31x01 - Basque Pelota ba*ls, Pallet Trucks, Dumplings, Brass Faucets

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

♪♪

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

♪♪

Pelota is a ball game
that originated

In the basque region
of france and spain.

Most versions are played
against a wall,

In which the player
throws the ball either by hand,

Racket, bat, or basket.

Occasionally the game
is played in teams,

Where players are separated by
a net or a line on the ground.

Basque pelota ba*ls come in
different diameters and weights,

According to the type of play
for which they're designed.

But all of them have had
the same basic construction

For hundreds of years --

A core wrapped in rubber, wool,
and leather.

To make the rubber wrapping,
this machine deposits

A line of natural rubber
onto a paper strip.

Next a heating lamp
softens the rubber

To a formable consistency,

While the machine applies
a second paper strip on top.

This process sandwiches
the rubber together.

Then two rollers compress
the encased rubber

Into a flat strip.

Today, a pelota ball's core
is typically made of plastic.

The size of the core varies
according to the final diameter

And weight of the ball.

The second machine removes
the paper

And wraps the rubber strip
around the core,

Maintaining its perfectly
round shape.

The machine stops wrapping when
the ball reaches

A specific diameter and weight.

Manufacturers
place the rubber-wrapped core

On a third machine,
which wraps it in wool yarn,

Carefully maintaining
a perfectly round shape.

♪♪

The ball continues wrapping
until the ball reaches

A specific diameter and weight.

Now they prepare the ball's
outer layer.

They take a piece of goatskin

And trace a figure-8 pattern
around it repeatedly.

♪♪

Then the shapes are cut out
with a utility knife.

♪♪

The goatskins are soaked
in water for a few minutes

To make them supple.

Then they coat the yarn

With liquid synthetic rubber...

...take two goatskins
per ball...

...and wrap them
in opposite directions.

The skins are held in place
temporarily

With about a dozen tiny nails.

With strong synthetic thread,

They sew the hides
to each other.

The key is to pull
the stitches tightly

So that the ball inside
is immobilized.

Once the sewing is complete,
they remove the nails.

♪♪

♪♪

They apply their maker's mark
with a felt pen.

♪♪

Next the ball undergoes
a size test,

Using the gauge that corresponds
to the ball's intended diameter.

If the ball does not pass
through the first hole

But passes through the second,
the diameter is correct.

The final step is to grease
the leather with tallow --

Purified fat from cows' kidneys.

One small glob evenly coats 20
or so ba*ls

After about 10 minutes in this
specially designed machine.

The tallow nourishes
and protects the leather.

No finished ball leaves
the manufacturer

Without undergoing
a bounce test.

Pelota ba*ls used in regulation
play must have a plastic core,

Whereas ba*ls used
strictly for recreation

May have a core
made of boxwood.

White pelota ba*ls
are designed

For playing
against a colored wall.

ba*ls designed for play
against a white wall

Are dyed black prior
to applying tallow.

Pelota is also played across
a net or a line on the ground,

The size of the ball varying
with the version of the sport.

♪♪

Narrator: a pallet truck is
a workhorse in the warehouse.

This electrically powered
vehicle loads

And unloads products
from tractor-trailers

And travels up
and down aisles to deliver

And retrieve products
on low racks.

The driver stands on the truck's
platform to steer

And operate the forks.

Need a lift?

A pallet truck
is small but mighty.

It can lift loads that weigh up
to 8,000 pounds.

This computerized laser cuts out
many of the pallet-truck parts

From a sheet of steel,

And the software ensures
that there's minimal waste.

A technician inserts one of
the parts in a brake press.

It folds the edges,

Creating flaps to form it into
part of the vehicle battery box.

This is the part before
and after bending.

At the next station,

An operator clamps fork frames
in a welding fixture.

He adds multiple steel supports
at the base of the fork frames

And along the sides.

They'll strengthen the structure

And add balance to allow
the forks to carry heavy loads.

As the fixture rotates,
the robotic welder moves in

And fuses
the supports to the frames.

At the next station, the fully
assembled battery box

Is lowered into place
and positioned upside down.

Operators place the fork frames
on top and lock them into place.

The fixture slants the parts
towards the robot

So that it can get into tight
spots and weld them together.

