12x10 - Airstream Trailers/Horseradish/Industrial Steam Boilers/Deodorant

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: in 1931,
airstream founder wally byam

Sold plans to build your own
travel trailer.

In response to a growing demand,

He decided manufacturing
was the better way to go.

He then introduced
the airstream trailer,

With its familiar modern design

That has withstood
the test of time.

The airstream trailer
is a recreation vehicle

That can take you
to the most remote areas,

Yet still enjoy
a fully functional living space.

They can also be hooked up
to outside services,

So you can stay as long as
you like in the comfort of home.

To start, an operator puts a
sheet of aircraft-grade aluminum

Into a press
that punches the rivet holes.

A worker
then rivets the sheets together

To make the walls
of the trailer.

Here they're assembling
the end shells,

The rounded end sections for the
front and back of the trailer.

They apply sealant
to all the seams.

Technicians
then rivet the two ends

To the components
that make up the trailer shell,

Including the floor,
the walls, and the roof.

A worker uses
a router and a template

To cut out window openings
from the walls.

He puts the windows
in the openings

And secures them in place.

Another worker
applies a weatherproof sealant

To all the interior seams,

Then smoothes it out
to ensure good coverage.

Using a crane, they lower
the shell onto the chassis.

At this point, they thread some
of the wiring into the shell.

Next comes the plywood floor,

Which a worker attaches firmly
to the chassis.

Another associate
puts the door in place.

He rivets the door to the shell.

He takes extra care
to protect the aluminum

From being damaged
by the force of the rivet g*n.

The trailer then goes
into a rain-test booth

That simulates
hurricane-strength rain.

The test lasts about an hour,

During which a technician makes
sure the shell is watertight.

Next, they apply a water-based
adhesive to the interior

And install insulation
throughout the shell.

Now they bring in
the interior skin.

It's the same aircraft-grade
aluminum used on the outside.

They trim the walls
for the window openings

Then lay down
the vinyl floor covering.

An installer trims the vinyl
and uses the old-fashioned way

To make it snug
against the shell

Because
a standard carpet stretcher

Would poke holes in the vinyl.

A worker installs
the fiberglass shower stall

And hooks up
the drain and plumbing.

He cuts a hole in the fiberglass

Then installs all
the shower-control components

And the showerhead.

He finishes off
this residential-style shower

With a frosted-glass door.

Next, they put in
the convertible couches and beds

And all the other amenities
of home, including a gas stove.

Finally, a technician
performs quality-control checks

To make sure the electrical
and mechanical systems

Work flawlessly.

Only then
is an airstream trailer

Ready to hit the road

And continue
the time-honored tradition

Of discovery and adventure

That makes this
iconic recreation vehicle

An american original.

Narrator:
horseradish has a hot history.

The ancient greeks
used it as an aphrodisiac.

They also rubbed it on sore
body parts to alleviate pain.

During the renaissance,

Eating horseradish made its way
from central europe to england.

By the late 1600s,

It was customary
among the british

To eat horseradish
with beef and oysters.

At the root of this
hot condiment is a root.

You peel away an outer skin
to access a thick white flesh.

Chewing or grinding the flesh
releases enzymes,

Which produce
horseradish's heat --

The plant's natural defense
mechanism against predators.

Horseradish
is a leafy, flowering plant

With a thick central root,
called the mother root,

And smaller offshoots
called sets.

After culling the mother root,

Farmers re-plant the sets,

Each of which will spawn
a new plant.

At harvest time,

The first farm machine chops
down the plants to ground level

And rakes the leaves
out of the way.

Then a horseradish harvester
digs up the roots.

As the roots bounce onto
a mesh conveyer belt,

Most of the soil breaks off
and falls back onto the ground.

You have to keep horseradish
cold to keep it hot.

So the roots go directly
into a cooler.

The temperature
is just above freezing

And the humidity high so
the roots retain their moisture.

To grind them
fresh from the field

Would produce horseradish
with a grassy flavor,

So the roots spend
about a month in the cooler.

Only then
are they ready for processing.

At the horseradish factory,

A machine washes the roots
in cold water.

Then a conveyer belt runs
the roots through a final rinse.

Workers carefully
inspect the roots.

They pick out any debris
and discard any dark roots

That would sully the whiteness
of the final product.

Next, the roots travel to
the automated grinding system.

The conveyer belt
has built-in scales

That control how much goes
into the grinder at a time.

The grinder works
like a giant food processor.

While grinding,

It automatically feeds in
a specific amount of vinegar.

This stops the enzyme reaction,
preventing heat from escaping.

The grinder also automatically
adds water and salt brine.

The salt adds flavor and keeps
the horseradish from browning.

Next, the horseradish
moves into a blender.

This is where the factory

Adds the extra ingredients
for specialty flavors,

Such as fresh cream
for cream-style horseradish.

A pumping system

Transfers it from the blender
to a holding tank.

Inside the tank,
mixing blades continuously turn

To prevent the ingredients
from separating.

En route to the filling station,

The inside
of every single glass container

Gets a blast of air
to blow out any debris.

The filling process
is entirely automated.

The machine
grabs each container,

Aligns it under a nozzle,

Then squirts the horseradish
inside.

The filled containers
move on a conveyer

To the capping machine.

There a spinning head descends,

Screwing a plastic cap
to the container.

Next, the containers
move to the labeler.

It applies glue
to the back of the labels,

Then slaps one on
to every container.

From there, the containers
go off to cold storage

Until shipping time --

Shipping via refrigerated truck,
of course.

Prepared horseradish has
a seven-month shelf life,

Thanks to the vinegar and salt,

Which act
as natural preservatives.

