Narrator:
the reclining barber chair
Was invented in america in 1878.
At the time,
it was a grooming breakthrough.
With a chair that leaned back
and moved forward,
The barber
could shave the customer
With greater precision,
And when wielding
a straight-edged razor,
Precision is definitely
a good thing.
The barber chair
is the original easy chair.
Just sit back
and enjoy the recline.
The client doesn't need to
position himself for a shave.
The chair does all the moving.
It even lifts and swivels.
Production starts
with the base of the chair.
An employee places
a flat, round piece of steel
In a two-part die.
The die comes together
and applies pressure
To take the steel
from flat to domed.
The domed chair base then spins
As an abrasive wheel etches a
brushed finish onto the surface.
Next, the worker tucks the end
of a strip of steel
Between rollers
And turns them
to curl the steel into a sleeve
For the hydraulic chair lift.
He slides a piece of plastic
into grooves on the ends
To close the steel sleeve.
Then he slides it
onto the chair lift pump.
He places a large trim ring
on the end of the pump
And sets the domed chair base
on top.
Screws secure the base
and chair-lift assembly.
With the assembly
now right-side-up,
He attaches a u-shaped
foot pedal to the pump.
Production then moves
To the construction
of the actual seat.
The worker glues several sheets
of russian birch
And staples them together.
She continues to layer
Until the birch
is nearly an inch thick.
The last layer is thick plywood.
It's been cut to accommodate
a steel frame.
She glues and staples
the plywood
To the layered birch.
Then it's into a press
For the chair's seat,
back, and arms.
It bends the parts
to a gentle curvature
That will make the chair
more comfortable to sit in.
With a hot stamp,
The worker brands
the company name and logo
Into vinyl upholstery.
He places the wood chair back
into a bed of cushy foam.
He pulls the edges of the foam
tightly to the wood
And staples it.
He trims the excess.
He covers the chair back with
the pre-sewn vinyl upholstery,
And it's a snug fit.
Next, he gets a hand
from a pneumatic device.
It holds the chair part in place
As he staples
the upholstery to it.
He trims the vinyl
for a clean edge.
He checks the fit,
And, once satisfied,
he moves on to the chair arms.
He locks an arm in a clamp
And installs
the chrome end piece.
The chrome resists wear
better than vinyl does --
Important on this gripping part.
The crew attaches
the steel chair frame
To the underside
of the upholstered seat.
They screw the arms
onto the frame.
They install
the pneumatic mechanism
That makes the chair recline.
They screw the upholstered
chair back to the steel frame
And link
the recliner mechanism to it.
They test the recline
and incline functions.
The footrest is next.
They then pump up the lift shaft
And transfer
the upholstered chair to it.
They close the back of the chair
with an upholstered panel,
And finally,
They give the customer
a place to rest his head.
With the headrest installed,
This barber chair
is ready for customers.
Time spent reclining in it
Will no doubt leave the client
looking and feeling refreshed.
Narrator: a sewage pump is part
of an underground operation
To dispose of human waste.
It is essential equipment
When sewage must be pumped
to a septic system or sewer line
At a higher
underground location.
Working below the surface,
Sewage pumps take care
of unpleasant business.
When it comes to sewage,
People understandably prefer
to flush and forget.
The sewage pump
helps make that possible.
It is the number-one way
to move waste.
When the sewage reaches
a certain level upon discharge,
The pump's floating sensor
Activates a switch
to start pumping.
Then it's on its way to
a septic system or sewer line,
Ensuring that sewage receives
the necessary treatment.
They make
the sewage-pump housing
From a rugged cast iron.
A chain conveyor takes
the housing parts for a rinse
And an application of a chemical
That slightly etches the surface
in preparation for finishing.
The journey continues
Through a big dryer
that removes residual moisture.
The parts now head
into the spray booth
For a finish
that will protect the surface.
The conveyor delivers
a negative charge to the parts,
Causing the positively charged
powder finish
To gravitate to them.
It completely coats the parts,
And they travel through an oven
to bake on the powder finish.
Next, workers move
the pump-housing units
Across to a spinning,
abrasive disk.
This grinds the edges flat
To allow for a tight seal
to other parts.
Here's the housing
before grinding,
And here it is after.
