30x12 - Aerospace Fasteners; Cactus Pear Puree; Lab Reactors

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[ Signal beeping ]

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Narrator: today
on "how it's made" --

Aerospace fasteners.

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Cactus pear puree.

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And lab reactors

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[ Sign squeaks ]

An aircraft must be able to
withstand extreme conditions

And stress,

So it's critical
that the fasteners

Holding the parts
of the aircraft together

Are made to precise
technical specifications

From high-strength
corrosion-resistant materials.

This company
manufactures fasteners

For all types of aircraft.

These screws and bolts
are made of aerospace-grade

Stainless steel.

It arrives from the steel mill
as coil.

Certain fasteners are coated
with copper,

Which acts as a lubricant,

And the company
further lubricates them

With powdered soaps
and other chemicals.

This prevents the coil from
catching as this drawing machine

Pulls it through a round die.

Wire from the drawing machine

Enters this
bolt-forming machine.

First, it heats the wire
and cuts pieces called blanks.

Each blank then passes
through five different dies,

Each of which progressively
shapes it into a bolt.

This t-bolt is made
from a different type

Of high-grade stainless steel

That doesn't require
extra copper lubrication.

The coil goes through
the same process

As the smaller bolt we just saw.

However, this bolt-forming
machine is much larger

And uses four dies rather than
five to shape the t-bolt.

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All fasteners must pass
several quality-control checks

Throughout the
manufacturing process.

In this particular test,

The factory measures the bolt's
head length and diameter

And checks the results against
the technical specifications.

When the fasteners come
off the forming machines,

They have sharp edges
called burrs,

So they have to go for a spin
in a deburring machine.

This one is pretty low-tech
but highly effective.

Fasteners made of certain
types of stainless steel

Are sent to an outside plant
for heat treatment,

Which strengthens them.

Fasteners made from
copper-lubricated

Stainless steel soak
in a bath of nitric acid

For about 20 minutes
to dissolve the copper

Without harming
the stainless steel.

Workers thoroughly rinse
the fasteners with water,

Then dry them off by
spinning them at high speed.

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The final step
is to form threads

On the body of the fasteners.

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Forming threads adds
even more strength.

That's because this factory
does that using a process

Called thread rolling.

Rather than use
machining equipment,

Which cuts threads
into the shank,

A process that removes steel
and can weaken the bolt,

This thread-rolling machine
rolls one bolt

At a time between two dies,
which forms the thread pattern.

This process doesn't
remove any material,

And compressing the steel
to form threads

Actually increases
its strength and ability

To handle stress
during flight.

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The threads undergo a thorough
quality-control inspection.

A technician uses a precision
gauge to measure them.

Next, he uses ring gauges.

If the fastener screws
into the no-go gauge,

The dimensions are wrong.

If it screws into the go gauge,
they're correct.

This optical imagining system
measures the fastener,

Analyzes the form, spacing
and ankles of the threads,

Then sends the data to
the company's computer system.

That system can trace
every single fastener

Back to the batch of steel
from which it was made.

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Another quality-control test
measures tensile strength,

How much pull force the fastener
can withstand before breaking.

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In yet another test, technicians
cut the fasteners into pieces,

Mount them onto a bake-like puck
and polish them,

Then examine them under
a digital microscope.

Among other characteristics,

They analyze the steel's
grain size and structure.

This type of stainless steel
has a high nickel

And chromium content,

Making it resistant to extreme
temperatures and corrosion.

Another test assesses
how hard the steel is

According to an
international standard

Known as the rockwell
hardness scale.

Such rigorous testing
is imperative for safety

As these fasteners are
what hold aircraft together.

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♪♪

Narrator: it's a fruit known
by many names --

Cactus pear, cactus fruit
and prickly pear.

It grows on several
species of cacti,

Which are native
to parts of north,

Central and south america.

Some growers, in addition
to selling the fruit,

Produce a puree,
which they sell as a flavoring.

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Prickly pear martini, anyone?

Cactus pear fruit is high
in fiber and rich

In vitamins and minerals.

It's sweet and delicious
eaten as-is

Or as a natural flavoring
in foods and beverages.

In the salinas valley
in california,

The cactus pear harvest
begins around late august

And continues
through early april.

The fruit is ripe when its skin
begins turning red.

The harvesters wear
thick leather gloves

To protect their hands from
the thorns and safety glasses

To shield their eyes
from loose thorns

That blow through the air.

Tractors haul the cactus pears
to the processing plant.

