27x03 - Graphene, World's Smallest Car, Force Testers, Composite Cans

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Narrator:
today on "how it's made"...

In 2004, british scientists

Extracted a substance
called graphene from graphite,

Which is the material used
to make pencils.

They won the nobel prize
for this discovery

And left their mark
on physics history.

Scientists continue to explore

Graphene's extraordinary
potential.

These silicon chips
are dyed with thin flecks

Of carbon, known as graphene.

Just one atom thick
and transparent,

Graphene can sniff out chemicals
in the air

And disease enzymes in blood.

This lab manufactures graphene
using a process known

As chemical vapor deposition.

A technician loads a capsule
containing a copper foil sheet

Into a furnace.

He screws a cap
on the end of the capsule

And shuts the furnace.

He activates a system

That uses argon gas
to drive out oxygen.

When the furnace reaches
about 1,800 degrees fahrenheit,

Methane gas and hydrogen
are added.

A reaction occurs that deposits
graphene onto the foil.

Graphene can't be seen
with the naked eye.

A technician applies
tiny gold contacts

To a silicon wafer

And then submerges it in solvent
to rinse off the excess gold.

The remaining gold bits
serve as electrical contacts.

A dip in acetone cleans off
more of the loose flakes,

And a final rinse
in alcohol removes the rest.

Using a diamond-tip scribe,
he scores the silicon wafer

And breaks it
along the score lines,

Creating rectangular chips.

Another technician
deposits liquid plastic

Onto the transparent graphene
on the copper foil.

He locks the foil in a machine
called a spin coater.

It spins at 3,000 r.p.m.

This spreads the plastic

Evenly across the graphene film
on the foil.

It also accelerates
the plastic's curing process.

He then separates
the plastic-coated graphene

From the copper foil.

To do this,

He clips a wire
to set of tweezers.

Using the tweezers,
he picks up a small piece

Of the plastic, graphene,
and copper sandwich

And plunges it in the water.

The tweezers apply an electrical
charge through the copper,

Causing bubbles
to form in the water.

These bubbles lift the graphene

And plastic film
away from the copper.

The graphene now clings
only to the plastic backing.

He scoops the plastic-backed
graphene square

Out of the water using
a large piece of plastic.

To remove contaminants,

He immerses the square
in a series of solutions.

In the last solution,

He slides the square
off the carrier.

And the square floats freely.

He picks up the silicon chip
with tweezers

And uses it to retrieve
the floating graphene

And plastic square.

It now sits on the silicon chip.

After taping metal stencils

Over three of
the graphene-covered chips,

He suspends them
above gold pellets

In a machine known as
the evaporator.

He closes the evaporator,
then turns up the heat.

A vacuum pulls the gold
toward the stencils

As it evaporates.

The gold and exposed graphene

Adhere to one another
as they cool and solidify.

The technician removes
the stencils from the chips,

Revealing gold
horizontal runners

Between the gold contacts.

He transfers the chip
to a plasma etcher.

He activates the chip,

And plasma gas
floods the chamber.

The gas strips off any graphene
that's not protected by gold.

Only the gold contacts

And gold-covered graphene
runners remain on the chip.

Solvent dissolves
the plastic backing

On the graphene runners,

Taking the protective gold
with it, leaving only graphene.

The technician now
has a graphene sensor chip.

It's time
to test its sensory powers

Using antibodies
for a certain disease protein.

The antibodies attach
to the surface of the graphene.

She tests the signal
from the chip

To confirm that
it reads the protein correctly.

This graphene chip
is ready to act

As a high-tech sixth sense.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator:
the world's smallest car

Has held the guinness book
of world records title

For more than 50 years.

Designed and manufactured
in the u.k.,

It's about 6 feet long
and 3 feet wide.

It fits one driver
but no passengers.

Intended as a commuter vehicle,

The world's smallest car
travels up to 40 miles per hour.

Technicians craft the body
in molds section by section.

First, they spread
an epoxy resin

In the customer's color choice.

Once the resin cures,

They lay a sheet
of fiberglass matting

And impregnate it with resin.

This bonds the matting
to the gelcoat layer.

Narrower strips of matting

Are applied
around the perimeter.

Certain areas are reinforced

With a more porous fiberglass
matting to absorb more resin.

Finally, a second layer
of fiberglass matting and resin

Is set over the entire mold.