He places a gauge under the part
in several places
To ensure
that it's completely even.
Next, a tool machines
the part of the housing
That holds the stator,
The stationary part
of the motor.
It carves the opening so that
the stator will fit to it
And also align
next to the motor housing.
Using a drill press,
A worker cuts a thread
into another part of the pump.
This will allow it
to connect to a discharge pipe.
The parts are now ready
for assembly.
A worker presses the carbon half
of a seal for the rotor shaft
Into place.
He lubricates the rotor shaft
And inserts it
into the pump housing.
A blast of compressed air
removes any contaminants.
And he installs the ceramic half
of the rotor-shaft seal.
Next, he screws the impeller
to the rotor shaft.
The impeller will move sewage
From the pumping chamber
to the discharge pipe.
He installs an o-ring
around the opening to the motor.
He inserts the stator...
And screws it into place.
He connects lead wires to
terminals in the motor housing
And sets it in place.
He runs the power cord
through the motor housing
And tightens a seal
around the cord.
He attaches a metal guard
To give the pump float
adequate clearance,
Then seals the motor housing
and wires the pump switch.
He screws the switch case
to the housing.
A worker plugs in the pump
To test for any shorts
in the electrical components.
The pump passes all the tests.
It's ready for the float
that actuates the pump switch.
A piece has been cut out
of this pump
To give us an inside look
at the sewage pump
And its operation.
As waste water rises,
so does the float,
And it activates the switch
to turn on the pump.
When the sewage subsides,
The float lowers
and switches off the pump.
Next, the pump takes the plunge
in a test tank
To ensure
that it can handle the pressure
And that it meets
all the performance standards.
Once the computer gives
the sewage pump the green light,
It's on its way
to a septic system near you.
Built for a life of effluence,
This sewage pump is now ready
to go with the flow.
Narrator:
there are unofficial claims
That bimini boat tops were named
For the sun-drenched
bimini islands of the bahamas.
The open-sided canvas tops
are usually retractable,
And beginning
in the early '60s,
Were developed to offer boaters
protection from the sun.
Out on the open water,
Bimini boat tops
provide shelter from the rain
And shade in the sun.
Their durable
and versatile materials
Withstand rugged sea breezes
and intense u.v. Rays
While providing ample headroom
for boaters.
A worker measures a piece
of anodized aluminum tubing
For the exact leg height needed
For each custom-made
bimini boat top.
Then he cuts the tubing
To the dimension needed
for each boat.
They use aluminum
and stainless steel
Because they don't rust.
The worker begins bending
the frame of the boat top.
The eventual roof support
is on the floor
While he holds the leg height
in his hand.
He must be careful
to not overbend.
The final angle
is about 88 degrees.
The worker crowns the tubing,
A process that puts a rise
in the center of the roof
And pulls the legs inward.
Each bimini boat top
Is made of three bows
of different heights.
The front
is shorter than the back,
While the center is usually
About 40%
of the back leg height.
Workers now assemble the bows.
They attach eye ends
and jaw slides
To form rudimentary hinges.
They now unfold
the assembled tubing
Using the precise measurements
of a customer's boat.
They simulate the final shape
of the boat top
By using tape to spread the bows
to exact widths.
Once the bows have been spread
and the distance is measured,
They can see the shape
of the final boat top.
All that's left
is installing the roof itself.
The roof is made
of acrylic canvas
That is both water-
and fade-resistant.
And there are plenty of colors
to choose from.
The patterning process begins.
Once the roof is cut,
A worker stitches
the roof panels.
Workers spread the cut panels
over the bow setup
To finalize the roof dimensions.
The canvas fabric
is clamped to the bow setup
As a worker marks the edges
on the outside of the fabric.
The roof is made in panels.
It usually takes
two or more panels
To complete a roof,
Depending on the size
of the boat.
Once excess material
has been trimmed off,
The worker begins stitching.
She turns the outer edge
of the roof
And uses a straight stitch.
She works on the sides
of the canvas roof
Before the ends.
The worker
now patterns the listing,
Which is a pocket through which
the bow will be inserted.
Here's what the listing's
raw pattern looks like
Once measured and cut.
She places the finished listing
on top of the panel
And stitches it
to the end of the roof panel.
