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14x01 - Mini GP Motorcycles/Fig Cookies/Tool Boxes/Pipe Bends

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "How It's Made". Aired: July 6, 2005.*
Watch/Buy Amazon



Television series that documents how various everyday products are made.

14x01 - Mini GP Motorcycles/Fig Cookies/Tool Boxes/Pipe Bends

Post by bunniefuu »

]] Narrator: fog and blinding

Snow can obscure the view from

The top of a ski mountain, but a

Good pair of ski goggles can add

Some clarity to the situation.

They shield the eyes from the

Elements, and certain lenses add

Contrast in low light to allow

The skier to see the bumps and

Dips ahead.

Goggle lenses come in different

Tints to adjust for specific

Weather scenarios.

They start with this injection

Molding machine.

The operator sprays a nonstick

Substance into the mold and

Closes the door.

The machine sucks up urethane

Pellets, then melts them into a

Thick liquid to mold into goggle

Frames.

It takes just seconds for the

Shape to harden.

A worker clips away unwanted

Bits, and then he's ready to

Give these goggles a more

Graphic look.

He immerses the cellophane-like

Material, printed side down, in

A mix of water and solvent.

A chemical reaction lifts the

Graphic design off the film and

Suspends it in the liquid.

He sprays solvent on the other

Side to both activate a bonding

Agent and dissolve the film.

He then immerses a rack of

Goggle frames in the floating

Graphic.

The surface tension of the water

Causes the graphic pattern to

Wrap around the frames, and the

Bonding agent makes it stick.

This technique is called

Hydrographics, and it's a good

Way to transfer a pattern onto a

Three-dimensional surface.

He washes away any paint or dirt

From the surface of the frames.

A clear lacquer is the finishing

Touch.

For an understated look, there's

Always monochromatic white.

A worker applies glue around the

Vents of a pair, then presses

Foam onto them.

The foam will keep snow out of

The goggles but allow air to be

Vented to prevent fogging.

She applies thicker foam around

The perimeter for a

Weather-tight fit on the skier's

Face.

Once the straps are installed,

The goggles are ready for the

Latest innovation, a

Microelectronic fan.

It will pull warm, humid air out

Of the goggles to further

Of the goggles to further
prevent fogging.

Prevent fogging.

He screws the mini fan to the

Frames and listens to it spin to

Confirm its operating correctly.

Next, a machine cuts shapes out

Of polycarbonate to make lenses.

Then, this special press applies

Heat to bend the lens.

This shape will make it easier

To secure the lens to the frame,

And it also reduces optical

And it also reduces optical
distortion.

Distortion.

Production now moves to this

Liner-backed foam with precut

Lens patterns.

The worker peels off a strip to

Expose a goggle-shaped strip of

Foam.

She then presses a colored lens

Onto the strip.

High-strength adhesive on the

Foam bonds to the lens.

She pulls away the rest of the

Material, leaving that narrow

Ribbon of foam.

It will serve as spacer between

The outer-colored lens and an

Inner clear one.

The space between the two lenses

Is a buffer zone to prevent

Condensation buildup and

Fogging.

Now they sh**t a steel pellet at

A randomly-selected pair of

Goggles.

It doesn't shatter, which means

It will effectively shield the

Skier's eyes from sharp objects

Like tree branches and ski

Poles.

It's time to snap the dual-layer

Lens to the frame's molded

Groove.

A u.v. Mirror coating has also

Been applied to protect the eyes

From the sun's rays and reduce

Glare.

These goggles have everything

Covered, leaving the skier free

To focus on the thrill of the

To focus on the thrill of the
ride.

Ride.

]] Narrator: a tower crane moves

Building materials up to

Construction crews working above

The ground.

The operator's cabin is near the

Top.

Just above that is the jib,

Which hoists the load and

Trolleys it back and forth.

The jib and cabin rotate on a

Turntable called a slueing

Platform.

A crane's tower is modular,

Meaning the more tower sections

Installation crews add, the

Taller the crane.

At the crane factory, workers

Construct the slueing platform

By welding together huge steel

Plates and square tubes.

Welders also fuse sections of

Ladder to sections of safety

Cage.

Then they weld each ladder and

Cage unit to a tower section.

Throughout the assembly process,

Robots perform the simpler

Welds.

Once all the crane's structural

Components are welded, they go

To the paint shop for an

Anticorrosion primer, then a top

Coat of paint.

After each application, the part

Dries in an oven for about an

Hour at 175 degrees.

The slueing platform sits on a

Turning mechanism that consists

Of two concentric rings with

Ball bearings in between.