They also weld together
the structure

That will house
the transmission.

The parts plunge into a series
of solutions.

The first baths remove grease
and residue.

The final one preps the metal
for a powder-coat finish.

Then a worker applies
an electrostatic charge

To powder particles.

The particles gravitate
to the parts

And form a powder coat
on the surface.

The powder coat gives the parts
a protective skin

And a uniform sheen.

Next, technicians install
a metal rack on the fork frames

To help contain the truck cargo.

They clamp the assembly in
a fixture that holds it sideways

So that technicians can install
pull rods

In the base of the forks.

Powered by hydraulics,

The rods will move the forks up
and down when needed.

Powder-coated bright red,

The truck structure is ready
for the components.

A worker bolts swiveling caster
wheels to the base.

Another worker then installs
the steel arms

That will link hydraulics
to the pull rods.

Moving around to the back
of the structure,

She connects the arms
to the hydraulic pistons.

She runs hoses from the
hydraulic fluid reservoir

To the pistons
and torques the fittings.

Each structure is marked
to indicate

It's been torqued correctly.

A probe gauges the measurements
of parts

Like this transmission bracket.

If the measurements are off,

The part can't be
properly assembled.

At another station, a technician
bolts the drive tire

To the transmission
and motor assembly.

A crane lowers the drive
assembly

Into the center hole
of the pallet truck structure.

The worker secures the parts
together with bolts.

Another worker then wires
the motor to a controller.

He makes other connections
to prepare the motor

To be coupled to the battery.

Now it's time to marry the truck
structure to the battery

And fork assembly.

The worker links the pull rods
to the hydraulic lift system

Using two bell cranks
with thick pins.

Next a technician attaches
metal blocks,

Leveling the forks
to a specific height.

Thick cushioning at the back
will give the future operator

A comfortable surface
to stand on.

A cover protects
the transmission, motor,

And the hydraulics.

This pallet truck is ready
to get to work.

An l.e.d. Light system
guides the operator

To place items on the pallet.

It both carries the load
and tells you how to load.

♪♪

Narrator:
dumplings are a popular cuisine

Made by a variety of flavors
from around the world.

They can be sweet or savory,

Steamed, boiled,
baked, or fried.

In chinese cuisine, dumplings
have been refined to an art form

And are often eaten on special
occasions like chinese new year.

To make a dumpling,
you first wrap a thin layer

Of dough around a filling.

Dumplings can come in many
different shapes.

These are filled
with shrimp and pork.

Food-prep technicians
at this facility peel, devein,

And sort shrimp for
different kinds of dumplings.

As they work, they double-check
each shrimp

For freshness and quality.

The 30 people working
at this station

Can peel 10,000 shrimp per hour.

To make the dumpling dough,
technicians begin the process

By pouring all-purpose flour
into this large mixing bowl.

They add water at a ratio of two
parts flour to one part water.

A large dough hook mixes
the two ingredients together.

Periodically, the technicians
stop the machine

To manually test the dough
for consistency.

It's not ready yet.

After more mixing,
they test it again.

This time, it's just right --
soft and still elastic.

To strengthen the dough
structure,

A worker begins folding
and rolling it into lengths.

♪♪

At the next station,
food-prep technicians

Rip small chunks
off the rolls.

Then they weigh the chunks
to ensure

They meet the parameter
of just 0.28 ounces apiece.

Two additional technicians
collect the chunks

And follow a two-step process
in which they stand each piece

On its round end
before Fl*ttening it.

They sprinkle the round disks
with flour to keep them

From sticking to each other
when moved to the next station.

The next step uses
traditional cooking tools

To transform each disk
into a wrapper

For a dumpling known
as shao mai.

The food-prep technicians
wear protective clothing

To prevent contamination.

In-house quality control
inspectors test

The airborne bacteria levels
in the facility every month

To ensure that it meets
the necessary standards.

Creating the shao mai wrapper
requires high levels of skill.

This worker's right hand rolls
the dough while his left hand

Rotates the wrapper in
perfectly coordinated movements,

Turning out wafer-thin rounds
at high speed.

A second worker uses a different
style of rolling pin

To crimp the edges
of the wrapping.

The technicians on the left use
a wooden spatula

To scoop a portion
of filling into each wrapper

Before placing them on a scale
to ensure the weight is correct.

