18x13 - Turntables/Steam Engines/Playground Equipment/Teflon Pans

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: as the music industry
went digital,

The turntable seemed destined
for the scrap heap.

But this analog technology
defied predictions and survived.

With a sound
that's arguably fuller

And more natural
than compressed digital formats,

This retro technology
is attracting new fans.

In an age when media players
are digitized and pocket-sized,

The turntable plays on.

The use of high-tech composites
like carbon fiber

Puts a modern spin
on this technology,

Bringing the record player
into the 21st century.

[ Classical music plays]

Production starts with
a thick square of cast acrylic.

The technician drills a hole
in the center.

It will be a reference point

As he transforms this square
into the turntable platter.

A computerized tool

Cuts a circle shape
out of the square.

The disc then spins while
another computer-guided tool

Enlarges the center hole

To size it
for the platter's main bearing.

The next tool precisely cuts
the surface of the disc

To give it the correct angle.

Computerized tools transform
this small aluminum disc

Into the counterweight's
main component.

The counterweight
balances the tone arm

To keep the stylus
in the groove of an l.p.

They slope the surface

And cut holes for attachments
and for installing the part.

Finally, they cut a triangle
out of the circle.

This takes the part
to its final shape and weight...

From a flat disc

To a precisely crafted
counterweight.

Next, the platform
for the tone arm takes shape.

It's designed
to cradle all the parts

At the end of the tone arm,

Including a cylindrical housing
for a spring mechanism

And an egg-shaped housing
containing a bearing.

A technician
now assembles the tone arm,

Beginning with a tapered tube
made of carbon fiber.

It's a high-tech composite
that's extremely stiff,

So there should be no structural
weakness in this crucial part.

The technician threads
a preassembled wiring loom

Through the arm tube.

It's special wire
for high-frequency transfer.

These wires
have been encased in copper

To keep out ambient radiation

That would interfere
with the tone arm's operation.

The carbon-fiber tube
also acts as a radiation shield.

He mixes epoxy resin
that he then dabs around

The inner rim
of the bearing housing,

Which has by now been equipped
with the bearing.

He inserts the tone arm tube
into the housing.

The tube adheres
to the glue-coated rim,

But before it totally bonds,

The technician scrutinizes
the alignment.

He makes adjustments if needed,

And then he'll clamp
the assembly

To allow the glue to cure.

With the turntable tone arm
now upright,

He solders the wires that
are protruding from the joint

To external wiring
for the amplifier.

And once all the connections
have been made,

He inserts the wires
into the metal joint.

Ensconced in this joint,

The connections
are well-protected

And can't be pulled apart.

He equips
the main counterweight component

With two thick steel beams
for balance.

He slides the counterweight
onto a third beam,

Which has been installed
in the egg-shaped housing.

This completes
the turntable tone arm.

Next, they encase the electric
motor in its metal housing.

And they build the record deck.

They mount the motor
to the two-tiered deck,

Designed to absorb
any vibration.

The aluminum sub-chassis
is next.

They link it to the motor
with a drive belt,

Then they give the belt-drive
system a test spin

To confirm
that it runs smoothly.

They now install
the acrylic platter,

Felt mat, and tone arm.

With this turntable
now fully assembled,

It's time for the vinyl test.

The record spins,

And the stylus traces
the grooves.

The analog sound
fills the room...

Proving this technology
stands the test of time.

[ Classical music plays]

Narrator:
the first modern steam engine

Was invented in england
in the early 1700s,

Helping launch
the industrial revolution.

Today there's a return
to steam power.

Due to its different
configuration

And combustion process,

A steam engine
produces less pollution

Than a regular
internal-combustion engine.

This steam engine burns fuel

In an external
combustion chamber.

The resulting heat turns water
into pressurized steam

That enters the cylinders,
pushing pistons,

Turning a crankshaft
that powers the drive train.

Because this engine doesn't
burn fuel inside the cylinders

Like a traditional car engine,

It can run on any type
or mixture of fuels

With fewer emissions.

The circular engine block
is made of aluminum.

Technicians install studs

To hold six
stainless-steel cylinders.

Due to the constant exposure
to steam,

All engine parts are made
of rustproof materials.

The technicians insert a piston
into each cylinder.

The piston is aluminum

With a heat-resistant carbon cap
and glider

To isolate it
from the cylinder wall.

They connect the piston rods
to the crankshaft in the center

With a specially designed
component

Called a spider bearing.

This bearing is designed
to modify the piston stroke,

Producing a smoother rotation
of the crankshaft

And more power to the engine.

Unlike a traditional car engine,
with cylinders arranged in line,

These cylinders
are in a radial configuration

And therefore equidistant
from the center.

This prevents the engine from
warping under high temperatures.

