13x13 - Professional Cookware/Luxury Inlaid Boxes/High-Efficiency Water Heaters/Scooters

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
a quality pot and pan

Has the ability
to heat uniformly throughout

So that food cooks evenly.

Copper is by far
the best heat conductor,

But copper cookware
is very expensive.

Aluminum conducts heat well
but isn't durable.

So many cooks use
stainless-steel cookware

That contains aluminum.

This high-end line
of stainless-steel cookware

Has an aluminum core
running throughout.

Production begins
with two stainless-steel sheets.

Using a spot welder,

Workers tack them together
along one side.

Then they lay
the connected sheets

Onto an assembly fixture.

A vacuum arm pulls up
the top sheet,

And they insert
an aluminum sheet in between.

This metal sandwich
goes onto a conveyor

That takes it on a 10-minute
ride through an oven.

The heat --


Softens the metal.

This preps them for the bonding
and shaping operations to come.

From the oven, the metals
enter the first mill,

Which uses electric current

To heat and bond
the three layers into one.

Now it's into
a second rolling mill.

This one strengthens the bond.

That steam you see
is the water-soluble lubricant

Evaporating
against the hot metal.

Now the bonded metal travels
to a second oven for reheating.

This further strengthens
the bond.

From there,
it's into a 110-ton press.

It forces down a die
to cut out the starting shape

Of the piece of cookware
they're making.

They clean off any debris
from the metal cutting.

Even a minute shard
getting under the press

Would damage the metal.

Now the disk goes
into a 220-ton press

Containing a forming tool,

Which forms it into the shape
of a 10-inch frying pan.

A sheet of paper
between each shaped pan

Prevents scratches.

They install different
forming tools on the press

To produce different types
of cookware,

From saucepans to stockpots.

Now that they've formed
the shape,

They need to do some refining.

This trimming press
first removes

Excess metal
around the perimeter.

Next comes what they call
edge conditioning.

The perimeter trimming
left the rim rough,

So now they smooth it

By running it against a cutter
at high speed.

The next stop
is a polishing machine

With an abrasive belt.

The pan's interior surface

Rotates at high speed
against the belt.

The result
is a high-gloss finish.

Now for the exterior.

The pans go onto
a rotary buffer.

Each pan runs against


Buffing wheels.

By the end of the circuit,

The stainless steel
has a mirror finish.

It's time to get a handle
on this cookware.

First, they use a press

That's essentially
an industrial-strength

Hole puncher.

It applies nearly 20 tons
of force to perforate the metal.

Workers position rivets
in the holes,

Then use another press
to squeeze them flat.

As the rivets spread outward,

They secure the handle
firmly in place.

This company's top-of-the-line
stainless-steel cookware

Contains a copper core
within the aluminum core --

A structure
designed specifically

For induction cooking,
the latest culinary technology.

A thin cut along the perimeter
exposes the copper within,

Giving this high-end cookware
a signature look.

After all, performance
and style are everything

In an industry where the
competition's always heating up.

Narrator: for centuries,

People have stored their
possessions in special boxes --

Jewelry chests, watch cases,
music boxes.

Although designed for storage,

They're often as beautiful
and as treasured

As the goods they hold --

Truly ornate, handcrafted works
of art in their own right.

These wooden boxes
are handcrafted and decorated

With beautiful
wooden inlay designs.

To build the box structure,
the carpenter uses linden,

A soft wood
that's ideal for carving.

He begins by cutting slots
in each end of the four sides.

Then he glues wooden inserts,
called biscuits,

Into one side of each piece...

Leaving the slot
on the other side empty.

Then he assembles the sides

By fitting the biscuits
of each side

Into the empty slot
of the connecting piece.

After clamping everything
firmly together,

He checks the size by tracing
a template of the final shape.

Once the glue is dry,

This computer-guided machine
cuts the sides to that shape.

The next step
will be to veneer the sides

With a decorative wood,

Such as olive, rosewood,

Redwood,
or california burr walnut.

For aesthetics, workers tape
four identical sheets together

So that the grain of the wood
appears in mirror image.

The carpenter
then applies a coat of glue

Onto the sides of the box

And presses on
a piece of veneer.

They've embellished this one
with some inlay work beforehand.

He presses the veneer flat
to force out any trapped air.

This design calls for
a black strip of bolivar wood

To ornament each corner.

To make the box cover,

The carpenter uses a machine
called a pantograph.

He moves the head in the middle
over a model of the cover.

This simultaneously
moves routers on each side

To shape a piece of wood
to the same form.

Meanwhile, the inlayer
lays a drawing

Of the cover's decorative design
on a stack of wood boards

And cuts out inlay pieces
for several covers at once.

To color the edges
of select pieces,

The inlayer burns them
in hot sand.

Some types of wood turn brown --
others, green.

After hand-cutting the design
outline in a veneer sheet,

The inlayer uses tweezers

To position the pieces of inlay
one by one.

A sheet
of adhesive paper underneath

Holds the pieces in place
for now.

Once the design is complete,

The carpenter fills the crevices
around the pieces

With plaster tinted to blend in.

A final layer of plaster
goes over the entire design

To hold all the pieces in place
permanently.

Once the plaster hardens,

He covers the entire inlaid
sheet in glue,

Further securing
the inlaid pieces.

Now he flips it over,

Then peels away
the adhesive paper...

And voilà.

He glues the inlaid sheet
to the box cover.

Pressing it down firmly
is a delicate process

When the cover's curved
like this one.

One wrong move, and crack.

After lacquering
the edge of the cover,

Workers apply four coats
of high-gloss varnish

To protect the wood.

