28x10 - Hollow Disk Pumps, Palm Sugar, Yachts

[bunniefuu]

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

And...

Many industries require pumping
a wide variety of liquids.

And there are many
different kinds of pumps

That can do that.

One type, the hollow
rotary disk pump,

Uses a rotating disk
to create sufficient suction

To move thin
or thick liquids

In a forward
or reverse direction.

When the pump in the blue runs,

A hollow disk
inside it oscillates.

This creates suction,

Drawing liquid
into one side of the pump

And pushing it out the other.

Some of the pump components
are cast

In sand molds like this one

For casting the first part
of the pump's two-part body.

The molten iron
takes a few hours

To cool and solidify
inside the mold cavity.

Then, a vibrating machine

Breaks the sand mold
to release the cast part.

A computer-guided
milling machine

Then finishes the shape.

The cut-off pieces of iron

Go back into the furnace

To be melted down
for subsequent castings.

After it's cast,

The second part
of the pump's body is machined

To its final shape
on a computer-guided lathe.

The pump's hollow disk,

Which the lathe machines
from a bar of steel,

Requires a complex cut

That only this electric
disk charge machine can perform.

Its cutting tool
is a gold wire charged

With a high-voltage current
conducted by water.

Guided by a computer,

The wire erodes
the metal in its path,

Cutting a teardrop-shaped
opening in the disk.

A laser printer engraves
a part number

And a batch number
on the finished disk.

To assemble the pump,
a worker begins

With the first part
of the two-part body.

The worker applies glue
to the shaft sleeve and inserts

It into a channel
from the front.

Next, they insert a lantern ring

Into the same channel
from the back.

The worker places a bearing
on top of the lantern ring.

Then, from the other side,
they insert one more bearing.

The worker inserts
the pump shaft

Through all the bearings
in the channel.

The bearings minimize friction,

Enabling the shaft
to rotate smoothly.

Along with this
retaining clip,

The bearings also prevent
the shaft

From moving up and down
or shifting side by side

With the pump's movement.

Workers take the second part
of the pump's body

And glue a bronze plate,

Called a diaphragm,
into a groove at the top.

Then they join
the two parts of the body,

Placing a gasket in between
to prevent leaks.

The gasket is made
of special gasket paper

Like the type used
in car engine piping.

The workers fasten
the two parts of the body

With 10 massive bolts

And install a heavy-duty
steel spring

In a groove in the shaft.

A steel cap keeps the spring
firmly in position.

The worker compresses the spring

With a tool and inserts
a bronze stem bushing.

This spring loading is critical

Because it enables the disk

To adapt to thin
or thick liquids

Without clogging
or getting damaged.

Now, they mount the hollow
disk onto the bushing

And bolt on the front cover.

When the motor turns
the pump's shaft,

The hollow disk oscillates
around the diaphragm,

Which acts as a barrier,
separating the suction side

Of the pump
from the discharge side.

This plate covers
where the customer

Will later
install a safety valve.

The oscillating hollow disk
produces suction,

Which pulls liquid
through the inlet port,

Then out the opposite side,
through the outlet port.

Workers mask the inlet
and outlet ports

Before spray-painting the pump.

Next, the worker installs
a metal coupling joint,

Which is comprised
of several parts,

Including rubber members,

Which make the joint
flexible enough

To withstand some vibration

Or slight misalignment
of the connection

Between the pump
and the gear reducer.

The gear reducer acts
as the middleman

Between the motor
and the pump,

Lowering the motor speed
of 1,800 revolutions

Per minute
to the disk oscillation speed

Of approximately 300 revolutions
per minute.

Such slow rotation
speed is critical,

As it enables the pump to move
even very thick fluids.

The disk can also
rotate in reverse

So that liquid can be loaded
or unloaded using the same pump.

Narrator:
palmyra palm sugar is derived

From the palmyra palm tree

And is considered
a healthier form of sweetener

Than many others,

Just 41 on the glycemic index

With only 1/10th ounce
of fructose per 3 1/2 ounces.

It's also one
of the few plant-based

Sources of vitamin b12.

Palmyra palm sugar
doesn't come out

Of the palmyra palm tree

Looking like this.

From harvesting
to processing,

There are many steps
between the tree

And the ultimate product.

The tree produces the round
fruit seen on the right

And the cylindrical flower
cluster on the left.

A palm sugar harvester
prepares specialized containers

For harvesting the sap

By threading twine
through a hole near the rim.

These tubes are
made from bamboo.

And in thailand, they're
called...

The harvester adds wood chips
to the tubes.

The wood chips come
from the shorea tree,

Which is called...
In thailand.

