32x09 - Compression & Extension Springs; Micro Drill Bits; Skiffs; Backsplashes

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Narrator: compression
and extension springs...

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...micro drill bits...

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...skiffs...

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...and painted glass
backsplashes.

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Coiled wire springs are designed
to change shape

When weight is added
or removed.

Some coils,
such as compression springs,

Are made to
keep components apart.

Other types of coils,
like extension springs,

Hold things together while the
spring expands and contracts.

♪

When a load is applied
to a compression spring,

It contracts, while an extension
spring expands when pulled.

Compression
and extension springs

Are made from steel wire.

The diameter and qualities
of the wire varies,

Depending on the use
of the spring.

Spooled onto a reel,
the wire uncoils,

Pulled by rollers,
which lead to a forming machine.

Guide rollers steer the wire,
as does this aperture.

Multiple feed rollers
push the wire

Towards computerized
forming tools.

The rollers pause,
while the tools do their work,

And then resume to supply wire
for the next spring.

Meanwhile, other rollers
push the wire around a mandrel,

Where it's coiled
into an extension spring.

A side-arm controls
the diameter,

While another tool
cuts it to length.

The forming process
has caused internal stresses.

To remove those stresses,
the springs are heat-treated.

As the springs move
out of the oven,

They travel through
a cooling chamber.

The heating and controlled
cooling

Improves
the physical properties,

Allowing the springs to
withstand repeated compression.

With internal stresses relieved,

It's time to work on the outer
surface of the steel springs.

A rack conveyer dips
extension springs

Into a vat of water-based paint.

The paint seeps into
the crevices of the coils,

Providing even paint coverage.

♪

Then the rack conveyer takes
the painted springs

On a ten-minute loop
through an oven.

This step bakes the paint
onto the steel,

Providing a corrosion-resistant
finish.

This is what the springs look
like before and after painting.

These truck suspension springs
are made differently.

♪

A machinist heats the end
of a steel rod in a furnace,

Inserting it between
forming tools to taper it.

This taper will allow the
completed spring to sit upright.

Next, the entire rod goes into
a 1,796-degree furnace.

Once the rod in red-hot
and malleable,

It exits the furnace

And is transferred
to the forming mandrel.

The mandrel spins to wind
the soft, steel wire,

Transforming the straight
steel rod into a spring.

♪

The spring is placed in a bucket
and lifted to an oil bath.

The bath quenches and hardens
the steel.

♪

Then the spring travels
through a furnace.

The heat burns off
quenching oil residue.

A technician inserts
the compression springs

In a revolving fixture,

Allowing the ends of the springs
to extend outward.

As the fixture revolves,
grinding wheels remove material

To flatten the exposed ends.

This flattened profile
is another way to ensure

That the springs
will sit upright.

Once complete,

The technician measures
the height of the spring

To confirm that
the correct amount of material

Has been ground off.

The grinding has made
a substantial difference.

The next machine removes
surface flaws.

An operator places the spring
inside the machine.

As the spring spins,

A fine, abrasive steel shot
sands away imperfections.

You can see the difference
this step makes in the spring

On the right.

The exposure to heat has made
the steel wire more flexible.

A technician places the wire
in a press machine

And sets the compression
and height.

The press squeezes the coils

Until the desired amount
of compression is achieved.

After the spring
has been painted,

The company name
and model information

Is stamped onto the springs.

It takes two hours
to make a spring,

And now it's finally ready
for some flex time.

♪

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Narrator: thousands of years
ago, our earliest ancestors

Might have picked up
a pointed rock

And spun it between their hands
to bore a hole

In something
they wanted to modify.

Today, you can buy drill bits
in all shapes and sizes.

Drill bits are often associated
with carpentry,

But from electronics
to surgery tooling,

There are all kinds of fields

That require ultra-thin,
high-performance drill bits.

The production process begins
with lengths

Of 100% carbide
called blanks.

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A diamond grinding wheel

Lubricated with a specialized
cutting liquid

Is applied to a chamfered edge
on one tip of the blank.

This step removes
the rough edges left

When the blanks
were cut down to size.

♪

A vibrating device organizes the
blanks inside a rotating bowl.

The vibrating action shifts
the blanks into single file

So they can proceed
one-by-one to the next step.

This machine is called
a centerless grinder.

The blanks move between
two rotating drums,

Which grinds them down
to a specified length.

♪

The blanks pour out
of the machine

Immersed in the
lubricating fluid.

An operator selects one
and places it

In a quality control gauge
to check

That it meets the manufacturer's
required tolerances.

