10x05 - Automotive Fuel Pumps/Cricket Bats/Change Machines/Ductile Iron Pipe

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: today on

"How it's made" -- automotive

Fuel pumps...

Cricket bats...

Change machines...

Change machines...
And ductile-iron pipe.

And ductile-iron pipe.

When you start your car, it

Activates a pump that's usually

Located inside the gas tank.

This electrical system pushes

The gas out of the tank and into

Injectors, which aerate the gas

And deliver it to
the engine cylinders.

Without a pump to get the fuel

Flowing, your car would be going

Nowhere fast.

You might think that submerging

An electric pump in gasoline

Would be a risky thing, but

Liquid fuel can't explode, so

It's actually a very safe place

To be.

Production begins with the

Pumping mechanism.

A gear and several rollers are

Sandwiched between two metal

Plates.

The rollers will rotate to pull

Fuel into the pump before

Pushing it out of the tank.

Each roller assembly is tested

By spinning it from the bottom.

A robot then pops it out and

Moves it to the next station.

Here the electric motor is

Attached to the roller
pumping mechanism.

Then it gets a magnetic sleeve

And a plastic cap.

All the parts that make up the

Pumping mechanism have now been

Assembled.

Next comes an end cap with a

Filter made of metal mesh.

A metal sleeve slides over the

Pump unit, and the whole thing

Is press-fit together.

Inside this chamber, large

Magnets generate a very strong

Force field.

This causes the metal sleeve to

Collapse, crimping at one end so

That it holds everything

Together.

Next, retainer rings go into

Slots in the fuel-pump cap.

A metal bracket goes over the

Pump.

It steadies the assembly and

Serves as a guide as workers

Install the brushes and coils

Which will supply electricity to

The fuel-pump motor.

A brass terminal slides onto the

End of each coil and brush

Assembly to facilitate the

Electrical connection.

Then the terminals are attached

To the assembly.

When the job is done, a robot

Removes the bracket.

They built this fuel pump from

The inside out, and now the

Actual workings are complete.

Inspectors hook each pump up to

A power source and run fluid

Through them to test
the pumping action.

Then they check for proper flow

And pressure.

If the pump passes inspection, a

Robot sends it down the assembly

Line...

Where a tubing system is being

Assembled to carry the gasoline

To the engine.

The joints are sealed with a

Brazing paste.

Then it's into a gas oven, where

The paste hardens and fuses to

The tubing.

Workers remove the tubing from

The oven and brush off any

Unwanted bits of metal and

Unwanted bits of metal and
hardened paste.

Hardened paste.

The ends of the apparatus are

Capped to keep them from

Collecting dirt and debris

During shipping.

Rubber tubing is attached to the

Pump and secured with metal

Clamps.

Then the rubber tubing is

Clamped to the metal tubing

System.

Workers wire the fuel pump, then

Hook up a connector which will

Attach to the engine's wiring.

This is the sending unit.

It's a float with a metal arm

That's attached to an electronic

Sensor.

The sensor sends information

About fuel levels to the fuel

Gauge on the dashboard.

A computerized system checks the

Sending unit's accuracy as the

Sensor is moved up and down.

Once everything checks out, it's

Time to fill the tank and hit

The road.

Up next -- cricket, anyone?

We'll go behind the scenes at a
bat factory.

Narrator: references to the

Game of cricket
date back to the 1300s.

Historians believe it started as

A children's game.

In the 1600s, working men took

Up the pastime, and before long,

It caught on with
the upper classes.

By the 18th century, cricket was

One of england's favorite

Organized sports.

Cricket bats are made of a

Particular species
of white willow.

It has stringy wood fibers that

Are usually long.

These give the wood elasticity,

The key to its performance.

Bat makers use as much sapwood

As possible because it's moister

And more flexible than the

Heartwood at the tree's core.

Production begins with willow

Pieces about 2 1/2 feet long.

The first machine trims them

Down roughly to size.

A few sprays of water limber up

The wood fibers.

Then each piece goes through a

Pressing machine three to four

Times.

A curved roller applies up to

Three tons of pressure, rounding

The bat's face and compressing

The wood by almost half an inch.

This pressing is essential to

The bat's performance and

Durability.

The bat maker draws a "v" on the

End where the
handle will attach.

Then he removes the bulk of wood

Behind the "v" on a table saw.

This minimizes the amount of

Work he'll have to do by hand

Later.

