Narrator: in motor vehicles,
an oil pressure sensor
Is a critical part
of the engine.
As oil lubricates,
cools and cleans the motor,
This sensor constantly
measures the pressure
And signals a problem before
it causes serious damage
To the engine.
Screwed to the engine block
And connected
to the car's computer,
The sensor can detect
The smallest change
in oil pressure.
The computer relays
the information
To the gauge on the dashboard.
It allows the driver to tell
at a glance
If there's a pressure problem
under the hood.
To manufacture
motor oil sensors,
A robot picks up
a perforated ceramic board
And transfers it to a carriage.
The carriage shuttles the board
into a screen printing machine.
It squeegees
palladium silver paste onto it,
Creating a pattern for a sensor
around each of the holes.
The silver will serve
as an electrical conductor.
A trip through a long oven
bakes the silver paste
Onto the ceramic.
Then it's back to
the screen printing machine.
This time, the squeegee applies
a green glass glaze
Onto the silver.
The pattern leaves some
of the silver exposed
For the attachment of components
Like capacitors and diodes.
A robot then applies
those components
Faster than you can
blink an eye.
The next robot transfers
terminals to the sensors.
To align the prongs
of the terminal
With exposed silver
on the sensor,
The robot takes a picture
and sends it to the computer.
The computer then guides
the positioning.
It all happens in a flash.
Once the terminal has been
soldered to the sensor,
Another robot dispenses
adhesive around the components.
This seals the circuitry
from the oil
That will flow
through the center hole.
The next robot places
a silicon chip on the sensor,
Covering and sealing
the center hole.
This chip will react
to changes in oil pressure.
Another robot bonds
the silicon chip
To the circuitry
using aluminum wire
That's thinner
than a human hair.
This completes
the electrical connection.
An employee now inserts the ends
of the sensors in a fixture
And breaks them
along score lines.
This separates them
into strips of five.
She transfers the strip
to a machine
That bends the terminals
to a precise shape.
She snaps the ceramic along
more score lines
To separate the strips of five
into single sensors.
Next, she connects the terminals
to posts in plastic housing.
After soldering them in place,
She folds the rest
of the sensor over them.
She then places brass shells
in a carrier.
She inserts two rubber o rings
in the shells --
A large one and a smaller one
around the center hole.
The robots take it from here.
The first one picks up
the sensor assembly,
And using a camera as a guide,
transfers it to the brass shell.
Then it's over to
a press and crimp station.
The top tool applies pressure
to compress the o rings
As forming tools crimp the shell
around the sensor.
An applicator coats the threads
of the brass shell with sealant.
When dry, this sealant will
enhance the sensor's fit
To the engine
to prevent oil leakage.
A test hit probes each sensor,
Performing
a full electrical evaluation.
It also applies air pressure
to test for leaks.
After passing the test,
the oil sensor is complete.
Narrator: businesses looking
to advertise
Will often commission
a printing company
To produce
a large poster or banner.
The quality of
large format printing
Is better than ever
thanks to digital technology.
Commercial equipment
can typically print a banner
Up to 16 feet high
by 150 feet wide.
If the required size is larger,
it's printed in sections,
Then joined together.
A prepress technician
preps the clients' design
For printing --
Adjusting colors, sectioning,
and adding a bleed.
This is a blind border
around the design
Because the machines can't print
all the way to the edge.
Then it's time to load
a roll-to-roll printing machine
With weather resistant
vinyl mesh.
They feed the leading edge
of the roll into the machine
And pull it through
the output end.
This aligns the vinyl
so that the printing
Won't come out crooked.
They slip a cardboard tube
over the roller
Which will receive
the printed vinyl
And tape on the leading edge.
If this job required printing
on a ridged material,
They'd be using
a flatbed printer
Rather than the roll-to-roll.
Both machines print
with ink-jet technology,
Similar to
a home computer printer.
However, rather than using
dye-based inks,
They're typically solvent-based.
They're designed to withstand
outdoor conditions
For three to five years.