♪

The blanks now enter
a cnc rollomatic.

An operator sets up the tool
and programs its work process.

A robotic auto-feeder picks up
the blanks one-by-one

From a specialized palette.

The robotic arms places
each blank carefully

And precisely
in a waiting chuck, or collar,

And then moves them
back into position.

The tool moves forward, holding
the blank perfectly still

As a pair of wheels close in.

Liquid coolant pours
over the blank

As the wheels precision
pinch-grind

The tip of the blank,

Grinding it down to about


The width of a human hair.

It's a delicate process.

The rollomatic produces


Next, a technician places small
sheets of plastic foil in a jig.

The foil is shim stock,

Color-coded
according to its thickness.

The jig raises the metal support
to a specified height.

When the blank advances
over the support,

A mark left in the blue
ink determines

Whether the metal blank
is centered.

Once complete, a technician uses
a magnifying tool

To fine-tune
the placement of the blank

And ensure that
it's perfectly centered.

This process can take four
to five hours.

The blank is finally ready for
the crucial fluting process

That will transform it from
a cylindrical length of carbide

With a narrow tip
into a micro drill bit.

After hours of preparation,

This operation takes
just a few seconds.

An industrial grinding
diamond wheel

Has sliced a microscopic groove
at a precise angle.

The technician inserts the bit,
sharp-end first,

Into a precision
machining device.

A steel bushing
with a brass insert

Holds the tip of the bit
in place

As a cutting wheel slices
an angled point.

♪

It's impossible to see the
difference between a bit before

And after fluting.

Using a magnifying device,
the technician conducts

A quality control
check of the bit.

As the screen reveals
the finely-cut flute,

The technician ensures
the tool's parameters meet

Manufacturing standards.

Once such parameter has to do
with the shape of the flute,

Which has a forward taper.

This means the flue groove
becomes shallower

From tip to base at
a very precise angle.

This feature simultaneously
strengthens the tool

While increasing the chip flow
along the groove.

Although carbide
is incredibly strong,

When it's milled to
the thickness of a human hair,

It becomes fragile.

Needless to say,

Careful packaging
is extremely important.

♪

Narrator: a skiff is
a lightweight motorboat

Designed for use
on shallow water.

Unlike most boats that have
a v-shaped hull,

A skiff's hull
is relatively flat,

Allowing it to sit
high above the water.

This type of boat is known
as a poling skiff.

It's designed with a platform
set over the engine,

Which provides fishermen a ledge
to stand on

While moving the boat
along with a pole.

A technician cleans
the hull mold

And coats it with
a release agent,

Then sprays on a gel coating.

The gel coating forms the glossy
outer layer of the boat.

Then the technician measures the
gel coat layer with a mill gauge

And leaves it to harden
for about an hour.

Computer-guided machines
cut pieces for the hull, deck,

And c*ck floor
from four different materials --

Woven fiberglass mat,
rigid pvc sheet-foam, kevlar --

A high-strength, heat-resistant
synthetic fabric --

And stiffer kevlar
reinforced with carbon fiber.

Chopped fiberglass saturated
with resin

Is applied onto the gel coat.

With spray-glue, a technician
adheres a layer

Of carbon kevlar,
fiberglass, foam,

And a second layer
of kevlar to the base.

These layered materials create
a mold for the boat's deck

And c*ck floor.

The flat squares are
aluminum-retention plates,

Where components
will be screwed down.

Raised squares are where
openings will be cut out

For storage compartments.

Each mold is bagged
and connected with hoses

To a vacuum-infusion system.

The vacuum compresses the layers
to 2/3 their original thickness,

Then the system draws
a specialized resin

Through the materials,

Which will bond them
into a single unit.

The system removes
all excess resin

So that the ratio of resin
to materials

Creates maximum strength
with minimal weight.

Next, another technician
assembles the boat's wiring

Into a unit known
as a wiring harness.

He winds the individual wires
around a schematic

That's custom-designed
for this specific boat.

He attaches connectors
on the ends

That fit into water-tight plugs.

Every wire is labeled
for easy identification.

Once the resin has fully cured,

The plastic vacuum bag
is removed from each mold.

A technician knocks wedges
under the flange that formed

Around the perimeter,
and thanks to the release agent,

A team can easily lift
the flange out of the mold.

The flange is trimmed,

And the openings are cut
with a diamond saw,

Which leaves clean,
straight edges.

Next, a team begins
assembling the boat.

First, they apply adhesive
to the hull

To prepare the c*ck floor
for attachment.

Once the c*ck's in place,
white pvc tubes are installed

For storing fishing rods
under the deck.