Now he cuts out the "v."

This creates a joint in which to

Insert the handle.

The handle is made of cane,

Dried vine stems, glued together

In sections, and coated with

Rubber.

The grip end has been shaped on

A lathe.

The other end will attach to the

Blade.

The bat maker cuts the

Block-shape tip into a wedge

That will fit into the "v" cut,

Then glues the two
pieces together.

A few taps with a hammer ensures

A tight fit.

He spreads the excess glue all

Over the joint to seal it.

Now he shapes the bat's profile

Using a classic woodworking tool

Called a drawknife.

This takes only a few minutes

But requires years of experience

And an expert eye.

Then he completes the shaping

With another pressing to curve

The bottom third of the bat.

International cricket rules

Regulate the length and width of

Bats, but there's no restriction

On curve.

Getting it right is tricky,
though.

Too much curve, and he'll limit

The blade's flexibility and

Performance.

The bat maker finishes off the

Shape using specialized tools.

Then he uses a metal hand plane

To flatten the blade's edges.

He ensures the bat has good

Spring by hitting it with a

Dense wooden mallet.

He also analyzes the
sound of the strike.

The softer the sound, the softer

The wood, and the better the bat

Will play.

He smooths the bat against an

Air-filled drum sander that

Molds to the bat so it doesn't

Wear away the shape he worked so

Hard to achieve.

Then a worker smooths out the

Rest of the surface with a belt

Sander designed specifically for

Cricket bats.

The entire bat is sanded twice,

First with a coarse abrasive,

Then with a fine one.

Next, the bat is mounted on a

Binding machine, where its

Handle gets a coat of glue.

A wrapping of twine binds

Together the sections of cane

That make up the handle.

Extra glue prevents the twine

From unraveling.

Next, they polish the blade

Using a cotton wheel.

Once the wood is shiny enough,

Brand-name decals go on.

Finally, a rubber grip goes over

The binding to prevent the

Player's hands from slipping.

The bat's two main components

Complement each other when

Striking the ball.

The willow-wood blade flexes

Enough to deliver a good hit,

And the cane handle absorbs that

Energy, protecting the player's

Hands.

When you return -- making the

Machines that make our change.

Narrator: change machines

Were invented in the mid-1950s

In response to the

Vending-machine boom.

They began as simple mechanical

Coin changers, converting a

Quarter into nickels and dimes.

Today's modern machines can even

Convert $20 bills.

Times sure have changed.

It's like magic.

In goes the bill, and presto,

Out comes the exact change.

But behind the scenes, there's

No slight of hand -- just

Innovative design and some

Pretty high-tech equipment.

Production begins with the

Machine's cabinet.

A computer-guided laser cuts the

Cabinet parts from a sheet of

Steel measuring 1 by 1/2 yards.

Workers shake the parts free and

Push out the openings in the

Panel that will become the

Cabinet's front door.

The parts are then shaped in a

Machine called the press break.

This is one of the door panels.

The machine forces it against

A die, bending the edge.

These bent edges will strengthen

The door and help it fit snugly

Into the frame.

The laser cutter also makes a

Series of holes in
another cabinet part.

Then workers press threaded

Studs into the holes.

A vibrating feeder automatically

Dispenses the studs into the

Insertion machine.

Now they bend the sheet, again

Using a press break, and make

The three-sided panel that will

Become the cabinet sides and

Back.

They attach the top and bottom

Panels.

Then they position the cabinet

On a computerized welding

Station and rotate the table.

A robot makes precision welds

Behind a steel partition that

Shields workers from heat and

Harmful rays.

Now they assemble the change

Machine's coin dispenser.

It has two counter-rotating

Discs fitted to the diameter and

Thickness of a coin.

They work together to seize and

Align the coins, then drop them

Into the coin chute.

Workers set in these metal

Discs, along with a plastic gear

Mechanism that rotates them.

Then they secure the parts on a

Fixture...

And drill holes into
the gear mechanism.

Roll pins are inserted to hold

The parts together.

Then workers make sure the coin

Discs spin freely.

The next task is to assemble the

Coin-dispenser discs and gears.

This is precision work.

First, they set the parts in a

Metal casing.

Plastic rings go around the

Discs to guide and support the

Gears.

Then they attach the gear-train

Motor which powers the
change-dispensing discs.

A plastic guide on the casing

Helps the coins drop in

Properly.