The molds cure for a day.

When they're ready,

The body sections
are extracted from their molds.

This is the main section.

The gelcoat forms a smooth
and shiny finish

On the sturdy fiberglass
underneath.

Using a saw equipped
with a small blade,

Technicians smooth the edges
of the fiberglass.

Elsewhere in the factory,
technicians weld together

The car's lightweight
aluminum gas tank.

It holds 1 gallon of gas.

They drill a hole through it...

Then weld on the filler tube
and screw on the cap.

The car runs on three wheels --

Two at the front and one driven
by the engine at the back.

Technicians assemble
the wheel hubs,

Then mount them
onto the triangular suspension

Of the axle.

They flip over the steel chassis

And install the disc brakes
on each wheel.

On the rear wheel,
they mount a sprocket,

Which allows the engine to drive
a chain that rotates the wheel.

They connect the shock absorber
on the rear wheel

To a mount underneath the body

And install
hydraulic brake lines

And brake calipers
on all three wheels.

They bolt the wheels
and tires onto the wheel hubs.

Each tire is about 6 inches
in diameter.

After installing
the one-cylinder engine

In the middle of the body,
technicians bolt on the chassis.

They connect the shock absorber
on the rear wheel

To a mount underneath the body.

They install all the electrical
components,

Such as the headlight,
the brake lights,

The turn signals and the wiper.

The car can be ordered
with an electric engine,

In which case they install

Four 12-volt
rechargeable batteries.

The car has a rack-and-pinion
steering system.

The steering column is attached
to a circular gear,

Called a pinion.

When the driver
turns the steering wheel

In one direction,

The pinion moves in that
direction along the rack.

The rack is a track with teeth,

Connected by rods
to the front wheels.

It moves and turns the wheels,
steering the car.

The vehicle
is mechanically complete.

Now, they install the windshield
and windows,

Sealing the aluminum frames
with silicone.

Inside, they mount the steering
wheel and the dashboard,

Which houses the speedometer,
turn signal light,

And high beams.

They hang the door,

Which has been fitted with
chromed hinges and a handle.

The style is consistent
with the 1960s design

Of the car.

They finish the job

With the installation
of a vinyl driver seat,

Gas tank, and windshield
washer fluid reservoir.

The world's smallest car
is ready to hit the road

And make a big impression.

♪♪

Force testers pull
and compress products

To their breaking point.

They're used in labs
and factories

To evaluate a product's quality.

A force tester
verifies that an object

Meets the manufacturer's
required specifications.

♪♪

Force testers are built
to pull and compress.

Here, a tester arm
bears down on a pencil.

It determines how much
force can be applied

Before the pencil bends
or breaks.

Measurements are displayed
on a screen.

In the 1930s,
basic force gauges

Were attached to cranes
to measure a product's strength.

Today's force testers
are high-tech.

They have digital displays
and computerized controls.

An assembler starts
by screwing brackets

Into a steel base
for the main computer board.

The computer board comes next.

He uses nuts, called standoffs,

To raise it
above the steel plate.

This creates an air space
between the two,

Preventing electrical shorting.

Throughout the assembly,
the technician

Wears an electrostatic
discharge band on his wrist.

This arrests static electricity
to prevent damage to the parts.

He screws the motor drive board

To the force tester base

And moves on to
the next batch of parts.

They include the power
supply board,

A mechanism to turn the unit on,

And an emergency stop assembly.

He routes the wires
for the power switches

And installs
the push buttons.

He connects a ribbon cable
to the main circuit board.

Then, he attaches the other end
of the cable

To the motor drive board.

This allows them to communicate.

Finally, he completes
the power supply connections.

Another member of the team

Assembles
a vertical support rail

To an aluminum base.

This rail is the backbone
of the tester.

It supports the force arm
and the track it moves on.

He attaches the track
to the support rail.

Using an alignment tool,

He slides the shuttle
into the grooves of the track,

Then confirms it moves freely.

He's ready to mount
the force arm to the shuttle.

A long, threaded rod,
known as a lead screw,

Is fastened to the force arm.

The lead screw rotates,

Allowing the force arm
to move up and down.

He lowers an aluminum cover
over the force arm assembly

And secures it to the base.

One side of the casing is open.

He'll install an accordion-style
rubber curtain to it later.

