25x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
precast concrete walls

Are made in a controlled plant
environment,

Where weather can't interfere
with the curing process.

They're cast with insulation

Before they arrive
at the construction site.

All that's needed is a crane
to do the heavy lifting.

Precast concrete walls
have a tough exterior

That holds up to all kinds
of weather,

But making these structural wall
panels is an inside job.

By manufacturing them indoors,

They can better prepare them
for the outdoors.

Production starts with a mix
of crushed rock and sand.

This collection
is limestone-based.

The mineral mix can be altered
for different strengths

And finishes.

A conveyor delivers
the collection of minerals

To a huge mixer.

They inject cement, water,

And additives to improve
the flow of the concrete,

Accelerate the cure,
and give it a brownish hue.

Beaters whip the ingredients
into a thick, gritty mix.

They cast some of the concrete
into cylindrical shapes

For testing.

After a one-day cure, they
crush the cylinders with a ram.

The amount of force
it takes to crush the cylinders

Is a measure of the concrete
batch's strength.

Before they cast the wall,
a crew

Arranges giant foam letters
to make an imprint in the mold.

They position the letters in
the center of the casting form

And secure them with silicone.

A release agent is sprayed onto
the casting form and letters.

High-strength steel cables
are strung throughout the form.

With a hydraulic device,

They pull each cable
to a specific tension.

Then, they bend a rebar rod
into a loop.

The rebar loops are linked,
creating long cages.

They place one cage

At the top of the form
and one at the bottom.

Then, the team inserts a sheet
of welded wire mesh.

It's been cut to fit the size
of the form.

They're now ready
to pour concrete.

A truck dispenses the concrete
directly into the form.

The concrete flows
around the steel reinforcement.

The steel will keep
the wall strong

When the concrete expands
and contracts

As the weather changes.

The team spreads the concrete
and levels

It with a tool called a screed.

This first layer
of the wall panel

Is essentially one side
of a sandwich.

It will be the exterior part
of the wall.

At the center of the sandwich
is this rigid foam insulation.

It's studded with protrusions
to secure to the concrete.

More steel-reinforced concrete
completes the wall sandwich.

This final layer will face
the inside of the building...

...so the crew takes extra care

To ensure that there are no pits
or crevices.

After about 12 hours, the wall
is solid enough to be handled.

They take it outdoors,

Where a worker
sandblasts a small section

Of the exterior side.

This removes the surface cement
to expose the aggregate,

Creating a decorative band
next to the embossed lettering.

After a three-day cure,

The precast concrete wall is
ready for the construction site.

A crew guides it onto footings.

They align its design
to the one on the next wall.

When the two walls
match up perfectly,

They bolt it down.

The concrete
continues to cure over time,

So these precast walls will
stand strong for many years.

Narrator: would you like to
print a toy, a circuit board,

Or a replica
of a famous work of art?

Thanks to the development
of the 3d printer,

What used to be the stuff
of science fiction

Is now a reality.

These objects were produced
by 3d printers, proof that,

For printing technology,
the world is no longer flat.

To make 3d printers,

This company
actually uses 3d printers.

A technician starts by loading

A reel of plastic filament
into a printer.

The printer melts the plastic
into a thick goo.

The 3d printer

Layers the plastic, following
a pattern from a digital file.

This particular part
is the extruder body.

In real time, it takes about an
hour to print the extruder.

Even complex patterns,
like this octopus,

Can be made with a 3d printer.


Of this 3d printer

Are produced using 3d printers.

At this facility, 135 printers
run nonstop, producing gears,

Brackets,
and mechanism housings.

This technology
is truly self-replicating.

Now, a worker drills a hole
in the extruder body.

It serves as a conduit
for the plastic filament

During printing.

He bolts a gear
to the extruder body.

He screws the motor
to the extruder body

And installs a second,
smaller gear on the drive shaft.

A part called the hot end
is installed next.

It contains a heater for melting
the plastic filament.

The worker attaches the hot end
to a 3d-printed plastic mount

And extruder.

This completes
the 3d printer tool head.

Another worker feeds glass
to rubber rollers.

The rollers gently apply
adhesive-backed polyester film

To the glass.

The glass will serve
as the printer bed,

And the film will protect
it from scratches during use.

To build
the printer's aluminum frame,

The worker secures the joints
with 3d-printed plastic parts.

He installs two rods
horizontally.

They'll serve as rails
for the printer tool head

To move across.

He clips the tool head
to the rails.

Then, he loops a rubber belt
around the motor

On the side of the frame
and links it to the tool head.

The belt will drive the tool
head along the carriage.

He confirms the tension is good

And that the tool head
moves freely.

Next, he attaches the print bed
and its sliding support

Structure
to the base of the frame.

He connects a cord
to the power supply

And links it to the tool head.

It will power both the motor
and the hot end.

He clips the glass
to the print bed

And tightens the clips
with screws.

He connects the print bed
to the electronics

And confirms
that it slides freely.

In the testing department,

A technician pushes the end
of a plastic filament reel

Into a drilled channel
in the tool head.

He snaps a retainer
around the feed point.

Now, he is ready
to activate the 3d printer.

He prints a test pattern
to confirm that the printer bed

Is level and the tool head
prints consistently.

For two-tone printing,
they use two filament reels

That feed into a double extruder
tool head.

The tool head layers the
plastic, one color at a time.

This process
takes about an hour,

But that's not too long

When you consider
that it's printing a 3d object.

Talk about generating
solid results.

Narrator:
tower cranes can be found at
most large construction sites,

But they're usually secured
in a concrete slab

That can take days to set up.

If you need a crane
for some quick maintenance work,

A truck-mounted
telescopic crane

Might be a better solution.