Next comes the coin chute that

Guides the change out of the

Dispenser and into the machine's

Coin cup.

The dispenser holds up to $800,

Which can weigh a hefty 45

Pounds,
so it needs a strong handle.

It's locked into place with this

Tool, called a ring fastener.

Now it's time to put the whole

Machine together.

First, an electric power supply

Is installed on the inside back

Wall.

Next comes the bill validator.

And the coin cup.

Then the coin dispenser and

Electronic control board, the

Brains of the machine that

Calculates the change.

Finally,
on go the instruction decals.

So, how do bills
transform into coins?

Let's open the door and see.

First, the bill acceptor scans

The bill's paper and ink, then

Stacks it in a box.

The processor calculates the

Transaction, then cha-ching,

Exact change.

Coming up... Turning iron and

Steel into the pipes that keep

Steel into the pipes that keep
our cities running.

Our cities running.

Narrator: chances are you use

Ductile-iron pipe every day and

Don't even know it.

The underground pipes that

Transport a city's drinking

Water are cast
from ductile iron.

So are the sewer pipes that take

Away household waist.

Ductile iron is more flexible

Than ordinary gray iron.

Under pressure, it will bend

Before it breaks.

Ductile-iron pipes are made of



Life-span of hundreds of years.

Production begins in the pipe

Factory's scrapyard.

These old cars are on their way

To a shredder that chews them up

Into little bits.

The factory sorts
the bits by material.

It discards the plastic, sells

The aluminum and copper, but

Keeps the steel and iron.

The factory also gets scrap

Steel from demolished buildings

And other sources.

The shredded metal is analyzed

By its chemical composition and

Sorted accordingly.

A crane operator uses an

Industrial magnet to gather

Precise amounts of steel and

Iron.

The shredded metals then go into

A blast furnace fueled by coke,

A form of coal.

At 2,500 degrees fahrenheit, the

Iron and steel liquefy, while

Impurities are carried away.

Workers then add magnesium.

This turns the metal from

Ordinary gray iron into

Stronger, more flexible ductile

Iron.

The molten iron travels down a

Trough into a casting machine.

It enters a spinning mold, where

Centrifugal force spreads the

Centrifugal force spreads the
iron against the mold walls.

Iron against the mold walls.

A cooling system chills the

Walls, and the iron solidifies

Within seconds.

Then an extractor pulls out a



Standard industry length.

Before each casting, workers

Insert a round form, called a

Core, into one end of the pipe

Mold.

The molten iron fills the void

Between the core and mold,

Forming a flared edge,

Called a bell.

The core also seals off that end

Of the mold, preventing molten

Iron from flying
out during casting.

When it's time to connect the

Pipes, installers will fit the

Bell of one pipe over the

Straight end of another.

A rubber gasket seals the link

Together.

The casting machine can make

Pipes of different diameters by

Changing the size of the mold

Inside.

After the pipe is extracted,

Inspectors weigh it and measure

The wall thickness to be sure

Everything meets specifications.

Then, on the bell end, they

Remove the core.

Since it's made of sand and

Plastic resin, it simply

Plastic resin, it simply
disintegrates.

Disintegrates.

This factory makes pipes in

Several diameters, but

Regardless of size, the casting

Process is always the same.

It just takes less time with

Smaller pipes because they

Harden faster.

A freshly cast pipe is around



Cools quickly after leaving the

Mold.

Such rapid cooling makes the

Iron brittle, so the pipe goes

Directly into a gas-fired

Annealing furnace that reheats

It to 1,700 degrees fahrenheit.

This alters the internal

Structure of the iron, making it

Strong and flexible.

The pipe then runs through a

Cooling chamber that showers it

In cold water.

To prevent the iron from

Corroding, the inside gets

Sprayed with cement, building up

A lining an eighth
of an inch thick.

Thick.

Then the pipe is spun for a few

Seconds to smooth
out the cement.

The entire pipe is painted

Inside and out.

This seals the surface, enabling

The cement to cure over the

Next 24 hours.

It also provides some extra rust

Protection.

Finally, a robot paints a stripe

Around the straight
end of each pipe.

This is a depth guideline so

Installation crews know when

They've inserted the straight

End of one pipe as far as it can

Go into the bell end of another.

If you have any comments about

The show, or if you'd like to

Suggest topics for future shows,
drop us at line at...