They place a counterbalance
over their spider bearing

To further smooth the motion
of the crankshaft.

Now they install a pushrod
over each cylinder.

It operates a valve,

Which lets steam enter the
cylinder and move the piston.

They insert the base of each
pushrod into a guide ring...

Then attach the cylinder heads,

Each of which
houses a steam-entry valve.

They insert the pushrod
into the valve.

Then, to complete
the engine assembly,

They install the cam,

Which pushes the pushrods
as the shaft spins.

The factory hooks up
every completed engine

For a couple of rounds
of performance testing.

First, a trial run
using air pressure

To check for leaks

And to verify that all
components operate correctly.

If everything's fine,

Then they repeat the process
with steam pressure.

This type of steam engine can
power many types of machines,

From cars, trucks, and boats,

To electric generators
as we see here.

In a vehicle, it doesn't require
a transmission

Because it produces
so much rotational power.

Now for the heat exchanger,

The component which turns water
into engine-powering steam.

Technicians use
a motorized wheel

To wind 20 feet
of stainless-steel tubing

Into a coil.

They bind the coil
with steel thread,

Putting a stitch
in between each tube

To create a minute gap.

That way, when fuel burns
in the combustion chamber,

The heat can travel
over and in between the tubes,

Heating the water inside
faster and more efficiently

Than if the heat would contact

Only the coils' top
and bottom surfaces.

The result -- superheated steam
in just five seconds.

They stack six of these coils,

One to feed steam
to each cylinder.

This nest of tubes

Form the engine's
primary heat exchanger.

They test it
using any number of fuels,

Even waste fuels which would
otherwise be discarded,

Such as used motor oil

And used vegetable oil
from restaurant fryers.

Virtually anything that burns
will do the job.

The fuel combusts
at low pressure,

Not at high pressure
as in a gas or diesel engine.

That means burning fossil fuels
to make steam

Produces far fewer
greenhouse gases,

And most hydrocarbons
burn off completely

Within the sealed
combustion chamber.

You never have to refill
or top off the water

Because a condenser cools
the steam back into water,

Which then recirculates.

Water is not only
the working fluid --

It also acts
as the engine lubricant,

So the steam engine
doesn't require motor oil.

Besides fuel combustion,

This modern steam engine
can run off other heat sources,

Such as solar heat

And exhaust heat
from furnaces or engines.

Narrator: there was a time
when the playground equipment

In the local park or schoolyard
was pretty basic stuff --

A set of swings, a slide,
maybe a see-saw or two.

Today's playground equipment

Is far more varied,
imaginative, and colorful,

Designed to stimulate
children's minds

As well as exercise
their bodies.

Slide down, climb on,
wriggle through.

There's no end
to how kids can frolic

On modular play structures

Or on this bubble-belly
dinosaur.

To make
the dinosaur's neck and legs,

An automated band saw

Cuts long steel tubes
to specific lengths.

The tube for the neck
is 5 1/2 feet long.

Workers curve it
in a bending press.

A level helps them
get it just right.

Next, they weld on
two steel plates.

These will support plastic seats
on which kiddies can sit.

Workers also weld on bars

For attaching the neck
to the body.

They weld anchoring tabs
and supporting bars

To the four steel-tube legs.

Workers sandblast
the legs and neck

With stainless-steel grit.

The sandblasting g*n
shoots the grit

At a speed of 435 miles an hour.

This roughens the surface,
enabling paint to better adhere.

After applying
an undercoat of gray primer,

Workers spray on a coat
of plastic-based paint.

The paint is then baked on,
which maximizes its durability.

Meanwhile, a computer-guided
engraving machine

Carves an educational design
into a panel

Made of triple-layered
polyethylene plastic.

Panels like this block the open
sides of playground equipment,

Preventing children
from falling through.

To construct the dinosaur's
bubble-shaped body,

Workers bolt together

Two half-spheres made
of molded polyethylene plastic.

They position the bubble body
on the legs...

...then bolt them together
from the inside.

They bolt the neck to the body.

The neck
has since been outfitted

With plastic seats
and the dino's plastic head.

They finish off the dinosaur

With a metal label
bearing product information.

This factory produces
several components

For its modular play structures,

Such as a climbing net
made of galvanized steel cable.

The hard cable
is padded in polyurethane.

Workers use hydraulic scissors

To cut the required lengths
of cable...

Then a cable stripper

To slice off a little more
than an inch of polyurethane

From the ends of certain cables.

Workers then cap
each exposed end

With a sleeved aluminum ring.

They crimp the sleeve
with a 44-ton press.

The rings will be bolted

To the play structure's frame
and anchoring system.

Finally, workers assemble
the cables into a grid,

Locking each intersection
with a plastic connector.