Those critical ingredients

Maintain the color,
flavor, and heat

Until you're ready to eat.

Narrator:
industrial steam boilers

Heat water to produce steam

To do such things as
sterilize surgical instruments,

Cook food,
and heat or humidify buildings.

They are even used
for dry cleaning.

The water inside
an industrial steam boiler

Is heated by natural gas,
oil, or electricity.

Industrial steam boilers

Are usually found
deep inside buildings,

Where they inconspicuously
create valuable steam and heat.

It starts with a plasma torch

That cuts holes
in a solid sheet of steel.

The thickness of the steel used

Depends on the operating
pressure of the boiler.

Using
a hydraulic bending machine,

A worker shapes the metal

Into what will become
the inner shell of the boiler.

This inner shell
will contain the water

That gets heated inside
the boiler to create steam.

He stops the rolls

And prepares an edge
of the shell for welding.

He continues shaping the metal
to a preset diameter,

And then he grinds the other
edge to prepare it for welding.

The shell shape
is now fully formed

And ready to be welded closed.

A submerged arc-welding machine

Deposits
a special granular material

That protects the weld
from air contamination.

He removes the protective
granular material,

Leaving behind a perfect weld.

Next, a worker welds
what's called a boiler head

To the shell.

He fits steel pipes
into the boiler heads

Located at both ends.

He welds the pipe
securely in place.

Workers then insert a combustion
chamber into the shell.

Later, a burner,
used to heat the water,

Will be fitted into
the combustion chamber.

A worker then tests the
fully assembled pressure vessel,

As it's now called.

He fills the space between the
combustion chamber and the shell

With water
to ensure it doesn't leak.

Workers then wrap the pressure
vessel in insulation

To help the boiler retain heat.

They wrap an outer jacket
around the pressure vessel

And secure it in place
using sheet-metal screws.

All boilers
then receive a blower,

Which feeds air into the burner
and the combustion chamber.

Next, a worker attaches
what is known as a water column.

This apparatus supports various
control devices and sensors,

As well as a visual indicator

That shows the water level
inside the boiler.

A worker connects
the electrical-control panel,

So he can test the safety
and operation of the boiler.

He powers up the unit
and fires the burner

That is installed
inside the combustion chamber.

He opens a steam-outlet pipe
on a test line

And makes sure
all the control devices,

Including the water-level
indicator and the blower,

Are working properly.

This boiler passes the test.

It generates the correct amount
of heat and steam.

Finally, a worker applies
the appropriate labeling

On every boiler,

Whether it's a smaller unit,

The type used
in a dry-cleaning business,

Or one of the larger boilers
used in a food-processing plant.

Narrator:
before bathing became common,

People used heavy colognes
to mask unwanted odor.

It wasn't until the late 1800s

That chemists created
the first commercial deodorant.

Today deodorants are available
in a variety of forms,

From natural alternatives,
like body crystals,

To antiperspirants

That use chemicals
to reduce perspiration.

Almost everyone
applies deodorant

At some point during the day.

Convenient packaging
helps make application easy.

First step
to making deodorant --

Mixing up the batch.

Workers pour a blend of
ingredients into a kettle mixer,

Then add powdered wax --

The main ingredient
that holds everything together.

They also add silicone
for a smooth texture.

Steam heats the mix
to 167 degrees fahrenheit,

Melting the ingredients.

A standard recipe for deodorants
includes wax,

Active ingredients
that prevent perspiration,

Dimethicone -- a blending agent,

Silicone,
and fragrance to mask odors.

Deodorants,
like all personal-care products,

Must meet strict
quality-control standards.

The chemists
in this plant's laboratory

Perform a variety of tests

To ensure their product
meets the highest standards.

To make sure that the product
has the right consistency,

This chemist
will perform a viscosity test.

She stirs a sample
at a constant speed,

Then verifies
that the force required

Is within the accepted range.

These containers
will dispense the deodorant.

They're mechanically unscrambled
on a rotating platform

That sends them spinning
into individual pockets.

Sensors overhead detect the ones
that aren't lining up properly.

A blast of air sends them
back onto the platform

To repeat the process.

Now that they're all
right-side-up,

They move along
to the filling station.

There, a system of levers
raises them up

To align with filling nozzles
that dispense the mix.

A system of rotating wheels
keeps the containers moving.

One wheel conveys them
to the next for filling,

And then a third wheel
leads them out.

It's best to fill
using hot mix that flows freely.

But the deodorant must cool
in order to harden.

An overhead rake
evenly lines up the containers

Inside a refrigerating tunnel.

Once it's full,

Workers set the cooling system
to 14 degrees celsius.

The deodorant will remain here
for several hours.

Next, chemists
perform a hardness test

On a cold sample of deodorant.

A force meter measures

The amount of pressure required
to crush the sample.

It has to be just right.

Too hard, and the deodorant
crumbles without spreading.

It must be able to flow smoothly

Out through this perforated dome
that will cover the deodorant.

Each container gets one
over at the doming station.

Again, a system of revolving
wheels works together

To convey the containers
through the station.

At the center wheel,

Cappers overhead
lay the perforated dome

On top of each one.

The containers then move
to the next station,

Where they each receive
a strip of adhesive plastic

That covers
the dome's surface --

A safety seal
that protects the deodorant.

Back to the doming station.

The containers
pass through once more

As the cappers now snap
a plastic cover onto each one.

Now they're ready
for the final step -- labeling.

The containers roll past a plate

That lifts off adhesive labels
from a continuous strip

And applies them.

A brush
smoothes over the labels.

That's the final touch.

Now the deodorant is ready
for shipping to customers.

Good things do come
in small packages of all kinds.

If you have any comments
about the show,

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

Drop us a line at...