Finally, they screw on
the box bottom,

Mount the cover to the box
with hinges,

Install any other hardware,
such as keyholes,

And if it's a music box,
install the musical movement.

Narrator:
conventional gas water heaters

Are only about


But high-efficiency
water heaters

Are up to


Meaning almost all the heat
they generate

Gets transferred to the water.

It's the unique heat exchanger

That makes these water heaters
so energy-efficient.

The heat exchanger resides
in the center of the unit.

It's made of steel pipe

That goes through a process
called mandrel bending.

Mandrel bending prevents
the 12-yard-long pipe

From kinking as it turns
into the shape of a coil.

A welder fuses steel rods
to the sides of the coil,

Making the flexible
heat exchanger

Suitably ridged.

Next, a machine pumps a ceramic
enamel through the pipe,

From the bottom up,
to ensure full coverage.

This coating protects
the interior of the pipe

Against corrosion.

It takes about 6 minutes

To fully coat
the inside of the pipe

And drain the remaining liquid.

It takes about 15 minutes
inside a furnace

For the coating to cure
and become rock hard.

Now it's time
to seal the heat exchanger

Inside an inner tank.

They first set it down
on a base,

Then cover it
with a steel enclosure.

It's this inner tank
that holds the hot water.

The tank then goes
into a vertical press

That pushes it down
onto the base.

A computerized
arc-welding machine

Welds the tank together.

A technician then pressurizes
the tank with air,

And, using water,
he checks for leaks

Until he's satisfied
there are none.

He then pumps ceramic enamel
into the tank,

And a tumble-coating machine

Shakes up
the corrosion-resistant enamel,

Fully coating
the inside of the tank

As well as the outside
of the heat exchanger.

A technician then inserts
cold-water inlet tubes

Into each tank.

He also inserts
aluminum anode rods

To help protect
the inside of the unit

By absorbing corrosive elements
in the water

Before they can attack
the steel tank.

After attaching
all the plumber's fittings,

He installs a second anode rod

That gives the tanks
double corrosion protection.

Now they put on what's called
a rolling foam stop

That helps them fit
a painted jacket over the shell

And maintain it in place.

Here, they attach the gas valve

That is used to light
the burner.

A painted cover then goes
on the top of the jacket.

They connect a blower
to the tank.

The blower is what expels
the burner's spent gases

To the outside air.

The next step is to hook up
a burner to the gas valve.

This burner
is what heats the air

That goes through
the heat exchanger,

Which, in turn, transfers
its heat to the water.

A technician
now fills the cavity

Between the inner shell
and outer jacket

With high-density
expanding foam.

This foam insulation
is about 2 inches thick

And goes all around
the circumference of the tank

To prevent heat loss.

The unit then gets
a cosmetic cover

That conceals the blower.

Finally, a technician hooks up
and tests each unit.

He follows strict
quality-control standards

Which guarantee that the burner

And all the fittings
and connections

Are working properly.

Only then is the unit
ready for shipping.

High-efficiency water heaters

Can deliver
all the hot water you need

And save you money
while they're at it.

Narrator: the motor scooter
as we know it

Hit the streets
just after world w*r ii.

Europe was rebuilding
its devastated infrastructure,

And the scooter offered
affordable transportation

At this critical time.

So in a small way,

It helped put
the postwar economy

On the road to recovery.

Many decades
after it was first introduced,

The scooter is still big
on the streets,

And the uncertain cost of fuel
is one reason why.

Production begins
with a step-through chassis.

It's often built
on a tubular frame.

But at this factory,
they have a unique approach.

Robots join three pieces
of molded steel together

By executing hundreds
of precision welds.

This transforms
the three molded pieces

Into one solid chassis.

After rustproofing and priming,

The chassis gets a paint job
and a clear protective veneer.

They cure the finish
by baking it on.

Then they polish away
any imperfections.

The chassis moves down the line,

Where a technician installs
its radiator system.

The next assembler clamps
the radiator's wiring and hoses

To the vehicle framework.

Some plastic edging helps define
the lines of the scooter.

This model receives a 4-stroke,


Which will make this scooter
a bit more peppy than some.

It also has
an automatic transmission.

Once the rear wheel
has been installed,

The worker hoists the engine
over to the chassis.

He guides it into place
just behind the passenger seat

And then bolts it
to the steel framework.

Next up is the steering column

With the front brakes
and wheel hub already attached.

The technician assembles it
to a front fender...

...then inserts
the steering column in its slot

At the front
of the scooter body.

Securing it
is a delicate business.

He tightens this special tool

To gently squeeze
the assembly together.

This technique prevents damage
to the components.

The handlebar is loosely screwed
into place for now

But will be properly
tightened down later.

This scooter's front wheel
has a 12-inch rim.

That's quite a bit bigger
than those on early scooters.

The bigger wheels add stability

And allow this scooter

To reach a higher speed
than its forerunners.

To illuminate the road ahead,

This 2-wheeler
will need a headlight.

It mounts onto the handlebar.

A technician then puts
this scooter to the test.

She checks the headlight
and all the signal lights.

She engages the motor
and throttles up

To check both wheels
and the speed gauges.

Once it gets the okay,

A worker installs
the cover on the horn

And then accessorizes
the scooter with pieces of trim.

And now they install
the scooter's saddle

On a hinge
over a storage compartment.

Another buff and polish
makes this machine gleam.

The worker then installs
pop-out footrests

For the passenger.

After one last shine,

It's over
to the quality inspector.

That's the lady in yellow.

She scrutinizes the vehicle
from all angles.

And when she gives it
the green light,

This scooter is ready
to merge with traffic.

Life on the street can be tough,

But this design has had a lot
of road testing over the years,

And that's what makes
the motor scooter a classic.

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