25x12 - Gingerbread Houses, Livestock Trailers, Bottom Rolling Hanger Doors, Toy Figurines

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: gingerbread houses
are a holiday tradition.

It used to take
a fair amount of time

And baking expertise
to make one.

But today, there are kits

And even pre-assembled
gingerbread houses

That make the process a breeze.

There's something about
this edible edifice

That makes the holidays
seem more special.

With a kit,
you can let the factory

Handle the tricky part and just
have fun with the trimmings.

To make a gingerbread house kit,

The factory starts
with baking soda.

Then a worker adds
a scoop of salt,

Measuring the ingredients
by weight.

He transfers the baking soda
and salt to a mixer.

He measures the spices --

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,
and allspice.

There's actually
a lot more cinnamon

Than ginger in gingerbread.

But the flavor of the ginger
is more pronounced.

He closes the mixer,

And the system adds water,
molasses, and sugar.

At the top of the mixer,

He tosses in a block
of vegetable shortening.

The mixer combines
all the ingredients

And blends in the flour.

The result is
a putty-like dough.

A spiraling machine helps move
the dough onto a conveyor.

A roller flattens the chunks

So they won't fall off
during the steep climb.

The conveyor delivers
the chunks of dough

To a machine called a sheeter.

It gets this name

Because it rolls the pieces into
a seemingly endless sheet.

A large cookie cutter
comes down.

It punches out
the various shapes needed

To form the gingerbread house.

The cookie cutouts land
on moving rubber-coated wires.

Separators between the wires

Trim the excess
gingerbread dough,

Which is captured
and mixed into the next batch.

Then the cookies transfer
to a mesh conveyor,

Which takes them
up to a baking sheet belt.

The cookies travel slowly
through a long convection oven

That's heated to
just over 160 degrees.

Here's an inside look.

At any time,

There are parts for 150
gingerbread kits in this oven.

The baked gingerbread
exits the oven

And transfers
to a spiral conveyor.

After a 30-minute ride,
the dough is cool and firm.

Workers stack the pieces
for one gingerbread house

Onto a piece of cardboard.

They're ready to be packaged
with the rest of the kit.

Factory workers
assemble the houses

For certain retailers.

They glue the gingerbread
structure together

With royal icing

Made of confectioner's sugar
and egg whites.

It dries fast,

Giving this gingerbread house
instant structural integrity.

For the customer,

All that's left
is the decorating.

Elsewhere in the factory,

They make the icing
for the kits.

Plastic packaging moves toward
hot jaws that seal the bottom.

Then a robot grabs a package
and opens the top.

A fill nozzle
pumps icing into it.

Another robot applies
an applicator tip

And heat-seals
the plastic around it.

The tubes of sugary icing
fall on to a conveyor.

A worker places them in a box

For transfer
to the kit-assembly station.

These gingerbread houses
are ready for retail.

Decorated with icing and candy,
they look good enough to eat.

Narrator: livestock should be
transported in a vehicle

That keeps them comfortable

And protects them
from injury and stress.

The best way to haul
cattle and horses humanely

Is in a livestock trailer.

They're designed to be easy
to load, unload, and clean out.

A proper livestock trailer

Keeps its passengers
as comfortable as possible.

It's built to reduce rattling

And other stress-inducing
noises.

It lets in natural light,
which has a calming effect,

And it has openings along
the sides to circulate air.

A designer builds a 3-d model
on a computer

Then breaks it down into units
for assembly.

The factory orders long pieces
of extruded aluminum

Designed for the trailer model

Then cuts them
to specific lengths.

To construct the floor, workers
slide planks into end rails.

They pull the planks
tightly together

Using ratchet straps
then weld them to the rails.

They weld two flat aluminum bars

Across the planks
as floor supports.

The floor is upside down during
this part of the assembly.

Once they flip it over,

These supporters
will be under the floor planks.

Next, they install the axles,
two or three

Depending on the size
and style of the trailer.

These steel axles
are mounted to a steel frame

That provides structural support
for the trailer.

To attach the frame,

They drill holes
for lock bolts and lock collars.