Computer-guided machines grind

Teeth on the outside and grooves

On the inside in which the

Bearings will ride.

After lubricating the grooves,

Workers install the outer ring

Around the inner one.

Then they fill the groove with

Steel ba*ls and high-strength

Plastic spacers.

This allows the outer rim to

Revolve smoothly around the

Stationary inner ring.

The operator cabin is made of

Steel panels.

It's integrated into the slueing

Platform.

The cabin's large windows enable

The operator to view how the jib

Is maneuvering the load.

The crane's controls are built

Right into the cabin seat.

The seat itself is designed to

Be as comfortable as possible

Because you can't step out of

Because you can't step out of
the cab to stretch your legs.

The cab to stretch your legs.

A motorized gear rotates the

Slueing ring which rotates the

Slueing platform, supporting the

Crane's cabin and jib.

The factory's computer-guided

Machining equipment makes all

The parts for this gear as well

As for the gears which enable

The jib to hoist and trolley the

Load.

Workers assemble the slueing

Gear and mount the motor that

Drives it.

Then they connect the slueing

Gear to the slueing ring and

Mount the ring on the slueing

Platform into which they've

Platform into which they've
installed the cabin.

Installed the cabin.

An automatic greasing system

Keeps the ring's teeth

Lubricated as it rotates the

Platform.

After an extensive test, they

Install the tower head on top of

The cabin.

Now this entire slueing unit

Goes off to the construction

Site.

After anchoring the crane's

Base, the installers use a

Mobile crane to mount the

Slueing unit on the tower and

The jib onto the slueing unit.

Then they add tower sections to

Build the crane to the required

Height.

An elevating device lifts the

Slueing unit, clearing enough

Space underneath to insert an

Additional tower section.

They connect the tower sections

With giant high-strength bolts.

Then, repeat this procedure

Until the crane is as high as it

Needs to be.

Once the crane is fully erected,

The operator climbs the tower

Ladder up to the cabin.

As he works, he observes what

He's doing through the windows.

He also watches a computer

Monitor which displays how the

Jib is hoisting, trolleying, and

Depositing the load.

He can communicate with the

Ground via phone or

Walkie-talkie so things are

Walkie-talkie so things are
never left up in the air.

Never left up in the air.

]] Narrator: europe is renowned

For producing magnificent

Porcelain figurines even though

It was the chinese who first

Invented the art.

In 1718, the first european

Factories began making ornate

Porcelain objects, which quickly

Became a status symbol among the

Nobility.

This viennese palace is home to

Europe's second oldest

Manufacturer of handmade

Porcelain.

Following photos of a subject, a

Modeler sculpts a

Three-dimensional figure out of

Clay.

Not only must he include all the

Intricate details, he also has

To make the model 14% larger

Than the final size because

Porcelain shrinks during the

Firing process.

He uses the model to cast a

Master mold out of plaster.

From the master mold, he casts a

Plastic mold and from that,

Plaster production molds with

Which to cast the figurines.

In its raw form, porcelain is a

Paste which contains water, the

Minerals feldspar and quartz,

And white kaolin, a type of

Clay.

They water down the paste into a

Liquid called slip, then pour it

Into the plaster production

Molds.

The plaster immediately begins

Drawing out the water, causing a

Firm layer of slip to form

Against the mold cavity.

They pour out the remaining

Liquid.

When the slip layer is finally

Thick enough, they open the mold

And carefully extract what is by

Now a figurine with fine

Details.

More complex figurines are cast

In parts, each in its own mold.

The modeler carefully touches up

Each casting, scraping off seams

And fine-tuning the details.

Then, he assembles the parts,

Using a slip to stick them

Using a slip to stick them
together.

Together.

It's critical to keep the

Figurine hydrated because if it

Dries out even slightly, it will

Crack during firing.

The figurine goes through two

Main firings.

The first time at over 1,700

Degrees -- hot enough to harden

The porcelain but also keep the

Surface porous so the glaze will

Adhere.

They inspect and dust the fired

Figurine then stamp it with

Coat of arms in cobalt-blue

Enamel.

The mark as described this brand

Of austrian porcelain since



Then they dip the figurine in

Glaze -- a mixture of water and

Several materials, including

Quartz, feldspar, kaolin and

Ground-up porcelain.

Then, into the kiln again, this

Time over 2,500 degrees.

This bakes the glaze to a glassy

Finish and further hardens the

Porcelain.

The figurine exits this firing

About 14% smaller as the

Remaining moisture has

Evaporated.

