position the floor,

Which is made
of galvanized steel,

And weld it to the frame rails
and tunnel.

They weld the steel roof rails
into place.

They connect the new rails

To the roof rails
in the original vehicle.

A worked welds a vertical
side post into place.

With a level,

He checks that
the post of hardened steel

Is perfectly vertical

Before welding
the base of the post

To the floor frame.

A roof panel
made of galvanized steel

Is put in place.

Workers install
the limousine's bar.

They've already installed
the steel seat frames.

Next, they install
an outer body panel

Complete with
a hardened steel crash bar.

They screw the panel into place.

The screws will be removed

Once the panel has bonded
solidly to the limousine frame.

A worker sprays on
three coats of paint,

Then applies two coats
of protective clear coating.

Once the painting process
is complete,

Workers install
the laminated safety side glass.

Another worker
sprays contact cement

On the roof of the limousine

In preparation
for the vinyl top.

He stretches the vinyl
across the roof

And with his hand presses the
fabric down into the crevices.

Then he carefully trims off
the excess.

He presses a strip
of chrome molding into place

On the top of the vinyl.

Workers
in the interior department

Install the back
of a leather seat...

And the leather bench seat.

After reupholstering
the original rear seat to match,

They return it
to its original spot

In the back of the limousine.

A systems installer

Connects the electrical systems
for the control center,

Located
behind the driver's seat.

A panel lists relays and fuses.

The original center console
is then reinstalled.

A worker installs
a video monitor

In the limousine.

Next, he rolls out
the floor mats.

The acrylic disco bar
lighting system is tested.

In just 21 days,

The original car is transformed
into a luxurious limousine.

With test drives and
quality-control checks complete,

Enjoy a ride
in the lap of luxury.

Narrator: a hammer

Is one of the most useful tools
out there.

The only problem is
you have to control the rebound.

That is, unless you have
a dead blow hammer.

These tools are accurate
and easy to use

Because this particular type
absorbs the bounce.

This facility makes a variety
of dead blow hammers.

Some are soft-faced

And some are ball-peens,
which are used by machinists.

All in all, they come in handy

Everywhere
from nascar racetracks

To operating rooms.

To first create the internal
structure of the hammer,

They drill through a short
length of welded steel tubing

With a drill press.

The worker drills
straight through the tube,

Creating a hole on both sides.

This tube will become
the internal head of the hammer.

The head needs a handle.

A worker places the tube
on a jig

And then positions a rod
on the hole.

A press forces the rod
through the tube.

At the next station,

A worker places
the internal hammer assemblage

Behind a pane of tinted glass
to protect her eyes

As she welds
the head and handle together.

She only welds
the top of the tube

So as not to alter the metal.

A machine drills a set of small
conical indents in the handle.

Fitting a set of pins
inside the mold,

These indents will be crucial
to the process.

Because the internal handle
is round,

The urethane exterior
could twist on it

When the hammer is being used.

To prevent this,
a worker welds on a flat tab.

The urethane will lock in place
around the tab.

Next, a worker crimps
a metal cap

On one end of the tube.

This creates an open canister,

Which the worker partially fills
with a crucial ingredient --

Hardened steel shot.

He then crimps a cap
on the open end,

Sealing in the shot.

With the head canister done,

The core of the dead blow hammer
is now complete.

While the basic components
are simple,

Workers must assemble
every element with precision.

The mold has
a set of pins inside it.

A worker aligns the indents
on the metal handle

With these pins.

The pins ensure that
the internal hammer hangs

In a perfectly centered position
inside the mold.

Workers secure the mold
in a support frame

Before placing it on a conveyor

That will take it through
a preheating oven.

Ball-peen hammers
are assembled differently.

Instead of crimping a cap on,

They screw the face of
the hammer onto a threaded tube.

The metal core of the ball-peen
is placed in a mold

That leaves the metal face
and ball exposed.

After the molds
go through the preheater,

They arrive
at the filling station.

A high-speed mix head

Blends urethane
with hardeners and catalysts

And pumps the mix
through a flexible hose.

A worker uses the hose

To fill the molds to the brim
with the orange fluid.

She then sends them
into the oven,

Where they'll spend


At about 300 degrees fahrenheit.

On the other side of the oven,

A worker removes the molds
from their frames

And then releases
the newly formed hammers.

Thanks
to a special release agent

That was sprayed
inside the mold,

The hammers come out easily.

At the finishing station,

Workers use
a high-speed circular brush

To remove the excess material,
or flash,

Produced by the molding process.

This is
the most difficult operation

In the making
of dead blow hammers,

And these workers
are highly skilled.

When molding ball-peen hammers,

The front and back of the head
are left exposed.

For performance reasons,
this steel is not stainless.

Workers dip the exposed steel
in hot wax.

The wax coating will protect
the hammer from rust

Until it's taken off
the store shelf and put to use.

Soft-faced ball-peens
and sledges

Are among the 20 models
of dead blow hammers

Manufactured here.

A worker attaches a label

Which includes all the relevant
information and warnings.

The labeled hammers then go
in a box ready for shipping.

Dead blow hammers
have many applications,

From food processing plants

To woodworking shops
to the oil industry.

Some surgeons even use them

To drive artificial hips
into place.

If you have any comments
about the show,

Or you'd like to suggest
topics for future shows,

Drop us a line at...