Telescopic cranes can support
loads of up to 6 tons

And lift objects over 30 feet
in the air.

The steel cable
or wire rope winds

And unwinds
on a hydraulic winch.

The crane operator can extend
or retract the boom extensions

And adjust the angle
of the main boom.

Stowing the crane
in the travel position

Takes just a few minutes.

Assembly begins
when a carbon steel sheet

Is loaded
into a cnc laser cutter.

A high-energy light beam
cuts through the steel plate

To make several parts
of the crane assembly.

A computer program
maximizes the number

Of pieces cut
out of a single sheet of steel.

A welder places parts
on a position fixture.

Then, a cnc weld robot bonds
the side plates

To the winch mounting plate
and base plate.

The welded crane mast
goes to the machining center.

A machinist positions it
on the horizontal mill jig.

The cnc mill drills

Holes around the base plate
with a carbide drill bit

And sprays coolant to prevent
the piece from overheating.

Then, the machine levels
the surface under the base plate

With an end mill to fit it
to the crane mast bearing.

Another worker bends tubes
with a hydraulic press brake.

He makes boom segments

By forming high-strength carbon
steel plates into open c shapes.

Grounded electrostatic paint
racks carry the parts

Into the painting department.

A worker applies a coating

Of anti-rust, low-friction
electrostatic paint.

The paint eases the movement
of the crane parts.

As the boom extensions
come out of the paint shop,

The painted mast is ready to go
to the assembly department.

A worker positions the mast
on the base bearing assembly.

He attaches the mast
to the bearing

With high-strength steel bolts

And uses a pneumatic torque
wrench to tighten the bolts.

These bolts bear most
of the load of the crane.

A worker positions the winch
on the mount plate

And tightens the bolts.

He rotates the mast
to check its movement

On the base bearing.

He inserts a bushing
and fits it with an arbor.

He applies lubricant

Inside the bushing before he
brings in the main cylinder.

The worker positions the
cylinder between the side plates

And pins it to the mast.

The pin allows the cylinder
to move vertically

When elevating the boom.

Hydraulic actuators are now
installed inside the mast.

The actuators direct oil flow
to the cylinders and motors,

Controlling the movement
of the crane.

A worker installs the boom
extensions into the main boom.

He pushes them all the way in
before assembling the main boom

To the crane base.

The main boom fits right
between the mast side plates.

Workers insert a pin to connect
the mast to the main boom.

They gently tap it in place
with a soft mallet

And bolt it
on with a pneumatic wrench.

A worker threads the wire rope
along the boom

And around the top pulley,
then pulls the cable down

And runs it
through the snatch block.

He closes a safety pin
on the snatch block

And pins the eye of the cable
under the top pulley.

Another worker
activates the winch motor

To roll the cable in.

The main cylinder elevates the
crane into operating position.

The extension cylinder
extends the boom,

And stabilizers support the back
of the truck

For safe operation of the crane.

Narrator: in a world lit
by incandescent,

Fluorescent, halogen,
and l.e.d.s,

There are some people
who still like their lighting

The old-fashioned way.

Nothing quite matches the warm
glow of a kerosene lamp.

Kerosene lamps date back
centuries.

They're fueled by kerosene,
with a wick as the light source.

To light the lamp,

You remove the glass chimney,

Light the wick, then turn a key
attached to the burner

To raise or lower the wick.

The height of the wick
adjusts the height of the flame.

This burner's components
are made of brass.

Many of them are stamped
by a press.

The press rams the lubricated
brass sheet against the die,

Forming the metal
to the required shape.

The component passes
through a second stamping press,

This time receiving
five successive strikes.

This component is the midsection
of the burner's gallery,

The ornate support fixture

That holds the glass chimney
over the flame.

After the component passes
through the first two presses,

Workers
mount it on a third press.

This one punches ventilation
holes around the perimeter,

Allowing air to feed the flame.

Workers mount the gallery's
bottom section

Onto another punch press.

It cuts an intricate design
along the perimeter.

This machine cuts out the bottom

So the part can fit around
the burner mechanism.

The next machine
carves threads into it.

The threads enable the gallery
to screw

Onto the burner mechanism.

Now it's time to assemble
the gallery sections.

It has grips to hold the bottom
of the chimney.

Next, they fasten the bottom
section to the middle section.

This method of joining parts
by compressing one

Against the other is known
as a press fit.

They also stamp
the brass adjustment key

That raises and lowers the wick.

The die stamps
the manufacturer's name

And cuts teeth
along the perimeter,

Making the key easier to grip.

To build the burner mechanism,

They solder a notch plate,
called a shutter,

To a component
they refer to as the candle.

It's called the candle because
the wick will run through it.

They attach the adjustment key
to a pair of gears...

...and solder
that to the shutter.

They turn the key to make sure
the gears rotate freely.

They place a base
into an assembly tool

And insert the candle containing
the adjustment key assembly.

Then,
they solder on a wick guide.

They check the gears again
to make sure they rotate freely.

The burner mechanism
is finished.

Now, they dip it
into a chemical degreaser

To remove any lubricant
or soldering residue.

Next, they submerge it in a vat
of acids to brighten the brass.

Then, they rinse it
in water three times.

Now, they assemble all
of the burner parts.

They insert a cotton wick

Into the guide
at the bottom of the mechanism

And turn the key to feed it up
through the burner.

They screw on the gallery
and complete the burner

By inserting a disk
that will help shape the flame.

To install the burner

In a lamp, the insert
the wick into the font

And screw the burner
to the font's threaded collar.

The glass chimney
is the finishing touch.

To fill the lamp with fuel,
remove the chimney,

Unscrew the burner,
pour kerosene into the font,

Then screw the burner back on.

This lamp is now ready to light.