They use a special tool

To squeeze the collar
down into the bolt.

This ensures the bolt
won't loosen with vibration.

Now they flip the floor over.

They weld the reverse side
of the rails to the floor planks

Using a track welder.

To construct the trailer walls,
they weld together

Horizontal slants, uprights,
and a top rail.

They connect the wall to
the floor then weld it in place.

This trailer is designed
for a warm climate,

So the side walls have openings
at the top to improve air flow.

Several parts of the trailer
are cut from

Sheets of textured aluminum
called tread plate.

After welding on
a large piece of tread plate

For the trailer's front wall,
they attach the gooseneck nose.

This nose connects the trailer
to the back of a pickup truck.

It can also transport
tools, feed, and baby animals.

Trailers that don't have
a gooseneck

Are called bumper hitches.

They connect
to the back of a tow vehicle.

Workers attach the gooseneck
using welds and lock bolts.

They build
the trailer's access gates

The same way as the walls --

Cutting aluminum extrusions
to specific lengths,

Assembling them,
then welding the parts together.

They mount the gates

By welding the hinge plates
to the wall structure.

The roof can either be
a sheet of aluminum

Or a sheet of translucent
woven glass fiber.

They pull the sheet taut

Then rivet it
to the top rail of the walls.

They add an aluminum strip to
secure the roof in high winds.

Workers install reflective tape
and l.e.d. Lights

Where transport regulations
require them.

A rubber grommet
around each light

Reduces vibration
and prevents water infiltration.

Workers complete the assembly

By mounting the wheels and tires
onto the axles.

They add a spare tire
under the gooseneck

And a vinyl graphic decal
on the side wall.

After a thorough inspection,

They give the trailer
a mild acid wash

To remove any grease
and handprints.

The factory can customize
any trailer design.

This includes higher windows
for horses

Or installing troughs

So the driver can give
the animals food and water.

Every trailer is designed
for easy cleaning,

Which includes
unloading the livestock,

Removing the bedding material
and manure,

As well as pressure-washing
the floor.

Narrator: a hangar
is a closed building structure

Designed for storing aircraft
or spacecraft.

They provide protection

From direct sun exposure
and bad weather.

As aircrafts grew bigger,
so did their hangars.

Many hangars today
use giant bottom-rolling doors.

The bottom-rolling hangar door

Moves along rails
embedded in the floor

And top guide beams
built into the ceiling.

They use several smaller panels

To construct
the 184-foot-wide hangar door.

An oxy fuel cutter
carves door parts

Out of a carbon-steel plate.

The torches heat up the metal,
then blast it with oxygen.

This creates iron oxide,

Which melts and flows
out of the cut.

The operator uses an iron rod

To lift the machined parts
off of the burn table.

He cleans up the edges
with an electric grinder

And removes any iron oxide left
over from the cutting process.

The machined parts
go to a cnc mill,

Which turns each round blank
into a wheel.

A carbide insert carves
the rail's tread profile

Into the steel.

The machine sprays coolant
to prevent overheating,

Which would warp
the finished wheel.

Next,
a machinist uses a smaller blank

To make an upper-guide roller.

The mill runs at a speed

Of approximately


It quickly turns the round blank

Into a finished roller
ready for assembly.

A worker starts fitting rollers
inside the upper guide head.

He inserts them
into machined holes

In the steel housing
and tack-welds them in place.

He positions the larger rollers

Outside the upper guide head
housing.

These rollers
will bear the load of the door.

Using a metal sheet as a gauge,

He sets the clearance between
the roller and the housing

Then welds the parts together.

A cnc drilling machine
prepares to make

The outside frame
of the door panels.

A pressure sensor on the drill
moves its carbide insert

Back automatically as soon as
it pierces the surface.

Meanwhile, two welders assemble
the bottom door truck

On a welding jig.

They weld a spacer
to the main beam

Using an electric mig welder.

They tack-weld the tube in place

Then bring in the side channel
of the door truck assembly.

They clamp the side channel
tightly against the spacer tube.