The fruit first passes over
brushes and into a vacuum

That removes loose dirt,

Then through a shower
of chlorinated water,

Which kills off bacteria.

The fruit enters a cold-air
dryer for about 5 seconds,

Then passes through
a hot-air dryer for 20 seconds.

The fruit exits completely dry.

A quality-control team
removes any with bruises

Or other cosmetic defects

And transfers those cactus pears
to the puree line.

The fruit that passes
inspection falls

Into what's called a singulator,

A machine that lines
them up in single file.

The singulator deposits
each cactus pear into a cup

On a computer-guided
weigh-and-sort machine,

Which classifies
each fruit by size,

Then applies the grower's
price code sticker.

The fruit then travels
on the conveyor belt

That leads to the padded tub

Designated for
its weight classification.

A worker stationed at the tub

Packs the cactus pears
into a lined shipping box.

Another worker removes
any less-than-perfect fruit

That managed to slip
through the previous checks.

Those also go to the puree line.

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On the puree line, the dumper
drops the cactus pears

Onto a conveyor-belt system,

Which transports them
to the crusher.

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The machine crushes the fruit,
separating the skins and flesh,

Mashing the flesh into puree

And extracting the sweet
magenta-colored juice.

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From the crusher,
the pressed skins drop

Onto the vibrating shaker

While the puree and juice flow
through it into a tank below.

The shaker separates any puree
still caught in the skins.

The skins drop into a bin
and are hauled off to be used

As compost
or sold as animal feed.

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Once the tank is filled
to capacity

With about 400 pounds
of puree,

A pump transfers it
to a large hopper.

A worker releases puree from
the hopper to the finisher.

The finisher's fine screens
trap the seeds

While letting the puree pass
through to a holding tank below.

The seeds are sold to businesses
that press them into oil

For cosmetic and hair products.

From the holding tank,
the deseeded puree passes

Through a second finisher
with even finer filters.

Then it flows into a tank
for pasteurization,

Which kills off
any remaining bacteria.

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The puree is finally ready.

A worker fills a drum, which is
double-lined with plastic bags.

She draws four 1-cup samples
from each drum

For quality-control tracking.

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Once a drum contains


The worker zip-ties
each bag separately,

Closes the drum with a lid,

Safety-seals
the lid with a lock,

Then puts the drum
in the freezer.

The cactus pear puree
is sold frozen

To the food
and beverage industry,

Which uses it to flavor
many products,

From ice cream, sorbet,
and gelato

To flavored water, wine,
tequila, and brandy.

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♪♪

Narrator: lab reactors
are vessels of discovery.

Inside these enclosed
glass systems,

Chemical and
biological reactions happen.

Useful for developing
many products,

Including medications
like cancer drugs,

They can also be used to produce
these products on a small scale.

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A lab reactor is basically
a sophisticated blender.

During mixing, it also heats
or cools ingredients

To start a chemical reaction,

And there are ports for
attachments like a condenser.

Making lab reactors starts
with solid glass rods.

The rods are sometimes a bit
crooked, so a worker heats

And moves them across rollers
to straighten them.

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Grinding wheels round their
shape to more precise contours,

And a wet sanding
smooths the surface.

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The operator measures
the outer diameter of each rod.

A worker heats
one end of the rod

And forms a rim
using a special tool.

He applies dabs of liquid glass
just below the rim.

This creates nubs for properly
situating the blade hub

On the main shaft.

To make the reactor's
inner wall,

He scores a wide glass tube

And exposes the score line
to a flame and then water.

Another worker heats
the top end.

He supports the glass
with a wide paddle

Until it's malleable
enough to shape.

A forming tool
gives it a wide lip

That will serve as
the opening of the reactor.

He aims a flame at the newly
formed flange

To smooth out any imperfections.

He slides a larger glass vessel
over the flask,

Then fuses them at both ends.

This creates a hollow jacket
through which liquids

Will be pumped to heat or cool
the contents of the flask.

A different worker cuts
another glass tube to length.

He scores it lightly and again
exposes it to fire and water

To break it along
the etched line.

He shapes the tube into a port

For the outside
of the reactor jacket.

He'll make two of these ports.

They'll be used to circulate
heating and cooling liquids.

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Using the torch,

A worker softens a spot
on the reactor jacket.

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With tweezers, he pulls away
the softened glass,

Creating a hole for the port
to be installed.

After inserting a ceramic
holder in the port,

He fuses it to the hole
on an angle.