The machine uses
the standard ink-jet colors --
Black, yellow, cyan,
and magenta.
It also includes light cyan
and light magenta
To provide additional
shade variations.
The machine has 12 print heads,
Each head has 256 nozzles.
Once daily, they're put through
a full cleaning procedure
To prevent clogging.
The print head moves
back and forth across the vinyl.
The computer guides
the individual nozzles
To deposit dots of ink
at specific spots.
All those colored dots together
form the printed design.
The first 6 inches the machine
prints are a color bar test
To make sure that every nozzle
is working properly.
The printing of
the actual design follows.
The printed vinyl banner
exits the machine
And winds around
the receiving roller.
Then they mount the roll
onto another machine,
Which trims off the excess
vinyl and the bleed
With rotary blades.
When the banner is compromised
of sections,
Workers connect them.
First they align the edges,
Then they bond the joint
temporarily with masking tape.
They flick a switch
to project laser lines,
Which indicate the width
and center of the weld.
The weld will permanently
connect the sections
On the reverse side.
Turning the banner facedown,
Workers align the joint
with the center line.
A magnetic strip secures
the banner to the table
To prevent it from shifting,
And a vacuum pulls
the banner taut.
At the same time,
a hot air welder fuses the joint
With heat-activated
adhesive tape.
Then they flip the banner
faceup again
And remove the temporary tape.
The last step is to reinforce
the perimeter with webbing --
The material used
for seat belts.
This gives the banner
a nice finished edge.
It also creates a strong border
In which to secure grommets
for hanging the banner.
Workers apply the grommets
manually with a pneumatic press.
A banner typically has a grommet
every 24 inches,
Plus 3 in each corner.
To hang the banner,
You run bungee cords
through the grommets,
Pull taut, then hook the ends
to plates affixed
To the building facade.
A few screws for reinforcement,
and you're done.
Wind passes right through
the tiny holes of the vinyl mesh
So the banner doesn't billow.
Narrator: when you're learning
how to operate heavy equipment,
One wrong move can cause damage
or injuries.
That's why it's becoming more
common to train on a simulator,
Which can replicate
real-life scenarios
From typical maneuvers
to emergency situations.
Whether learning to operate
a crane, backhoe, or excavator,
It's safer for a trainee
to make rookie mistakes
At a virtual work site.
The instructor simply installs
heavy equipment controls
And loads
the appropriate software.
Then the simulator
is all set to replicate
How the equipment maneuvers.
A heavy equipment simulator
begins life
As a series of
Mechanical engineering
technicians plug in the details
Of the customer's order,
Including foot pedals
and joysticks
To control the equipment's
various movements.
Then assembly can begin.
Following the plans,
Technicians build
the steel motion platform
Which replicates the movement
of the cab.
Its base has wheels
for rolling the simulator
From one location to another.
This drive controls
the three actuators
Which raise, lower,
and tilt the platform.
Once the technicians have
installed and wired up
All three actuators,
they install the platform cover.
Next, they mount
the height-adjustable seat.
At its base,
enclosed in a bellow,
Is a pneumatic suspension
system.
This enables the seat
to realistically bounce or jerk
In response to the action
being simulated.
Meanwhile,
another technician assembles
The simulator's control box.
He mounts
the joystick controller
And connects its wiring
to a cable inside.
The cable leads to a connector
on the base of the box.
That connector simply plugs into
the motion platform
Right next
to the operator's seat.
The box attaches securely
with large screw knobs,
Making it easy to disconnect
And switch to different kinds
of simulations.
The foot pedals are mounted
to a separate platform.
Technicians attach it
to the motion platform
With two screws.
Like the control box,
The idea is to be able to switch
this pedal platform easily
For a different one.
The simulator's cab
is now fully assembled
And it moves just like
a real one.
The virtual view from the cab,
spans five l.c.d. Screens
To give the trainee a realistic
perspective of the work site.
After installing
the screen supports,
Workers mount the screens.
The configuration mimics
the window layout
Of the typical cab.