Then weld the spacers
to the beam,

Making a clean, continuous weld.

A worker sand-blasts
the door truck assembly.

He blows compressed air and sand

To prepare the metal surface
for painting.

Using a spray g*n,
a worker applies

Corrosion-resistant metal primer
on the door truck

And leaves it to dry.

Workers assemble the panels
before the door leaves the shop.

They use high-strength
structural bolts

To assemble the parts.

Workers install
the unitized operator assembly.

It contains the engine powering
the bottom roller wheels.

A worker bolts
the electrical control panel

To the operator assembly frame.

He puts the cabinet door
in place and secures the hinge.

Tightened brace cables

Keep the door square
and prevent racking.

They mount the upper guide
on a telescoping assembly.

They add the door's
corrugated exterior panels,

And it's ready to ship.

At the push of a button,
the assembled door slowly opens.

Each panel rolls
on the bottom rail

And hangs
from the top guide rail.

The door opens wide enough
to let the aircraft through.

Narrator: playing make-believe

Is a common pastime
for children.

Research shows that playing
with dolls and toy figurines

Can improve a child's
creativity,

Communication,
and social skills.

This includes
problem solving and empathizing.

Whether it's an animal, person,
or fictional creature,

A toy figurine can be a passport
to a fantasy world

Where imagination rules

And the story plays out
in the child's hands.

The toy company designers study
photographs or drawings

Of the creature
they plan to create.

Then they prepare
a sketch of the figurine

Showing
the physical characteristics,

Such as size, colors,
and textures.

Once the sketch is finalized,
they use specialized software

To transform it into
a 3-dimensional model.

Then a 3-d printer
creates a plastic model.

The company also employs
traditional wax modelers.

It may look like a slow process,
but an experienced wax modeler

Can often sculpt
a model faster than a computer.

The company's engineers
determine whether

The toy should be produced
in one piece or multiple parts.

Then the modeler makes a wax
or plastic model accordingly.

This particular dino is divided
into four parts --

Head, body, jaw, and tongue.

For each part,
workers create a silicone mold,

Which will be used to make
several copies in hard plastic.

Workers place the model
of the dino's head

In a box
then fill the box with silicone.

It takes about 12 hours
for the silicone to cure.

Then they cut it open
and extract the model.

They use the vacated cavity

To cast several
hard-plastic copies of the part.

The art department uses most
of them to sample paint colors.

One copy, however, goes to
the company's tool makers,

Who use it
to make the production mold.

They bury the copy
in putty up to the midpoint.

They leave the top half
of the copy exposed.

Next, they set
the half-buried copy

In a metal form
and fill it with plaster.

Once the plaster hardens,

They cure it in an oven
for about an hour

Then they extract the copy.

What's left in the plaster

Is a cavity in the shape
of half the dinosaur.

They fill the cavity
with molten zinc,

Alloyed with copper,
aluminum, and magnesium.

Once the metal cools
and solidifies,

They break the plaster,
revealing one half

Of the two-part
metal production mold.

They repeat the entire process
to make the other half.

Workers mount
the two-part dino mold

In an injection molding machine.

The machine shoots
hot, molten plastic

Into the metal mold cavity.

The machine
immediately cools the plastic

Then releases the figurine.

The plastic is solid
but still soft,

So they dip it in cold water.

This hardens it further.

Next, artists hand-paint
the figurines

Using both traditional
and airbrushes.

The paint is nontoxic
and very durable.

It's designed to flex with
the plastic to prevent cracking.

It also withstands abrasion

Because children often drag
these toys along the ground.

Once the paint dries,
they assemble the toy.

A worker glues the dino's tongue
into the hinged jaw,

Snaps the jaw into the head,
then glues the head to the body.

The company performs
safety testing

On every new figurine designed.

This tensile test makes sure
a child

Can't pull or bite off
a piece of the toy.

Chemical analysis confirmed

Both the plastic and the paint
are completely nontoxic.

So this dino may look dangerous,

But in reality,
he's perfectly harmless.

This ferocious beast
is ready to hit the playground.

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