Narrator: bit by bit,
The screwdriver makes
the life of a handyman
A whole lot easier.
The screwdriver first showed up
In the early part
of the 19th century.
It evolved from a flat-bladed
bit used in a carpenter's brace,
And its invention
was a definite turning point.
These trusty tools
come with different bits
To fit a variety of screwheads,
So all you have to do
is apply the right torque,
And it's mission accomplished.
The job of making screwdrivers
Starts with coils
of specially formulated steel.
Wheels straighten a thick wire,
And then it travels
through an aperture.
On the other side,
a machine rocks back and forth
As it cuts the wire to length
and forces it through four dies.
The first die narrows the steel
to the required diameter.
The others form a hexagonal
bolster partway down.
This bolster will allow a wrench
to be applied to the screwdriver
To increase its turning power.
A quick shower
washes away the lubricant,
And these screwdriver shafts
are ready for inspection.
The technician examines them
for defects
And measures the length
and the dimensions
Of the hexagonal bolster.
Once he confirms that everything
is to specification,
The screwdriver shafts
head into a machine
That will transform the tips
into a slotted shape.
At the first two stations,
the press flattens the tip.
The third one trims it and
stamps the part number onto it.
The flat blade is probably
the most common of screwdrivers.
Its chiseled tip
turns a standard slotted screw.
After the screwdrivers
are heat-treated
To increase their hardness,
They sand the tips to shave off
.1 of a millimeter.
They confirm that
with this slotted guide.
Then they insert
the screwdrivers
Into a different slotted device.
This one shuttles them
over to a grinding wheel.
This wheel trims them
to their final dimensions.
Visually, the change is subtle,
But this fine-tuning
will make a big difference
In the screwdrivers'
performance.
Now they twirl in a machine
That blasts the tips
with mild abrasive.
This texturizes the surface
To allow this screwdriver
to really grip a screwhead.
The texturized tip
is the one on the right.
Over at another station,
A different kind of screwdriver
is taking shape.
This is a phillips.
Its tip has
a beveled cross point
To correspond
with a phillips screw.
This machine carves ridges into
the bevels of the cross point
To give it extra gripping power.
A press then slams into
the other end of the screwdriver
To create flanged grooves.
These grooves will allow them
To lock the screwdriver shaft
into its handle.
It's time for some
positive vibrations.
This vibrating feeder
Causes the screwdrivers
to chafe against each other,
And the action removes
any waste material.
After they texturize
the cross-point tip,
It's over to a laser machine.
It etches the part numbers onto
these polyurethane handles.
And now for the gripping part.
The assembler attaches the
handle to the screwdriver blade.
He then places the screwdriver
in a machine
That applies mechanical force
To solidly entrench
the shaft in the handle.
With the screwdrivers
now on a tray,
They move through
a curtain of plastic.
A machine heat-seals the plastic
around the edges.
The loosely wrapped tray
then enters a special furnace,
And the heat shrinks
the plastic around the tray
To neatly wrap up this job.
It has taken several days
to make these screwdrivers,
And now they're ready for
the twists and turns of any job.
Tools like these screwdrivers
Are really an extension
of the human hand.
A quality tool will enable you
to work with more precision,
But, of course,
You have to grasp the
fundamentals of your project.
And depending on what kind
of handyman you are,
That could be
a whole other story.
Narrator: compact track loaders
move materials like dirt,
Gravel, and even snow
Into a dump truck
or any other type of machinery.
The rubber tracks give them
the traction to work hard
While treading lightly over soft
ground conditions like grass.
Compact track loaders
can be used year round.
Compact track loaders
give a smooth and stable ride
Over all sorts of terrain.
Their rubber tracks
and suspension
Allow them to turn on a dime
And work in places
where other machines can't.
To start, technicians attach
four sets of mid wheels
To a frame rail.
The wheels are made
of plastic and rubber.
Then they assemble
the axle suspension
Using rubber cords so the wheels
can flex up and down.