To ensure they won't rust
from exposure to the elements,

The connectors'
central screw and corner rivets

Are made of stainless steel.

On the modular play structure,
the children walk on a platform.

It's constructed
from thick steel sheets,

Perforated
by a robotic laser cutter.

After bending the sheet
in a press

To the required shape --

This is the corner section
of the platform --

Workers heat it in an oven...

Then submerge it
in a vat of polyvinyl,

Which instantly adheres
to the hot metal.

They build up a good coat --
about a 10th of an inch thick --

Then let the excess drip off.

They blast the entire piece
with an airgun.

This clears the holes

And produces a textured,
anti-slip surface.

Since playground equipment
remains outdoors,

All the paints and plastics
are u.v.-Treated

To resist fading.

Besides being durable,
the equipment is designed

To meet
all required safety standards

So that parents
can have peace of mind

While their children have fun.

Narrator: food just slides off
nonstick cookware's

Remarkably slippery surface.

In 1938, an american chemist

Was experimenting
with refrigeration gases.

A waxy substance formed.

Years later,
when bonded to cookware,

It gained a nonstick reputation.

When it's time to fry,

Using a nonstick pan
averts a messy situation.

The nonstick coating

Is one of the slipperiest
solid materials on earth.

Called polytetrafluoroethylene,

The name is a bit of a mouthful,
but the appeal is simple.

Food won't get stuck
on this nonstick surface.

To make the aluminum pan,
they use 70% raw material

And 30% leftovers from prior
production of pots and pans.

They fire it to a molten state

And filter it
to remove contaminants.

The liquid aluminum flows
into vertical rectangular molds.

A jacket of water
around the molds

Cools the aluminum to take it
from a liquid to a solid.

A crane extracts the cast slabs.

They're heading
to a heating chamber

To soften the slabs.

This will allow the metal
to be shaped and formed.

A saw slices the slabs in two
and trims the ends.

More blades scrape the top
and bottom

To remove impurities.

A conveyor repeatedly feeds
the shorter slabs

To heated rollers.

Guides at the side
maintain the width,

While the rollers compress
the aluminum,

Taking the thickness
down to about .2 of an inch.

The rolling also elongates
the slab substantially.

It starts out
at 6 1/2 feet long,

And after a few minutes
of rolling,

It's been stretched
to well over 100 yards.

Pizza-cutter-style blades

Trim the edges
of the aluminum sheet.

Another roller winds
the aluminum into a big coil.

They then unwind it

And squeeze the aluminum
to flatten it.

Machinery now pulls
the long aluminum sheet forward

To a 132-ton punch press.

This powerful press
forces the metal

Around a frying-pan-shaped die

And then punches out the shape.

The freshly formed
aluminum frying pan

Falls onto a conveyor below.

The leftover aluminum will be
used to make new frying pans.

The pans now ride a conveyor
through a washing station,

Where they're cleaned and then
treated with sodium hydroxide.

This opens the pores
of the metal

To allow an enamel coating
to stick to the outside

And the nonstick finish
to adhere to the inside.

A worker inspects the pans

And places them upside-down
on spray fixtures.

It's a tight fit
to shield the inside

From the enamel spray
that comes next.

The pans spin on the fixtures
and twirl by the spray nozzles

For an even application
of enamel

To the exterior of the pans.

A clear, glossy coat follows.

The frying pans transfer
to a dryer conveyor.

The hot air pulls out water
from the enamel coating,

And the color goes from gray
to chalky white.

An automated squeegee

Silk-screens the company's name
and other information

Onto the pan bottoms.

They now enter
a long curing oven

Heated to 1,040 degrees
fahrenheit.

The cure toughens the enamel,

Deepens the color
so it turns gray again,

And it adds gloss.

A suctioning device
picks up the pan

And turns it around
for the inside coatings.

A sprayer applies
a special primer

That will make the nonstick
coating adhere to the pan.

It then applies
the nonstick coating.

The pans receive two layers

Of this nonstick
synthetic substance.

The suctioning device
releases the pan,

And it lands upside down.

Then the pans journey
through the oven again

To cure the nonstick finish

At around 800 degrees
fahrenheit.

On exit, water rains down

To cool the pans
and rinse off any contaminants.

Then they go through
an infrared-light chamber

To dry off.

From a plain shell to a pan with
an enamel finish on the outside

And a nonstick coating
on the inside,

The transformation
has taken just one hour.

A worker now aims a laser

And aligns it
with lettering on the bottom,

Allowing him to punch holes
in a precise location

On the side of the pan.

He slides pins into the holes

And slots them through holes
in the handle fitting.

Using a ram,
he flattens the pins

To rivet the handle to the pan.

Now, no matter what's cooking,
cleanup should go smoothly.

If you have any comments
about the show,

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

Drop us a line at...