Narrator: skeletal replicas
are excellent educational tools.
While real bones are fragile,
These reproductions
are made of a synthetic resin,
Which is very tough.
These models
are scientifically accurate
And can withstand
repeated handling
In classrooms or museums.
This facility is dedicated to
producing skeletal replicas...
...everything from ancient
humans to prehistoric animals.
Cast from real skeletons,
these models
Are virtually indistinguishable
from the original.
The process starts
with a real skull.
This one is
of a prehistoric sabertooth cat.
Using a wire cutter,
A worker slices up
blocks of clay,
Placing the pieces on the skull.
He presses the clay
evenly around the skull.
He soaks a sponge and uses it
to moisten and smooth the clay.
He inserts a plastic tube
that will come in handy later.
Now, he saturates
strips of fiberglass
With a polyester resin
and drapes them around the clay.
Left overnight,
the fiberglass and resin cure
Into a rigid shell
around the clay.
He repeats this process
To create a second,
identical fiberglass shell.
With the skull and clay
in the bottom half,
He bolts the second shell
on top.
He pours silicone
into the plastic tube,
Filling the space
Between the skull
and the top fiberglass shell.
After repeating this process
on the other side,
He opens the shell.
He removes the skull
And examines
the two-part silicone mold.
He places the two-part mold
back into the fiberglass shell
And straps it to a spinner.
He pours polyurethane resin
into the mold.
At just over a pound, the weight
matches the original skull.
The spinner spirals
at a controlled speed,
Evenly distributing the resin
throughout the mold.
After the resin has solidified,
He removes a replica skull
from the mold.
The specially formulated resin
Has the look and texture
of bone.
The craftsman scrapes away
the ragged bits.
This part is the jaw.
Using a special grinding tool,
He cleans up the surface
and does a bit of contour work.
With a sharper tool,
He better defines
the area around the teeth.
Then he grinds the rough bits
away from the cheekbone.
This is the jaw before and after
the improvements.
Now it's over
to the paint department,
Where a worker airbrushes
the skull using acrylic paint.
He layers
shades of brown, black, and red
To make this replica
look more authentic.
He inserts the saber teeth
in the upper part of the skull
And drills little holes
in both of them.
He pushes nails into the holes
To secure the teeth
in the sockets.
An inspector
now scrutinizes the skull
And compares it
to the original one on the left.
Just like the real
sabertooth cat skull,
It looks ancient.
It's difficult
to tell the difference
Between the 12,000-year-old
skull and the new one.
The skull is now ready
For the rest
of the skeleton body.
It takes five people three weeks
To build a skeletal replica
like this one.
Narrator:
the roman emperor nero
Is believed
to have been the first
To chill wine
in containers of ice.
Despite the convenience
of modern refrigerators,
Ice buckets and servers
are still used today.
They add presentation value
to any occasion,
Whether the host is
on a champagne or a beer budget.
This ice server's simple design
drains melted ice,
So food stays cold
without getting wet.
An automatic guillotine blade
Chops large sheets
of high-grade stainless steel
Into rectangles.
A worker takes each rectangle
to a punch press.
The press cuts a pattern
of holes into the steel.
The pattern is geometric
And will drain melting ice
efficiently.
Next, it's over
to a deep-drawing press.
It uses 110 tons of force
To transform the rectangle
into a pie-style plate.
A punch cutter removes
the excess steel from the rim.
The worker now has
a perforated ice tray.
He transfers it
to another punch press,
Which cuts finger holes
for lifting it from the base.
The next worker places
a larger steel rectangle
Into a different press.
This will shape
the bowl the ice tray rests in.
He returns to the tray and buffs
the rim to a mirror finish.
After polishing the outside
of the bowl to a high gloss,
He welds two screws
to the bottom.
With the screws firmly in place,
He connects
the two steel legs to the bowl.
He attaches a steel platform
to the other end of the legs.
This ice server is complete
and ready to chill.
But before
they uncork the champagne,
They need an ice bucket.
The bucket starts
with a pre-cut steel disk.
An employee places the disk
in a more powerful press.
It uses 165 tons of force
To transform the disk
into a basic bucket shape.
Next, another press
applies over 175 tons of force
To deepen the bucket
and reduce the diameter.
Stretching the flat disk twice
has made the metal fragile,
So it's exposed
to induction coils
That are heated
to over 1,800 degrees.
After cooling,
The steel's strength
is restored,
And it's ready
to be shaped again.
The final press
gives the ice bucket
A cone-like shape.
The ice bucket spins on a table
That moves through six different
polishing stations.
The brushes at each stop
are progressively thinner,
And this gradual polishing
Gives the stainless steel bucket
a high sheen.
With the help of a template,
The worker welds handles
to the steel bucket.
Then the bucket
is set upside-down
On a revolving table.
A pressurized sprayer
shoots fine mineral particles
To give the interior
a smooth finish.
This is the result.
A filler head now dispenses acid
and then plunges into it
And applies
an electrical current.
This removes the surface metal,
resulting in a brilliant finish.
After the acid has washed off,
A worker inserts a perforated
plate for drainage.
This ice bucket
is now ready for a party.
Narrator: it's not enough
For a dining chair
to look inviting.
It also has to be
comfortable and sturdy.
The secret to manufacturing
a quality dining chair
Is to use hardwood
And traditional furniture
construction techniques.
This company makes dining chairs
out of hardwoods,
Such as birch, walnut, oak,
and ash.
They dry the wood until
its moisture content is 7%,
So the chair size stays
consistent after construction.