Once it cools, they begin

Decorating the figurine.

Using a variety of fine-tipped

Pens and brushes, an artist

Paints enamel onto the glazed

Paints enamel onto the glazed
surface.

Surface.

Between paint applications,

Depending on the number of

Colors and intricacy of color

Blending, the figurine undergoes

As many as six minor firings at



This melts the vitreous

Ingredient in the enamel fusing

It with the glaze.

The end result is rich,

Permanent color that never

Fades.

Despite its delicate appearance,

Porcelain is nearly as strong as

Steel when under compression,

But it's not nearly as resistant

To impacts, so when handling

These magnificent works of

Ceramic art, a good grip is

Ceramic art, a good grip is
highly recommended.

Highly recommended.

]] Narrator: drivers looking for

Greener cars, but with more

Powerful acceleration than

Hybrids deliver, can opt for a

Vehicle that runs on diesel.

Today's diesel fuel burns as

Cleanly as gasoline, yet

Diesel-powered cars are 30% more

Fuel efficient than gas-powered

Cars, meaning they consume less

Fuel and, therefore, pollute

Less.

The secret behind this car's

Powerful diesel engine is a

Turbocharger.

It compresses the air entering

The engine's combustion chambers

Filling them with a greater

Quantity of air.

The more air, the better the

Fuel burns, generating extra

Power.

The engine assembly begins with

A v-shaped block with two sets

Of three cylindrical holes

Called cylinders.

Robots first mount a retaining

Frame to support the crankshaft.

Each cylinder will contain a

Piston that moves up and down

With the combustion cycle.

This piston motion will turn the

Crankshaft which, in turn, will

Move the whole vehicle.

But first, a laser-beam device

Hones the cylinders.

The laser's heat melts the

Surface of the inner walls,

Smoothing them.

This ensures the pistons will

Move with minimal friction.

Meanwhile, a robot oils up the

Crankshaft's main bearings.

Then, once the cylinder honing

Is done, workers install the

Crankshaft at the bottom of the

Engine block, locking it in

Position with a retaining frame.

Now they flip the engine block

Right side up to install the

Pistons, which are already

Attached to connecting rods.

Once all six pistons are in,

They turn the engine block

Upside down again and fasten

Each connecting rod around the

Crankshaft.

Next, they connect the chain

Drive to one end of the

Crankshaft.

The chain drive operates

Camshafts that open and close

The valves on top of the

Cylinders.

Those valves are located in

These cylinder heads, four

Valves per cylinder -- two

Through which air enters the

Combustion chamber and two

Through which exhaust exits

Following each combustion cycle.

Workers flip the heads upside

Down and insert long bolts.

Then they position the heads

Over the cylinders, aligning the

Bolts with holes in the engine

Block.

Robots drive in the bolts to a

Specific tightness.

This caps each cylinder, closing

Its combustion chamber.

Next, workers install a fuel

Injector into special shafts in

Each cylinder head.

Injectors sh**t a specific

Amount of fuel into the

Combustion chambers at precisely

The right time.

These cutting-edge piezo

Injectors do that multiple times

Per cycle rather than just once,

Making the combustion process

Much smoother.

The engine, therefore, is

Quieter and pollutes less.

The next component is the

Air-intake manifold.

It goes on top of the engine.

Air enters on the left and, as

This animation shows, runs to

The intake valves on top of the

Cylinders.

It's time to install this

Engine's secret weapon, the

Turbocharger.

It contains two turbine wheels

That spin at nearly 200,000 rpm.

One turbine compresses air

Entering the air-intake

Manifold.

The other draws out the hot

Exhaust and sends it out the

Car's exhaust pipe.

The turbocharger sits at the

Rear of the engine block in the

"V" between the cylinders.

Over at the testing department,

Technicians analyze the engine's

Performance, in particular, its

Torque, which determines how

Much power the engine can

Produce.

Next, the engine goes into a

Test vehicle which runs through

Specific driving cycles that

Simulate both highway and city

Conditions, all the while

Collecting the emissions exiting

Out the exhaust pipe.

This test insures that the

Engine meets or exceeds all the

Engine meets or exceeds all the
emission standards.

Emission standards.

Not only does the turbocharger

Give the car better

Acceleration, it also solves a

Common problem in high-altitude

Regions, where decreased

Atmospheric pressure slows down

Nonturbo engines.

Because turbocharging compresses

The air going into the engine,

Even at high altitudes, the car

Even at high altitudes, the car
drives at full power.

Drives at full power.

If you have any comments about

The show, or if you'd like to

Suggest topics for future shows,

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