They tighten the bolts
and mark them as done.
After they attach two more sets
of mid wheels,
What's called the frame-rail
assembly is complete.
Technicians then attach a
turnbuckle to the frame rail.
The turnbuckle will be used
To tighten or loosen
the rubber track.
Next, they put together
the drive sprocket assembly --
The part that drives the track.
They put a drive motor
into a housing,
Add the sprocket assembly, then
put on a heavy-duty bearing.
Finally,
they install a support plate
Which completes
the drive-motor assembly.
A technician then mounts
the drive-motor assembly
Onto the frame-rail assembly.
Technicians install
the rubber track
Onto the frame-rail assembly.
A little lubrication
makes the track go on easier
Until its molded lugs interlock
With the drive-sprocket
assembly.
Next comes a larger idler wheel,
Which they install
at the end of the track,
Securing it on the axle.
He tightens the turnbuckle
To give the rubber track
the correct tension,
Completing
the undercarriage assembly.
The track loader will ride
on two of these undercarriages.
A technician installs
the machine's main suspension
Onto the chassis, then connects
the hydraulic-valve assembly.
It's the hub to which they
connect all the hydraulic lines
And hoses
used to control the machine.
Using a crane,
The technician mounts the engine
to the chassis.
Once the engine is secure,
He puts on
the integrated fuel tank.
He installs a hydraulic cylinder
And connects
its two fluid lines.
One cylinder goes on each side
of the machine.
They are used to move
the loader bucket up and down.
He then connects
the undercarriage assembly
To the chassis
using an undercarriage pin
And pneumatic wrench
to secure it in place.
A technician now installs
the loader assembly --
The part that holds the bucket
or other attachment.
Once installed, this machine
can lift more than 3 tons.
He secures the assembly in place
using heavy-duty pins.
Then technicians install
the operator's station
That helps protect the driver
from the elements
And from debris.
A technician makes sure
the loader arm works properly,
Then drives the track loader
on a treadmill
To test all the systems.
He runs the engine at full speed
Until it reaches the appropriate
operating temperature.
This shows that everything
is working as it should.
Finally, he affixes
the company logo.
Compact track loaders
are strong and agile machines.
They work just as well
on dry surfaces
As they do
in wet and muddy conditions.
Narrator: stepping onto
the scale at the doctor's office
Is a moment of truth
not everyone enjoys.
Little has changed in the
simple design of these scales
Since the early 1900s.
Cast iron has given way
to steel and aluminum.
That means they've actually
gotten lighter over the years,
Unlike some of us.
This scale compares the weight
placed on the platform
With a standard weight
known as a poise
That slides along an off-center
waybeam until it balances.
A punch press forms sheet steel
into the head,
Or top of the scale's column.
Workers form the column
from another piece of steel
Using this press brake.
Then they spot-weld the head
and column together.
Another machine stamps out
lengths of steel
That will form the frame
for the scale's base.
Workers use
the press brake again
To bend both sides
of the steel lengths.
Then they fold it by hand
to form the frame.
They clamp the frame
onto a base,
And this robot
welds them together.
The robot moves on to weld
other components to the scale,
Such as the lever mechanism
and the baseplate.
Now workers place steel bearings
at each corner of the base,
Where the lever mechanism
will rest
Then add the base frame.
Next, they install
the long lever...
Then the short lever.
A c-clip joins them together.
Once it's right-side up,
The lever mechanism
hangs off the platform.
The columns receive a coat of
electrostatically charged paint
That evenly coats the metal
for a flawless finish.
Once it's dry,
A machine silk-screens
the brand name onto the column.
Now for the final assembly.
A worker inserts
a 4-foot steel rod
That will tie the waybeam
to the levers.
He works the rod
up through the column,
Then, at the column's head,
He screws it
to the waybeam's shelf.
Another worker
hammers the large poise
Into position on the waybeam,
then the smaller poise.