The stitching process is key
To the durability
of the boat top.
She turns the roof over
so the listing is backwards.
It's actually sewn on inside-out
and then turned over.
She stitches the entire length
of the listing closed...
Then the company's
identification tag.
Workers now insert
the pieces of tubing
Into the listings
of the canvas roof.
First, they push the rear bow
all the way through.
Once the rear bow is in place,
They prepare to insert
the center and front bow
Of the boat top.
They unfurl
the remainder of the roof
And position the center bow
on the center listing.
Gradually, they slide the tubing
All the way through
the center listing.
With the front bow inserted,
The bimini boat top
is almost complete.
An employee inspects
the boat top for any defects.
Once installed,
the bimini boat top
Can either be tucked away
in its boot
Or opened up and held in place
by front straps.
For the life of your boat,
A well-maintained
bimini boat top has it covered.
Narrator: running an engine
on diesel fuel is efficient,
But it emits smelly, black
exhaust,
Soot, leftover carbon
That didn't burn off
in the combustion process.
To prevent exhaust emissions
from polluting the air,
Diesel engines
and diesel-powered generators
Need powerful filters.
This self-cleaning diesel filter
traps engine-exhaust soot
And burns it off
by heating the filter elements.
This effectively completes
the combustion process.
At the core
of those filter elements
Are heating strips
made of steel fiber,
Which is like dense steel wool.
But the steel
is a special mix of alloys
Resistant to high temperatures
and corrosion.
Each heating strip
goes into a machine
Which repeatedly folds it
up then down,
Pleating it like an accordion.
The thick steel fibers
are what trap the soot particles
As the engine exhaust
flows through.
An electrical current
heats these conductive fibers,
Burning off the soot regardless
of engine-exhaust temperatures.
Using nickel crimps,
Workers connect --
depending on the filter size --
Up to seven pleated strips
per filter element.
They press the crimps
securely into the steel fiber
With a press.
They attach a different type
of crimp at the far ends.
This type
has a tab with three holes
For the electrical connections.
Next, they bend the assembled
strips into a circle
And place them inside
a perforated steel housing.
A temporary cardboard spacer
Creates a gap
between strips and housing
To insulate
against short circuits.
The electrical-connection tabs
on the ends
Fit through slots at the front.
An insulating block
made of mica,
A non-conductive mineral,
Goes behind the tabs,
Followed by steel-fiber spacers.
All this sets up a clear
and strong conductive path
From the power source
to the strips.
They fasten the insulating block
to the housing.
Then, using tweezers,
They place a mica spacer
in between each pleat.
This prevents the pleats
from touching each other
And causing a short circuit
As the electrical current
passes through the strips.
They place a spacing stick
inside each pleat.
This is just temporary,
To size the pleat's width
uniformly
Until they're cemented
permanently in position.
To do that,
workers pour ceramic cement
Into a circular bottom plate
made of perforated steel.
The perforations
ensure better bonding.
They spread the cement
evenly across the plate...
Then position a stainless-steel
tube in the center
To connect this plate
to an identical plate on top.
They carefully place the strips
into the cement
And position the top plate...
...then add a weight
to hold it down
While it goes into an oven
at 85 degrees
To cure the cement.
They take it out of the oven
and remove the top plate.
They also remove the spacing
sticks and cardboard spacer,
Which are no longer required
Because the spacing is now
permanently set in cement.
They repeat the cementing
process with the top plate.
After a final four hours
in the curing oven,
The electrically heated
filter element,
This diesel filter's
key component,
Is completed,
And the main assembly can begin.
The larger the filter,
The more filter elements
it contains
In its stainless-steel housing.
For this mid-sized model,
Technicians stack four sets
of six elements
Then connect electrical cables
to the tab holes of each one.
Next, technicians install
a flow-control valve
For each stack.
When activated,
The valve reduces exhaust flow
to that stack,
Enabling the system to
automatically clean elements
By electrically heating
the strip.
An internal computer
manages the cleaning cycles.
It uses sensors that detect soot
accumulation in the elements,
Isolating and cleaning one
or multiple elements at a time.
On the front,
techs mount the inlet flange
Through which
the dirty diesel exhaust
Enters the filter...
On top, the outlet flange
Through which that exhaust
exits soot-free.
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