Technicians on the right top
off each dumpling with a shrimp.

Inserting the shrimp
is another step

That requires carefully
orchestrated hand movements

To accomplish the task
with speed and elegance.

The worker is able to carefully
tuck the shrimp into place

With effortless movements
of one hand.

Dumplings
come in all shapes and sizes.

At another table, workers
assemble a delicacy

In the shape of a half-moon.

These dumplings start out with
the same disk-shaped wrapper

And the same shao mai filling.

Next, a worker uses a special
crimping technique,

Pinching a series
of small creases in the dough

To seal them in
a completely different way.

By carefully arranging
each dumpling,

Technicians can fit nearly


Thanks to an amazing artisanal
assembly line

Of skilled workers,

The final product is
almost too beautiful to eat.

♪♪

Narrator: water faucets date
back to at least 1700 bc.

Archaeologists discovered that
the minoan palace at knossos,

On the greek island of crete,

Had a plumbing system
consisting of terra-cotta pipes,

Providing water to faucets
made of gold and silver.

Today's water faucets
are typically made of cast brass

Plated with
another type of metal.

This single-handle faucet is
most commonly seen in a bathroom

And is chrome-plated.

This factory uses steel molds
to produce sand molds

For casting
the brass components.

The sand mold is actually
a sand model of the brass part,

Only slightly smaller.

Workers file off
the excess sand,

Which hardened
inside the channels

Consuming the entirety
of the steel mold cavity.

In the casting area,

Technicians load brass
ingots into the furnace,

Which stands next to
an automated casting machine.

The furnace heats
the solid metal

At a temperature of nearly


Causing the metal to melt.

Technicians place the sand mold
inside a two-part steel mold.

The inner cavity is in the shape
of the faucet part,

Only slightly larger.

The molten brass will flow
into the gap

Between the sand mold
and the steel mold cavity.

The casting machine positions
the mold over the furnace

And lowers the mold into a tube,

Which injects molten brass
into the cavity.


The steel mold opens,

And technicians
extract the castings

And set them aside to cool.

Then the parts are placed
into a shotblasting machine,

Which removes all the sand.

Next, a worker saws off
the excess brass

That solidified in the channels
of the steel mold.

This separates two faucet bodies
that were cast together.

♪♪

At the next station,

A press forces
the part into another machine,

Trimming off seams
and jagged edges.

♪♪

Each faucet body is placed

On three consecutive
computer-guided machines.

One machine cuts threads
in the spout hole

For the screw-in aerator.

The other cuts threads
in the hole on top

For the screw-in cap
that retains the cartridge.

The third cuts threads in the
installation hole on the bottom.

A robotic machine polishes the
entire surface of the part

Against three separate
sanding belts.

The first belt
is a course grit --

The second, a medium grit --
the third, a fine grit.

This preps the brass
for plating.

These large automated
electroplating tanks coat

The parts
with two layers of nickel,

Then a layer of chrome.

In the assembly area,

Engineers press
a nylon-and-ceramic disk

Through the top hole
of the faucet body.

The disk has brass threads
for the screw-in hot

And cold water hoses.

They attach an anti-leak seal
on the bottom

And screw the aerator
into the threaded spout hold.

The aerator separates the water
flow into tiny streams

Mixed with air,

Reducing the flow,
which prevents splashing.

They insert a nylon-ceramic
cartridge in the top hole,

Securing it with a retaining cap
hidden by a chrome ring.

The cartridge is the valve which
opens and closes the faucet

And mixes
the hot and cold water.

They thread the screw
for installing the faucet

On the sink.

Then they screw
the rubber-and-steel water hoses

Into the brass threads
of the disk.

♪♪

The factory runs every
single faucet

It produces
through a water test.

Engineers manipulate
the still-exposed cartridge

To check all functions --

Turn on, hot/cold water mixing,
and shut off.

If the faucet passes inspection,

They attach the handle
with a small screw.

They hide the screw
with a cover,

Then apply a sticker
reminding the consumer

To periodically
clean the aerator.

They package the faucet
with a pop-up drain stopper

And a p-trap set.

The pvc piping retains a small
amount of water as a barrier

To prevent sewer gases from
backing up into the bathroom.