They screw on to the beam in two
parts so they can glide freely.
She applies a gauge
onto the beam
That indicates the weight
measured in pounds
From 0 to 350.
Now she takes
a zero-adjustment screw
And spring-loads it
onto the beam.
This allows the beam to balance
when the poises are set at zero
And the scale is unweighted.
A retaining ring
holds the screw in place.
At the assembly line,
Workers fasten the scale's
column to its base.
They cover the pivot
to protect it from wear
And set down the waybeam
that balances on it.
Then they connect it
to the steel rod
That comes up through the column
from the base.
Once the waybeam connects to
the lever mechanism at the base,
The scale is functional.
Now it's time to make sure
it's accurate.
Each scale
goes to a weigh station
Where workers check the readings
in 44-pound increments.
If the readings are off,
Workers go back and remove some
lead from inside the large poise
So the scale
calibrates perfectly.
Just a few grams of lead
Can make all the difference
in accuracy.
Finally, they place a plastic
cover over the working parts,
And the scale is complete.
Narrator:
when the competition is stiff,
Sometimes it helps to be
a little flexible,
And that's the idea behind
the carbon-fiber softball bat.
Manufacturers can tweak
the stiffness of carbon fiber
To produce a bat
with some elasticity.
It's a striking innovation.
Carbon bats are a high-tech
way to improve your game.
Incredibly,
these hard-hitting bats
Start with pliable sheets
of carbon-fiber
Infused with a special resin.
They crisscross the sheets
And then iron the side
with a paper liner
To melt the layers at the seams.
A hot steel roller then applies
some serious pressure
To fuse the carbon-fiber
layers together.
They slice it to size.
Now they peel away
that paper liner
And spiral the carbon fiber
around a steel bat form.
By changing the angle
of the weave,
They can fine-tune
the bat's elasticity
To a league's specifications
Or to an individual player's
performance level.
They wind polypropylene tape
around the carbon layers
To squeeze out the air
between them.
They bake the carbon in an oven
for two hours.
This cures the resin
impregnated in the carbon
So the many layers become one.
After they slice away the tape,
They slide braided weaves
of carbon and fiberglass
Over the fused carbon form.
They secure the braided tubing
with tape.
They pull a layer
of thick carbon over that,
Followed by a superstrong
synthetic weave called aramid.
One last taping,
And this softball bat
is ready to take shape.
They place the carbon-wrapped
forms in a mold.
As the mold closes around them,
they prepare an epoxy resin.
They then inject the resin
into the mold.
It permeates the many layers
wrapped around the steel form.
The mold applies hot pressure
to bake the layers together
And define the contours
of these bats.
It takes just a few minutes
in the mold
To transform the many layers
into a solid bat.
This 5-ton puller
now extracts the steel form
On which the carbon bat
was built.
They use this
pneumatic equipment
To test its flexibility.
A lathe now spins the bat
as a cutter moves in
And carves the hardened
resin base into a knob.
The knob on the right
now meets league specifications.
Now this carbon bat
goes for another spin
So they can sand it
from every angle.
They dip the bats
two at a time in black primer
And hang them to dry.
The bat then takes on
a more colorful appearance
With a variety of spray paints.
They transfer decals
with production information
Onto the barrel of the bat,
And a laser burns the company
logo and serial number
Into the painted carbon.
They cap the bat
By press-fitting a polycarbonate
plug to the barrel.
Resin completes the seal,
and they add extra
To adjust the bat's weight
to league specifications.
They pump the resin in
through a hole in the knob,
And it flows
up to the barrel plug.
Then they weigh each bat
To verify that it's within
an acceptable range.
Using a hydraulic ram,
They drive a steel pin into the
hole on the bottom of the knob
To achieve the correct
balance point.
And it's time to wrap
this carbon bat
With synthetic leather,
making it easier to grip.
These high-tech bats
are now ready
To team up with raw talent,
and they could
Blow the competition
out of the ball park.
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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