First, workers
stand planks of wood
On a conveyor belt
to apply glue.
Then they align
the planks' glued edges...
...and clamp them tightly
together in a heated press.
After a few hours
of heat and pressure,
The glue is dry,
and they release the press.
The planks now form
a large panel
From which to cut
the chair parts.
A computer-guided band saw
cuts the preliminary shape.
These are chair legs.
The next machine, the profiler,
finalizes the shape
And sands the wood surface
on all sides.
Workers now mount the parts on
another computer-guided machine.
This one
drills slots called mortises.
These mortises
will receive pins called tenons
Protruding from adjoining parts.
Before assembly,
workers sand all the parts
So they can be stained later.
To make a curved chair back,
they have to bend the wood.
They need the wood to have
a 15% to 22% moisture content.
Any drier, and the fibers
would snap when bent.
They steam the wood for an hour
To soften it
and make it more flexible.
They place the steamed wood
in a curved mold on a press.
Then they dry it with a device
That generates heat
using radio frequencies.
After about an hour,
They release the press
and remove the wood.
The moisture content is now 7%,
which maintains the curve shape.
Parts that need tenons
go into this automated machine.
Its rotary knife shapes
the tenon in about one second.
Workers glue the mortises
In the two vertical sides
of the chair back,
Then brush glue onto the tenons
Of the chair back's
horizontal pieces.
They align
the tenons and the mortises
And secure them in place
with a mallet.
They put the chair back
into a press
To force the tenons in place.
They reinforce
each mortise-and-tenon joint
With staples designed for wood.
They continue
to assemble the chair parts
With mortise and tenon joints.
This method is key
To the chair's strength
and stability.
Now for the final stage
of construction.
They attach the front-leg
assembly to the chair back.
The chair is placed in a press
to completely secure the tenons.
Then they attach a support piece
in each corner.
In the finishing department,
They spray
a light coat of stain,
Wipe off the excess
so that the color is even,
Spray on a sealant,
lightly re-sand the wood,
And apply
a coat of protective finish.
Finally,
they add a seat cushion,
Which screws into the chair
from underneath.
Now you're sitting pretty.
Narrator:
the first pools were built
By the ancient greeks and romans
in the 19th century.
Large cities like london
Started building indoor pools
for sports and recreation.
Backyard residential pools
became popular in the 1950s.
Today,
residential in-ground pools
Are available in a variety
of shapes and sizes.
Their parts are made to order
in the factory.
The first step
is to design the pool
According to
the client's specifications.
Computer software
then determines
Exactly which components
must be built.
The side panels of the pool
are made with galvanized steel
Plated with zinc
to prevent rusting.
They die-cut "v"-shaped notches
on the top
And will cut similar ones
on the bottom later.
These little dimples
in the metal
Will hide the heads of bolts.
They punch out holes
On the remaining ends
of the panel.
These will serve
to join multiple panels
To create the perimeter
of the pool.
They insert each panel
in a powerful metal folder.
It firmly clamps
the sheet of metal
And pushes up the edge
to create a 90-degree angle.
Taking a flat, metal sheet
And turning it
into a three-dimensional object
Makes it stronger.
They fold the notches at the top
and bottom ends of the panel.
They also die-cut a large hole
for the clean-water inlet.
To make a curved panel, they
place it on a fixed-radius jig.
They insert a metal profile
called a stiffener
And bolt it in place.
They use a custom flat head
bolt and nut
That will lodge themselves
in the metal dimples.
Next, an automated clamp
Bends the panel
to fit the jig's curve.
The "v"-shaped notches
allow the panel to bend easily,
But workers must install radius
belts to maintain this shape.
They fasten the radius belts
permanently
Using hydraulic rivet g*ns.
All in-ground pool panels
are made to order
And shipped
as soon as they are ready.
In the thermoforming department,
They use a fixed sheet
of a.b.s. Plastic
To make
the in-ground pool steps.
The sheet is firmly clamped
in a frame
And goes into an oven.
The oven heats the plastic
To around 350 degrees
for five minutes
Until it gets soft and pliable.
As the plastic
comes out of the oven,
A fiberglass mold is pushed up,
Forming the main shape
of the steps.
A rigid cage seals the sides,
And a powerful vacuum
sucks out the air,
Forcing the plastic
against the mold.
A series of fans
cool down the plastic.
When it has hardened enough,
it's removed from the mold.
They prepare the vinyl liner
for the inside of the pool.
There are about 30 designs
to choose from.
Workers unroll the vinyl
on a cutting table,
Where a conveyor
will keep pulling on it.
A computer-controlled
rotary knife
Zips over the moving vinyl...
...cutting effortlessly
To create
all the required sections.
The cutting process
generates little waste,
And the materials
are fully recyclable.
Workers carefully fold
each section of the liner.
All sections will be assembled
in another department,
According to the assembly plan.
On-site,
they assemble the steps,
The side panels, and the piping
for the filter and heater.
They pour concrete
around the pool
To form a foundation.
Then they pour some
inside the pool
To create the bottom.
They smooth the surface and let
the concrete set for two days.
A worker
unfolds the vinyl liner.
It has a semi-rigid pvc edge
That hooks into
the top of the pool.
They fill the space
around the pool with gravel
And pour a concrete sidewalk
on top.
All that's left to do
is add paving stones or a deck,
Some plants and furniture,
And you'll have your own,
personal paradise.
If you have any comments
about the show,
Or if you'd like to suggest
topics for future shows,
Drop us a line at...
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