The chips well help prevent
the sap from fermenting.

Some palmyra trees are
more than 100 years old.

Here, the harvester climbs

A ladder that reaches up
around 66 feet.

At the top of the tree,

The harvester uses a machete

To cut the tip off
the palmyra flowers.

Safely on the ground,

He demonstrates
what he does up in the tree.

He starts by binding together
two of the cylindrical flowers

And then carefully
trimming off their tips.

Where they've been cut,
the flowers exude drops of sap,

Which will collect
in the bamboo tubes.

Up in the tree, the harvester
secures the tubes in place.

Having swapped empty tubes
for full ones,

He brings the sap he's collected
to an outdoor stove.

The harvester prepares
a basket covered

With several layers of gauze
to filter the liquid.

He then slowly and carefully

Pours the sap
through the filters,

Into the wok below.

The harvesting
stage is complete.

Production now begins.

The filtered sap
now boils away in the wok

For approximately 45 minutes

As it thickens into a sugar.

The worker takes advantage
of the hot oven fire

To sterilize his bamboo tubes.

He turns them upside-down,
one by one,

Over small holes in the oven.

The worker must
harvest twice a day.

If he doesn't, the cuts
will heal over too much.

And he'll be forced to wait
for a specific period of time

Before making additional cuts

In order to prevent damage
to the tree.

The boiling process
thickens the sap.

And the worker must stir it
frequently

To keep it from sticking.

After roughly 30 minutes,
the sap begins to turn white.

The tubes are now
thoroughly sterilized.

And the worker can remove them
and let them cool.

The bubbling sap has now been
reduced to a thick substance.

The worker removes the pan
from the heat source.

It's ready for the next phase
on its path to becoming sugar.

Although it's often referred to
as palm sugar,

It's also known as jaggery.

The worker now uses
a custom-made whisking tool

To thoroughly mix the jaggery.

Shaped like a large spring,

The whisk helps cool the sugar
while mixing it.

He continues mixing the jaggery
until it thickens and cools

To a paste-like consistency.

At this point, the jaggery
is too thick for the whisk.

So the worker continues
mixing it with a simple stick.

Finally, the sugar cools
and dries to a thick,

Flaky texture,

Ready to be packaged
and shipped around the world.

It has taken nearly
a gallon of palmyra palm sap

To create roughly 2 1/4 pounds

Of this highly nutritious
alternative sweetener.

Narrator: the first yachts
were simple, sturdy vessels

Used to take explorers
on voyages of discovery.

Today's yachts are
floating vacation homes.

Equipped with every convenience,

The luxuries increase
with the scale of the vessel.

Modern yachts are
the ultimate way

To explore the coastline.

If you can afford one of these,

You're living the dream.

This motor yacht offers

All the comforts of home
on the water.

Making this mid-sized yacht
starts with a mold for the hull.

The team sprays
a gel-coat paint

Onto the entire inner surface
of the mold.

This paint will transfer
to the hull during molding.

They layer fiberglass strips
around a p.v.c foam core

And create a series of
distribution channels for resin.

The crew now drapes
an enormous sheet

Of clear plastic
over the materials in the mold

And seals the edges with tape.

The crew leaves a lot of slack
in the plastic

To conform
to the mold's deep recesses.

A vacuum hose suctions out
the air beneath the plastic.

The crew then connects
plastic tubing to the ports

In the distribution channels.

All this plastic tubing leads
to one place -- the vacuum pump.

The vacuum pulls resin
through the network of tubing,

Into the ports and through
the distribution channels.

The resin saturates
the fiberglass strips

That surround
the p.v.c. Foam core.

The vacuum sucks the layers
into a tight sandwich

And pulls out more air
and excess resin.

A worker pulls the plastic away
from dry spots

So the resin flows
into these areas.

The resin cures,

And the fiberglass
layers harden.

The next day,
the team removes

The plastic sheet
from the molded part.

They pull off
the resin distribution channels

And the ports.

A crane lifts the newly molded
hull out of the mold.

The gel coat has adhered to it,
giving it a glossy finish.

The crane transfers the hull
to a wooden cradle.

Next, they create
the yacht's deck.

The crew covers some areas

Of the mold in plastic
to protect them

From the first gel coat
in a 2-toned paint job.

After the first color goes on,
they gel-coat the areas

That had been
covered in plastic.

This two-toned paint job
is done for aesthetic reasons.

But it also color-codes
the areas

That have a nonskid texture.

Like the hull, the crew makes
the deck mainly from fiberglass.

A worker cuts out the strips
in different sizes.