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Once the seam solidifies,

The port will be an intrinsic
part of the lab-reactor vessel.

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Abrasive wheels grind
another glass tube

To make it perfectly round.

This tube will be part
of a drainage valve.

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An employee then begins work
on the rest

Of the drainage valve assembly.

He forms an internal thread
for a plug.

And after cutting it shorter,

Another worker creates
a flange on the other end.

He burns a hole in the side
of the valve tube.

The drainage tubing,
now also cut shorter,

Is ready to be attached
to the rest of the valve.

He heats the connecting points,
and they melt and meld together.

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Since we last saw it,

The reactor vessel
has received a base.

A worker burns a hole
in that base

And fuses the drainage valve
onto it.

Another employee then places
the reactor vessel

In a special fixture
and checks that it sits level.

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She adds specific amounts
of water incrementally,

Beginning with 2 cups.

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She draws a line on the outside
of the reactor vessel

To indicate the amount inside.

This will provide a reference
for affixing a scale.

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Using the markings as a guide,
she applies the ceramic scale.

They'll become part of the glass
when the vessel is baked

And slowly cooled.

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Stay tuned for a lot more,

As this lab reactor
comes together

To create a stir.

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Narrator: making a lab reactor
is done for science.

Precision is important because
these reactors will be used

To develop new drugs,

Cosmetics and a range
of chemical materials.

They can also serve
as little factories,

Producing small
batches of products.

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A lab reactor needs
sturdy impeller blades

To generate an effective
chemical reaction.

An automated milling tool cuts
a notch in a disk

Made from strong
chemically resistant plastic.

Another system carves
screw threads into a hub

Made of the same material.

A tool bores a hole in
the center for the insertion

Of what's called
the agitator shaft.

The operator smooths the threads
with fine sandpaper

And then assembles
the blades to the hub.

Next is the condenser.

It's an attachment through which
vapor will travel

To be transformed into a liquid.

The worker twists the softened
glass tube around a rod

To form the coil.

Another worker inserts
a linear glass tube

In the center of the coil.

She melts glass near the bottom

To seal the center tube
to the coil.

Moving to the top, she heats
the glass and, with tweezers,

Pulls a bit from the end
of the coil to pry it open.

With a pick, she opens
it up a little more.

She uses a graphite reaming tool
to shape the glass opening

Into a more flared profile.

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The condenser body takes shape,

And the worker forms
a joint on the end.

He inserts a standard joint
to test the fit.

The coil can now be inserted
into the condenser body.

Another worker fuses the
condenser wall to the coil

And burns holes
in the glass wall

To connect hose attachments.

She exposes the seam
to a less focused flame

To bring down
the temperature slowly.

The next worker creates a joint
for the lower end

Of the condenser.

This joint will be used
to connect the condenser

To the reactor.

Once the basic taper profile
has been achieved,

Grinding tools size it
more precisely.

When the connector joint
has been cut to length,

The worker attaches it
to the base of the condenser.

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Another glass fabricator
makes more joints,

One of which will connect the
condenser to the reactor lid,

Or head, as it's known
in the industry.

He keeps the glass tube long
for easy handling

And then cuts it
to the correct length.

The worker now seals
the center joint

To a hole in the reactor lid.

He burns holes in the reactor
head for other connectors.

As the glass balloons up,

He pulls it away
to fully open the hole.

With all the connectors fused
to the reactor head,

A worker grinds
the base of its flange

Against an abrasive wheel
to make it perfectly even.

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An employee then applies
decals to the head.

These indicate the brand
and the connector size.

The decals will be baked
into the glass

During its final heating.

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He places all the parts
in the annealing oven.

The temperature gradually
ramps up

To 1,040 degrees fahrenheit
and slowly cools.

This final annealing removes
internal stresses

And strengthens the glass.

An inspector scrutinizes
the head with a tool to confirm

That the connector joints
are in proper alignment

And positioned
at the correct angle.

Workers install the vessel
on a stand,

Insert the shaft and blades,

Attach the head
and connect the condenser.

To simulate how it works,

A technician pours
liquid into the reactor.

He adds colorful plastic solids
that will show up better

For this demonstration.

He activates
the impeller blades.

These blades are designed
to lift solids to the top,

And they do that effectively.

He also runs cooling liquids
through the condenser.

In practice, the cool coil will
cause vapors from the vessel

To convert back to a liquid.

This lab reactor is now ready
to be a lifesaver.

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