Next, he threads a rubber belt
around a pulley,

Which is attached to the end
of the lead screw.

He installs the motor
and wraps the other end

Of the rubber belt
around the motor pulley.

The motor drive assembly
turns the lead screw

To move the force arm.

The base is now mounted
with the electronics

To the force tester frame.

After connecting switches
that limit

The force arm's
range of movement,

He installs an encoder
on the motor

To provide feedback
on speed and power.

The electronics are covered
with a tough plastic casing.

Next up is a slotted table.

He clips a computer tablet
to the tester.

An adjustable bracket
is attached,

Which is used for changing
the screen's position

As desired.

A force tester doesn't just
bear down on things.

It also pulls things apart.

A technician conducts
a pull test

On a piece of nylon cord.

He activates the force arm.

The force arm pulls the cord
as it grips the base.

The tester measures
the peak force required

To pull the cord apart.

The results are displayed
instantly on the control screen.

There are different
force testers

For different applications.

But the purpose
is always the same --

Pull and compress objects
in order to test their limits.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: one of the ways

A manufacturer
can package a product

Is in a composite can.

It's a cylindrical container
made of cardboard

With a moisture barrier lining.

Composite cans
are less expensive to produce

Than glass
or metal containers.

And they're recyclable.

Many products are packaged
in composite cans,

Everything
from automotive grease

To parmesan cheese.

The cans are cardboard
with an interior lining

That prevents it
from absorbing moisture.

The top can be a sifter,
a pull-tab cap,

A ring and plug,
or peel-off foil.

To make composite cans,

They begin winding
a strip of thin paper

Over a long steel rod,
called a mandrel.

The machine applies glue
to the top of the strip.

Simultaneously, two strips
of cardboard wind off rolls

And pass over a glue applicator,

Which coats their underside
with adhesive.

Then these overlapping
twin strips

Wind around the coated
paper-wrapped mandrel.

The adhesive binds the layers,

Producing
a two-ply cardboard tube

With an interior
moistureproof lining.

The machine pushes the tube
off the mandrel

To an automated circular saw.

The saw cuts the tube
into shorter pieces.

They fall into a bin,

Which feeds
the labeling machine.

Suction cups pick up
the sheet of labels

And run it over a glue roller.

It applies adhesive
to the back side.

A vacuum carpet
carries the label

Onto another set of mandrels.

The machine slips the tube
onto the mandrel,

Then wraps the label
around the tube.

Next, knives cut
the spinning tube

Into seven cans.

The can-making line
has been slowed by our camera.

At the regular output speed
of 250 cans per minute,

All you'd see is a blur.

A pusher moves the cans

Toward a device
called an upender,

Which stands each can upright.

The cans then
spin through a gluer,

Which applies a bead
of adhesive along the top rim.

Meanwhile, another station lines
up the closures in single file.

These cans
are for parmesan cheese,

So the tops are plastic sifters.

They go one by one
onto a carousel.

The tops align with cans
on another carousel

With perfect timing.

A plunger pushes the top
about a 1/2 inch

Into the glued rim of the can.

As the cans exit the machine,

A conveyer
turns them upside down.

The cans reach the end
of the line,

Where workers stack them
on shipping pallets.

The parmesan cheese producer
will receive them like this --

Open end up, ready for filling.

To make the metal bottom
for the can,

A punch press stamps
circles out of a strip of tin

That's been coated
with a food-safe lacquer.

The gold-colored coating
prevents the tin from rusting

When it comes into contact
with the moisture in the cheese.

The next machine
uses forming rollers

To shape the rim
that will grip the can.

This production line
is making composite cans

For grease cartridges.

Mechanics use them in a device
similar to a caulking g*n.

For this product,

The cardboard tube
has a plastic-coated liner.

The liner is heat-sealed
to the cardboard

To prevent grease
from leaking out.

The closure
is a rigid aluminum top

That you remove with a pull tab.

This machine, called a seamer,

Crimps the metal edge tightly
around the can's rim.

As the cans exit the machine,

A computer
takes measurements of each top.

If it doesn't meet
specifications,

The machine ejects the can
from the line.

The cans that pass inspection

Continue on
to the packaging area,

Where an employee
does one last visual inspection

Before shipping
to the grease manufacturer.

Once a composite can is empty,

The cardboard can be
separated from the metal

And tossed into a recycling bin.

♪♪