The fabrics have
various thicknesses and weaves,

All geared to the deck's
structural requirements.

He numbers the pieces
to designate their placement

In the mold.

And the worker stacks them
sequentially.

After arranging some
of the fiberglass strips

In the mold,

The crew builds up the deck
in certain areas

Using pieces of balsa wood.

Balsa wood is
extremely lightweight.

But it will add strength

When laminated into
the fiberglass sandwich.

The strategic placement
of the balsa wood

In high-traffic areas
creates a solid core

That will hold up to heavy use.

A worker lays
more fiberglass strips,

Encapsulating the balsa wood.

They'll laminate the layers

With resin the way
they did with the hull.

The crew also makes
the roof structure the same way.

A boat builder applies
putty to the fiberglass

To even out any irregularities.

And after grinding
the hardened putty smooth,

They spread polishing compound
on all the yacht's body parts.

The worker buffs the fiberglass

Until the glossy surface
gleams even more.

Using a router, the crew cuts
out holes for lights,

Portholes and other features.

An inspector taps the fiberglass

To check for air voids
that would compromise

The yacht's structural
integrity.

He confirms that
everything is shipshape.

Production now moves
to the yacht's interior.

We'll have the inside
information coming up.

Narrator: a motor yacht is
a home away from home.

It's usually equipped
with a full kitchen,

One or more bathrooms,

And luxurious common areas
called salons.

Everything is designed to fit

Into the limited space
below deck.

The waters may get rough.

But in the yacht's
private quarters,

The living is easy.

With the bulkheads
now in place,

The hull is ready
for furnishings and fittings.

A computerized router cuts
american cherry wood

To a set of exact measurements.

This particular piece will be
part of a storage locker.

At another station,
a craftsman glues

A dozen cherry strips
together for a valence.

These laminated strips
will be easier

To bend to the desired shape
than a thick board.

He wraps them in wax paper
to prevent the glue

From seeping out
during bending.

The team places
the laminated strips

Between the two parts
of a bending jig.

They clamp the jig
to close it tightly.

The adhesive sets overnight.

And the wood hardens
to the curved shape

Of the bending jig.

The woodworker now clamps
the valence

To the workbench to steady it
as he trims the edges.

He positions a template
on the valence

And follows it
with a router

To cut out a hole
for an air-conditioning vent.

Yes.
The yacht will be equipped

With air conditioning.

The woodworker inserts
the custom

Wooden vent in the hole.

Turning now to
the salon's coffee table,

A router cuts holes
in the cherry wood

While bristles
keep the dust down.

A worker applies glue

And inserts pieces of maple
into the cutouts.

He lightly hammers the pieces

To drive them further
into the holes.

Then, it's into
an automated sander.

It sands the inlaid wood
flush to the cherry tabletop.

A crew now brushes varnish
onto all the wood pieces.

The varnish enhances
the wood grain.

And it protects the surface.

After the varnish dries,

Another worker polishes
the wood to a high sheen.

A worker then screws
pedestal hardware

Into the back of each table

To prepare them for
installation in the yacht.

The hull has been equipped

With the two diesel engines
at the back.

A worker now assembles
the clothing locker

In the guest stateroom.

And in the master stateroom,

Construction on the en suite
bathroom is underway.

The worker screws
the toilet in place

And connects the water
and waste hoses.

They roughen a utility room

For a washer and dryer
at the back of the yacht,

Next to the mechanical systems.

The crew situates
the propellers

In the molded niches
in the bottom of the hull.

And the technician
connects them

To swiveling mechanisms
called pods.

He hooks up a pump
that will replace

The lubricating oil
when needed,

So there'll be no need

To pull it into port
for oil changes.

The technician
installs intake systems

That will suction lake
or ocean water into the hull

To cool the diesel engines.

The other mechanics include
the air-conditioning system,

Water heater and a generator.

And now, the big moment.

Using a crane, the crew lowers
the yacht's deck

And pilothouse onto the hull.

This deck assembly
weighs 3 tons.

Looks like
it's a good fit.

Using crowbars,
the team pulls the rim,

Also known as the flange
of the deck, over the hull.

They drill threaded holes
through the fiberglass flange

And the hull and screw bolts

Into those holes
to connect the two.

Special
adhesive has been applied

To these bolts
to keep water

From penetrating the vessel.

Here's the view inside.

The cherry paneling
in the pilothouse

Seamlessly matches the paneling
in the living quarters.

The builders complete
the furnishings,

Giving the cabin the look
and feel of luxury.

They install
a high-end galley kitchen.

And this yacht is complete.

After 6 months of work,
let the good times begin.