The simulation runs on software
that's designed in-house.
However, the client can further
customize the program
For a specific make and model
of heavy equipment
Or to simulate specific
scenarios that might arise
On a particular work site.
The simulator has
five different computers.
Three of them run
the seat movement, the screens,
And a small touch screen
to the trainee's right.
That screen displays
the buttons, knobs,
And levers of
the heavy equipment's dashboard.
The fourth computer calculates
The physics
of the simulated environment
Such as the excavator's
digging movement
And the corresponding
soil movement.
The fifth computer manages
the training scenarios.
For instance,
An instructor can program
adverse weather conditions
To make the exercise
more difficult.
To simulate a different piece
of equipment,
The instructor simply switches
the joystick and pedals
If necessary
And loads
the appropriate software.
In the simulator, the trainee
has the same perspective
He or she would have
in the real-life cab.
Three reflective markers
on the helmet
Enable an infrared camera
mounted above the screens
To track the trainee's
head movements.
This prompts the software
To display
the corresponding view.
Narrator:
tragedy on the racetrack
Led to the development
of the head and neck restraint
In the 1980s.
Investigations had revealed
a deadly trend in motor sports.
With the driver's body
restrained,
The head moved violently
in a crash,
Causing fracture
to the base of the skull.
Clearly,
more restraint was needed.
Attached to a helmet,
a head and neck restraint
Is designed to save
the racer's skull.
It has become required
equipment
In many racing organizations.
To make these restraints,
They mix plastic
and carbon fiber pellets.
The carbon fiber fortifies
the plastic,
Which is made
from castor bean oil
Instead of petroleum products.
A machine melts the mixture
And injects it into a mold
under pressure
To produce the base structure
for the restraint.
The operator breaks off
what's known as the sprue --
Plastic that's solidified
in the channels
Leading to the mold.
He trims the plastic
and carbon fiber overflow
From around the edges.
This overflow is known
in the industry as "flash."
He hangs the parts to cure
over a 24-hour period.
The next day, the employee
clamps the part in a jig
And activates
computerized tools.
The first one drills holes
for tethering restraint
To the helmet.
Another trims it
to its final size.
An automated hot knife
now cuts nylon tether material
To the correct length.
Then it's over to
a computerized sewing machine
To stitch the tether
around a chrome fitting.
The stitching pattern has been
designed by an engineer
To withstand
the force of impact.
The operator then stitches
on a label,
Which says the tether's design
has been sanctioned
By both american and european
racing organizations.
Next, using a dye
powered by bursts of air,
A worker punches out
shoulder pads
From cushion foam.
The next member of the team
slides the shoulder pads
Into casings made of
fire-resistant cotton.
It's a snug fit,
And without
a special installation tool,
The job wouldn't go smoothly.
By folding the pad
into the tool
And then inserting it
into the long case,
There are no bunch ups.
Some head and neck restraints
are adjustable
So drivers can find
a more comfortable fit.
They assemble those restraints
in three pieces
With the adjustable fittings
in the joints.
The employee then paints
adhesive primer
Onto the base structure
of the head and neck restraint.
He coats most of the plastic
And carbon fiber surface
with it.
He applies neoprene padding
to the primed surface.
The padding is adhesive backed
and it bonds instantly.
He attaches the tether
to the back of the restraint
With plastic clips and screws.
Using hook and loop tape,
He secures the shoulder pads
to the other side
Of the restraint's yoke.
Another worker applies
more certification labels.
They signify that
the actual structure
Of the head and neck restraint
meets standards.
They now test
a randomly selected restraint.
A hydraulic arm
pulls the tethers
Until the restraint snaps,
Mimicking the force
of a violent impact.
The restraint withstands more
than what's required
And breaks in the right place.
Next, an employee attaches
a head and neck restraint
To the helmet using the tethers.
Two crash dummies
put the restraints to the test.
The one on the left
isn't wearing a restraint
While the right one is.
Steady nerves and a steady head
could save a racer's life,
And a head and neck restraint
definitely improves the odds.
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