Then the wiring harness
is installed.

The aluminum fuel tank
is mounted in the bow.

These components are made of
strong, lightweight materials.

A technician places screws into
the metal retention plates

That were molded
into the structure.

Next, the wiring harness
is attached to water-tight plugs

Connected to the
electrically-powered components.

After installing plumbing lines

For the aerated
live bait compartment,

Team members glue
the deck to the hull.

The lids are installed
for the deck openings.

This one covers the forward
storage compartment

Containing the fuel tank and
the tubes for the fishing rods.

♪

Next, the console helm
is assembled,

Which is the nautical equivalent
of a vehicle dashboard.

Onto the helm, a technician
installs the steering wheel,

The engine gauge,

The panel containing
the ignition

And switches
for electrical components,

And the throttle,
which controls speed.

Then, two technicians bolt
the outboard motor

Onto the engine mount
at the stern.

While this skiff is built
with a square stern

And pointed bow,
its sides are flat.

This enables the boat to move
quietly through the water.

Next, technicians mount the
poling platform over the engine,

Securing it with glue
and screws.

♪

Finally, a technician
installs the finishing touches,

And the skiff
is ready for launch.

Due to its low profile
and light weight,

This boat can operate
in just mere inches of water.

♪

Narrator: painted glass is an
un-traditional backsplash choice

Specifically designed
to look minimalistic.

Due to fewer grout lines,
these painted panels

Are also easier to clean
so that when grease splatters,

The backsplash can be
wiped down quickly.

♪

These panels are painted
on the back

So the neutral color
shows through the front side.

Since glass is reflective,

This backsplash brings
both subtle color

And light into the kitchen.

Production starts with
an automated loading system.

Suctioning grippers
transfer the glass

To the rails of a conveyer.

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This is low-iron glass,

A kind of glass
with a very high clarity.

Once color is applied
to the back,

The color will appear
more clearly on the front

Than regular glass.

For easy identification,
a computerized system

Applies labels
to each of the parts to be cut.

A diamond cutting tool
scores the glass,

Mapping out backsplash panels
and smaller pieces

To be used
for showroom samples.

Once complete, rollers move the
glass sheet to the next station.

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Two technicians snap the glass
along the score lines.

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This snapping action
creates clean cuts,

Preventing the glass
from shattering.

The snap action doesn't work
for cuts within the panel.

Instead, a highly pressurized
water jet mixed with garnet grit

Cuts through the glass.

The cutting device makes holes
for electrical switch plates

And for mounting hardware.

With the cutting done,

A technician rinses
the residual grit.

The sharp edges are profiled

So the glass will be safer
to handle.

As this display model
demonstrates,

There are several choices.

Next, an operator loads
the glass backsplash

Into a slotted conveyer,

Which transfers it
to the edging machine.

Underneath the edging machine,

There are a series of grinding
and buffing wheels.

As the glass travels over
the wheels,

The edge of the glass
will transform.

Once the machine is activated,
the wheels spin,

While lubricant
flows over the glass.

The wheels profile and buff
the edge of the glass

That will be the top
of the backsplash.

Next, the operator examines
the edge to confirm

That it's been contoured

And that there aren't
any imperfections.

Apart from making the glass
safer to handle,

The profiled edge will reduce
the possibility

Of chipping and breakage.

At the next station,

Spinning brushes with soft
bristles scrub the panel.

The process removes any dust
or polishing grit

To prepare it
for the next steps.

Once out of the washing machine,

The glass backsplash travels
through a 1,299-degree oven.

The intense heat followed
by a quick cooling

Tempers the glass
to make it heat resistant.

Roller conveyers transfer the
glass to the painting station.

♪

A technician mixes
the acrylic paint.

Since paint doesn't stick
to glass on its own,

A special
adhesion-promoting chemical

Is added to the mixture.

The technician mixes the
colorants into the white base

According to the formula.

Specific amounts of red
and yellow paint

Produce a brilliant orange hue.

♪

Next, sprayers apply the paint

Evenly across the back
of the panel

As the glass moves
along a conveyer.

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Then the backsplash enters
an infrared oven

Heated to 302 degrees
fahrenheit.

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The painted glass bakes in
the oven for about four minutes.

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Once heating is complete,
a technician applies gray paint

Over the backside
of the backsplash.

This coat won't affect
the orange hue,

But it will protect
the backsplash from damage

During transport
and installation.

Neutral-colored backsplashes
make a more subtle statement,

While brightly-colored
backsplashes

Can make a kitchen pop.